Dream Tree Draws Off in Easy Starlet Triumph

In just her third start, Dream Tree managed to do what few can in the realm of Thoroughbred racing—she gave her Hall of Fame trainer a new piece of history to add to his illustrious resume.

One race after taking the Los Alamitos CashCall Futurity (G1) when McKinzie was elevated to the victory over stablemate Solomini via disqualification, trainer Bob Baffert enjoyed a sweep of the day's top-level tests Dec. 9 when he saddled Dream Tree to a facile 3 1/4-length victory over Yesterday's News in the $300,000 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course.

In the history of the two grade 1 races for 2-year-olds—which have been run since 1981 at either Hollywood Park or Los Alamitos—no trainer has ever won both in the same year.

Where the CashCall featured a controversial, bump-filled finished, Dream Tree allowed for no such drama in tucking the above milestone in Baffert's pocket. After rating well to the outside in second off tepid fractions of :24.67 and :49.25 set by Yesterday's News, the daughter of Uncle Mo  responded to just a shake of the reins from jockey Drayden Van Dyke at the top of the stretch and drew off under a hand ride en route to remaining unblemished in her young career.

"I was just going to play the break because in a small field it can be tricky," Van Dyke said of his mount. "(Jockey) Mario (Gutierrez on runner-up Yesterday's News) decided to go, so I thought it would be perfect to sit just off him. She ran right through the stretch and I didn't even have to pull out my stick. It was just a hand ride."

Sent off as the 1-5 choice in the field of four, Dream Tree earned the favoritism of the betting public off a pair of a narrow victories in her first two starts. The bay filly broke her maiden by a nose first time out at Santa Anita Park Oct. 27 and then came back in the seven-furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes Nov. 17 at Del Mar to also prevail by a nostril.

The 1 1/16-mile distance of the Starlet only served to give Phoenix Thoroughbred's filly more time to show herself off. With Yesterday's News slowing things to a crawl up front, Van Dyke had Dream Tree under a good hold—saving more than enough for the winning drive as the duo hit the wire in 1:43.87.

"The plan was to sit with her today," Baffert said. "The first race (Oct. 27) she had blinkers and she was rank and she won from a little off the pace. I wasn't sure about two turns, but after she came back and worked the way she did  (after winning the Desi Arnaz Nov. 18)  is why I changed my mind and decided to run her in this spot."

Yesterday's News was 5 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Piedi Bianchi, who nosed out Exuberance for show money. War Heroine was scratched. 

Bred in Kentucky by Mike Freeny and Pat Freeny out of the Afleet Alex  mare Afleet Maggi, Dream Tree was purchased by Kerri Radcliffe for $750,000 from Wavertree Stables' consignment to the Fasig-Tipton March Select 2-year-olds in training sale. She improved her earnings to $270,000.