Baffert, Velez Earn Titles at Los Alamitos Winter Meet

A third consecutive sweep of the Starlet Stakes (G1) and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert highlighted the seven-day Winter Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos Race Course, which concluded Dec. 15.

Victories by Bast in the Starlet and Thousand Words in the Futurity were the most significant on an unforgettable day for Baffert. He won five consecutive races (4-8) on the Dec. 7 program, becoming the first trainer to win more than three in a single afternoon since daytime Thoroughbred racing returned to Los Alamitos in the summer of 2014.

Bast's wire-to-wire win was Baffert's sixth in the Starlet, including three at Hollywood Park, which offered the race from 1981-2013.

Thousand Words' win over Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Anneau d'Or was Baffert's 12th in the Futurity, including all six renewals at Los Alamitos. 

A son of Pioneerof the Nile and the Pomeroy mare Pomeroys Pistol, Thousand Words, who was a $1 million purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is 2-for-2 for Albaugh Family Stables and B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm. He could be considered one of the leading contenders for the 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

Owned by Baoma Corporation, Bast, an Uncle Mo  filly out of the Arch mare Laffina, picked up her third grade 1 of the year. She also captured the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) and the Chandelier Stakes (G1).

The meet's other graded stakes—the $100,351 Bayakoa Stakes (G3)—was won by Queen Bee to You, who rallied from last to capture the 1 1/16-mile test.

Returned to the schedule after a one-year absence, the Bayakoa was the first graded win for trainer Andrew Lerner. Owned by Christopher St. Hilaire and Adam Vali, Queen Bee to You, a 5-year-old Old Topper mare, has earned over $500,000 since being claimed for $50,000 on Dec. 1, 2016.

The two other stakes were for 2-year-olds bred or sired in California. Cholula Lips, who is based at Los Alamitos with trainer Mike Harrington, scored an 8-1 upset for Amanda Navarro and breeder Terry Lovingier in the $101,053 Soviet Problem Stakes, and another 8-1 shot—Club Aspen—won the $100,000 King Glorious Stakes.

In terms of business, all sources handle increased 2% on comparative days from the 2018 meet, which was eight days.

Baffert topped the trainer standings with seven wins, the 10th time he has either led or shared the title at Los Alamitos since Thoroughbred racing returned.

Baffert had the most wins (18) for the year at Los Alamitos, combining the winter meet with the Summer Thoroughbred Festival and the Los Angeles County Fair season.

Apprentice Jorge Velez completed a sweep of the three Los Alamitos meets as he finished the winter season with nine victories, three more than Abel Cedillo. A 21-year-old native of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Velez finished 2019 with 32 wins at Los Alamitos. He had nine during the summer meet and 14 during the LACF.

Daytime Thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in 2020. The first of two meets is scheduled to begin June 25 and continue through July 5 and the other Dec. 3-20.