Coach Bob Baffert dominates the Grade 2 $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity, a race he has now gained 14 occasions due to his victory with Wynstock Dec. 16 at Los Alamitos Race Course. Baffert entered three 2-year-olds within the race and gained with the longest shot of the three.

Throughout Quarter Horse races at Los Alamitos, Dr. Ed Allred wins typically as one of many nation’s main Quarter Horse homeowners and breeders. It’s rarer to see him win a Thoroughbred stakes on the monitor he has owned for years. Baffert, who received his begin at Los Alamitos in Quarter Horses, is all the time happy when he can win one for “Doc.”

When the gate opened within the 1 1/16-mile Futurity, the 5 runners broke collectively. Wine Me Up took a short lead, however Wynstock surged to the entrance across the first flip and set all the fractions, starting with a quarter-mile time of :23.53.

Wynstock maintained a size benefit into the backstretch. Wine Me Up and Coach Prime started their runs within the second flip, whereas Stronghold additionally challenged from the rail. Into the stretch, nevertheless, the race got here right down to Wynstock and Stronghold.

Stronghold appeared to return out barely, and the 2 brushed. Stronghold received the benefit, however then Wynstock wrested the lead again. They bumped once more earlier than Wynstock gamely pulled away to win by a half-length in 1:43.53.

Coach Prime, a $1.7 million son of High quality Highway and fellow Baffert trainee, went off because the 4-5 favourite and completed third. The Baffert-trained, graded stakes-placed Wine Me Up completed fourth because the second alternative on the tote board at 1.90-1. Wynstock was the fourth alternative of the five-horse discipline at 13-1.

The stewards posted the inquiry signal following the race due to the contact. Nevertheless, they dominated that there can be no change, figuring out that each horses contributed to the incident.

Wynstock was coming off a 7 1/2-length, one-mile maiden win Oct. 15 at Santa Anita Park, a race he additionally gained on the lead. In two efforts at 6 1/2 furlongs earlier than that, he was unplaced whereas racing properly off the tempo and with hassle firstly. Kyle Frey rode the winner. He rode Wynstock for the primary time in his maiden victory and is 2-for-2 aboard the colt.

“When he will get in entrance, he has the guts of a lion,” Frey stated.

Baffert stated that he thought Wynstock can be on the lead as he was in his preliminary victory.

“I could not imagine he received beat twice going brief earlier than that as a result of he had proven a lot within the morning,” the coach stated. “Coming into the paddock at present he seemed excellent. I am simply actually completely satisfied for Doc — we go means again. To have this second is particular. He purchased him and trusted me.”

Allred owns Wynstock in partnership with Jack Liebau, vp of Los Alamitos and a longtime California racetrack govt. They bought the colt for $700,000 on the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Gross sales Firm’s spring sale of 2-year-olds from the consignment of Caliente Thoroughbreds.

This was Baffert’s first win within the Futurity since 2020, when he accomplished a seven-race successful streak that started in 2014. He first gained the race in 1997 with Actual Quiet when the race was generally known as the Hollywood Futurity. His different winners embody Level Given in 2000.