Baffert, Owners Look for More 'Memories' in Zenyatta

This summer at Del Mar, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert teamed with longtime owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman to win three graded stakes: the Best Pal Stakes (G3) with Havnameltdown , the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3) with Midnight Memories , and the Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) with Cave Rock .

Now they aim to continue their stakes success at Santa Anita Park during the early part of its autumn meet. They're represented by Azul Coast  and Defunded  in the Oct. 1 Awesome Again Stakes (G1), Midnight Memories in the Oct. 2 Zenyatta Stakes (G2), and Speed Boat Beach  in the Speakeasy Stakes, which comes one race after the Zenyatta on the Sunday card.

At 1 1/16 miles, the $200,000 Zenyatta marks the longest race of 3-year-old Midnight Memories' short career. When she routed for the first time in the one-mile Torrey Pines Sept. 4, she showed no signs of slowing down, setting the pace and repelling a bid from heavily favored Desert Dawn  in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length.

Ramon Vazquez, aboard for the Torrey Pines, is back in the irons.

The Torrey Pines wasn't her only top effort. Unraced at 2, Midnight Memories scored on debut at 6 1/2 furlongs April 30 at Santa Anita, and overcame a troubled start to narrowly win a first-level allowance optional claimer June 5. Her first and only loss then followed, though it was far from a poor effort when third in a quick six-furlong allowance optional claimer July 28 at Del Mar.

Blinkers, added for that start, were removed by Baffert for the Torrey Pines, a race restricted to 3-year-old fillies. She is 3-for-3 without blinkers.

The Zenyatta will be her first start against older fillies and mares in a stakes race, though Midnight Memories previously faced elders in non-stakes contests. Baffert has won the Zenyatta four times, most recently with Private Mission  in 2021.

Bred by her owners in Kentucky, Midnight Memories is by Mastery   out of the Midnight Lute   mare Tiz Midnight , who Baffert trained to graded stakes success for the three ownership partners.

Soothsay , one of California's top 3-year-old fillies in the first half of 2021, should improve upon her first start as a 4-year-old. Away for nearly 13 months, the 4-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor  ran a distant fourth in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar Aug. 6.

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has since given the filly a series of workouts, first at Del Mar and later at Santa Anita for the  second start of her current form cycle. Mike Smith is back aboard the filly, who won the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and Indiana Oaks (G3) in 2021, the latter race being her lone start outside her California base. She also ran second to Crazy Beautiful  in the Summertime Oaks (G2) at Santa Anita.

Bred in Kentucky by Raydelz Stable out of the Bernardini  mare Spellbound , Soothsay races for owners Perry Bass II, Ramona Bass, Adele Dilschneider, and Waddell Hancock II. 

Three others compete in the Zenyatta: the thrice graded placed Awake At Midnyte  and minor stakes winners Empire House  and Samurai Charm . The latter twice hit the board in graded events in June and July.

Entries: Zenyatta S. (G2)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, October 02, 2022, Race 4

• Grade II
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 2:38 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Empire House (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Jonathan Wong	15/1
2	2Midnight Memories (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	120	Bob Baffert	8/5
3	3Soothsay (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Richard E. Mandella	2/1
4	4Awake At Midnyte (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	118	Doug F. O'Neill	5/1
5	5Samurai Charm (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Peter Miller	2/1