Future Uncertain for Baffert Trainees Charlatan, Nadal

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who swept the split Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park, said both Charlatan and Nadal came out of their respective May 2 races well.

Both horses are scheduled to be flown back to California on Monday.

"I had my fastballs in there today," Baffert said Saturday night. "Those are them. Just hope they all stay healthy. (The Kentucky Derby, G1) is a long way off. We're just fortunate that it worked out. I was so worried they weren't going to split that race because I did not want to run those two together."

Moving forward, Baffert said he wasn't sure what path each horse would take to reach Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in September.

"I wish the Derby was next month in June, but we just have to put these horses in bubble wrap and just take our time," Baffert said.

Unbeaten odds-on favorite Charlatan, in his stakes debut and first start outside California, was a six-length wire-to-wire winner of the first division under Martin Garcia. Unbeaten odds-on favorite Nadal showed a new dimension, coming from off the pace, to win the second division by three lengths and give jockey Joel Rosario his fifth victory on the card. Nadal's 1:48.34 time was the fastest for an Arkansas Derby winner since Concern in 1994.

A son of Blame , Nadal is 4-for-4 with $1.05 million in earnings. Charlatan, a son of Speightstown , has earned $376,200.

For the Southern California-based Baffert, Saturday's sweep moved his career strike rate at Oaklawn to a gaudy 43%. He has 26 stakes victories, with 16 coming in Oaklawn's lucrative four-race Kentucky Derby prep series, since 2010. Baffert also won an allowance race on the Arkansas Derby undercard with Gamine, an unbeaten 3-year-old Into Mischief  filly.

"I'm just glad everything worked out," Baffert said roughly 20 minutes after completing the sweep. "I was happy about Gamine. She's a really good filly. I just took all my good ones up there, and that's what you need to do if you're going to win at Oaklawn. You've got to take nothing but the cream. We're just glad it worked out today."

Nadal tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 150 points, and Charlatan is fourth with 100.

First-division runner-up Basin came out of the race in good shape, co-owner Ryne Poncik said Sunday. Basin ranks 10th in the standings with 50 points.

"I assume we are (on the Derby trail), wherever that takes us," Poncik said.

Basin, second at every call, finished a neck ahead of Gouverneur Morris, who has 34 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to rank 14th for trainer Todd Pletcher. Late-running Farmington Road, also trained by Pletcher, finished fourth in the second division, beaten seven lengths.

"I thought both horses showed up and tried hard," Pletcher said Sunday. "(They) got decent trips. Of course, we would have liked to have been able to get a little closer position early with Farmington Road, but he put in a long, sustained run. I thought it was two solid performances for him while he was there those three weeks. Seems like a horse that still has room for improvement, so happy with that. Gouverneur Morris, I thought he ran hard. We were concerned about the pace scenario there but worked out the best trip we could and was hoping he could get up for second. Just missed that, but overall I thought he gave us a good effort. Not exactly what we were hoping for, but pleased with the way they both performed."

Pletcher said both horses were en route Sunday to their south Florida base to await their next starts on the new-look Kentucky Derby trail.

"It's sort of, I guess, you can call it a trail," Pletcher said. "It's such a unique situation. They're both on their way back to Palm Beach Downs. We'll assess how they came out of their races and then, like everyone else, sort of wait to hear what some other prep options are for the Derby."

Wells Bayou, who finished fifth in the second division, ranks third on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 104 points. Second-division runner-up King Guillermo is fifth with 90 points. Juvenile champion Storm the Court, sixth in the second division, is 16th with 32 points. One-eyed Finnick the Fierce, third in the second division, is 20th with 25.

In other graded stakes races during the final two days of the meeting, By My Standards won the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older horses.

Trainer Bret Calhoun said next-race plans are pending for By My Standards, but the year-end goal is the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

Oaklawn champions crowned during the 57-day meeting that ended Saturday included jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who had 60 victories, trainer Robertino Diodoro with 52 victories, and owner M and M Racing, which ended the meet with 27 victories.

It was the seventh local riding title for Santana, who also had a meet-high $3,646,663 in earnings.

Diodoro captured his first Oaklawn training title, holding off perennial champion Steve Asmussen (48 wins). Diodoro became only the fourth trainer in Oaklawn history to reach 50 victories in a season. Asmussen led all trainers in earnings with $4,088,116.

Mike and Mickala Sisk's M and M Racing captured its third consecutive title and also topped all owners in earnings with $973,372.

Town Champ was the meet's winningest horse with four victories.

Dates for the resumption of live racing at Oaklawn haven't been announced