Havnameltdown Defeats Stablemate Newgate in Bob Hope
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Havnameltdown leads Newgate to a Bob Baffert-trained exacta in the Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar
Del Mar juvenile form held up exceedingly well in the Nov. 20 Bob Hope Stakes (G3), as favored Havnameltdown ran just as a 4-5 favorite should. Ten weeks before, Bob Baffert-trained Havnameltdown and Newgate finished second and fourth to then-undefeated Cave Rock in the Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1), and they returned in the Bob Hope to complete the exacta for Baffert.
Baffert had three of the five 2-year-olds in the seven-furlong Bob Hope, almost assuring a victory for the Hall of Famer. The race initially had a field of seven, but stakes winners Lloyds Logic and Giver Not a Taker were scratched. Baffert's third runner, Hard to Figure , was coming off a win in the Capote Stakes at Los Alamitos.
When the gate opened, Hard to Figure took the early lead, with Havnameltdown, ridden by leading Del Mar jockey Juan Hernandez, not far behind. Hard to Figure appeared a little rank for Flavien Prat and raced off the rail down the backstretch, forcing Havnameltdown wide, though this ultimately didn't cause a problem for the favorite.
Newgate, in fourth early behind Practical Move after bobbling slightly at the start, moved up on the outside into second. At the half-mile pole, Havnameltdown surged into the lead while Hard to Figure began backpedaling.
As the field rounded the turn, only Newgate posed any kind of challenge for Havnameltdown. Though Newgate ran well for John Velazquez, Havnameltdown held him off fairly easily to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:21.68. Practical Move finished third, 2 1/2 lengths behind Newgate, followed by Mixto and Hard to Figure.
"It looks like he's starting to know how to run," said Hernandez. "Today he broke really nice and easy. The other horse on the inside had a lot of speed, so I kind of let him go and I sat behind him. After we ran a half-mile, he started picking it up by himself."
Jimmy Barnes, Baffert's assistant trainer, noted that "Newgate was in a position where he had a good chance and they both finished together down the stretch, so we couldn't be happier."
Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, whose Cave Rock helped them land the the leading owner title at the summer Del Mar meeting, own Havnameltdown and Hard to Figure. Baffert won his 12th Bob Hope, called the Hollywood Prevue Stakes when conducted at Hollywood Park. The trainer's earlier winners included Toews On Ice in 2015 and Really Mr Greely in 2012, owned by Pegram, Watson, and Weitman, and Commitisize in 1997, owned by Pegram.
Pegram, Watson, and Weitman purchased Havnameltdown in the name of Three Amigos from Blas Perez Stable for $200,000 at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in Training. Blas Perez had pinhooked the colt after buying him for $16,000 at the 2021 OBS October Yearling Sale from the consignment of Beth Bayer.
Katherine S. Devall bred Havnameltdown in Florida. A son of Uncaptured , a stallion now standing in South Korea, Havnameltdown is out of the Put It Back mare Ashley's Babe , a winning half sister to three stakes winners.