Baffert Enters Strong Hand in Rancho Bernardo

Although she's raced sparingly in the last three years, there is no denying Boama's Eda  knows how to win. The daughter of Munnings   has found the winner's circle in seven of her nine starts. She'll attempt to take that win column number to eight Aug. 27 in the $125,000 Rancho Bernardo Stakes (G3) at Del Mar.

The last time Eda raced at Del Mar resulted in a 4 1/4-length romp in the 2021 Desi Arnaz Stakes during her 2-year-old campaign. Unraced for the majority of her 3-year-old season barring a victory in the 2022 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3), she's returned better than ever as a 4-year-old for trainer Bob Baffert. A frontrunning type, she sped to gate-to-wire scores in an April allowance at Santa Anita Park after a 13-month layoff and then notched a gritty win against graded stakes company in the July 4 Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Breaking from the far outside post in the field of eight in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong Rancho Bernardo, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see jockey J.J. Hernandez utilize the filly's blazing speed to angle over and secure the early lead.

It will be interesting to see if Eda's stablemate, the promising 3-year-old Home Cooking , will go with her to the front. In her last outing, the Honor Code  filly pressed the pace for a quarter-mile before taking command and zipping home to a 2 3/4-length tally over older fillies and mares in a Del Mar first-level allowance contest. Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, Home Cooking shaded 1:10 for the six furlongs (1:09.81) in that effort on her way to earning a career-best 92 Equibase Speed Figure.

Ridden by Joe Bravo from the 2 post on Sunday, Home Cooking was grade 1-placed at 2 in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) after a dazzling 9 3/4-length debut win. She's yet to finish out of the money on the Del Mar oval in four starts at the track.

Among those taking on the formidable Baffert duo is grade 1-placed, grade 3 winner Kirstenbosch  and the speedy Vladmir Cerin trainee Princess Adaleigh .

Kirstenbosch, a graded winner over two turns, cuts back in distance for the first time in this spot since a third-place finish in the off-the-turf Monrovia Stakes (G3) in April. The late running filly, traditionally a slow starter, will need plenty of pace up front, as she got in the Monrovia, to close into over such a short trip to the wire.

A filly who could potentially add to the hot tempo is Princess Adaleigh. A versatile runner who's won over both dirt and synthetic in addition to a third-place effort last time out on Del Mar's downhill turf course in the July 28 Daisycutter Stakes, Princess Adaleigh has thrown down some serious early fractions in the past. She should be either leading the pack or battling for the advantage once the gates open.