Du Jour Takes the Inside Path to Glory in Kilroe Mile

Du Jour  shot through a big hole along the rail at the top of the stretch and ran on to win the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1T) March 3 at Santa Anita by 2 lengths as trainer Bob Baffert celebrated a bang-up day at the races.

The Kilroe Mile was the middle leg of three straight graded stakes victories for Baffert, who saddled the exacta of Imagination  and Wine Me Up  in the San Felipe (G2) in the previous race and returned with Newgate  in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in the heat after the Kilroe.

It also was a family affair as Du Jour is owned by the trainer's wife in partnership with friend Debbie Lanni. Baffert's barn is almost exclusively trained and raced on dirt although he did win the Kilroe Mile in 2000 with Commitisize.

"He's going to have a new reputation now," Lanni said after Du Jour's score.

Jockey Flavien Prat got Du Jour away cleanly and set up shop behind the leading quintet as the field raced down the backstretch in the Kilroe Mile. He took closer order approaching the turn, to make a choice turning into the stretch.

That decision got a lot easier as pacesetting Goliad  tired quickly and drifted out off the rail. Prat steered Du Jour into the vacant slot, the gelding responded and quickly drew off.

Easter  came outside rivals to give chase but Du Jour and Prat had put the race to bed before he could cut into the lead. Ah Jeez  was a long shot third with First Peace  fourth. Du Jour, a 6-year-old Temple City   gelding, covered the distance over good turf in 1:33.95.

"It was so exciting," Lanni said. "I won't say unexpected. But very exciting."

"I'm just blessed and happy that I have a hard-working crew that work so hard to get these horses ready and today they got rewarded with the wins. Those grooms, I mean, I've never seen them so happy," Baffert said.

Du Jour shot to prominence when he won the American Turf (G2T) on Derby Day at Churchill Downs in 2021. He came up short in four subsequent starts that year and did not race in 2022. He returned refreshed and renewed in 2023, finishing second in his first two starts, then winning the Wickerr Stakes and the Del Mar Mile (G2T) in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) last November.

In the Breeders' Cup, he raced well off the pace and Prat wasn't presented the inside option. Swinging around rivals, he closed smartly and only came up 3 1/2 lengths short—but only good enough for 10th.

"It was just disappointing," Lanni said. "He wasn't himself, I think. And he only finished 3 1/2 lengths behind. But 3 1/2 short."

Du Jour, out of the Bernardini mare Guiltless , was bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm. He sold for a bargain $19,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale but was marked up to $280,000 for agent Donato Lanni at the following year's Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training.

He took three tries to find the winner's circle before breaking through at Santa Anita in February of 2021, then won an allowance race there before pulling off the mild upset win in the American Turf.

Irideo , winner of the restricted Clockers Corner Stakes Jan. 28 down the hillside turf course, was a pre-race scratch, leaving a field of eight for the Kilroe.