Baffert Shipped Bayern to Travers to Win

Bayern (above after winning the Haskell Invitational Stakes) is the probable favorite for Saturday's Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Bob Baffert faced an interesting decision after Bayern dominated from start to finish in taking the Haskell Invitational Stakes by 7 ¼ lengths on July 27 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.
He could have Jim Barnes, his top assistant, van the runaway winner to Saratoga Race Course to begin preparations for a possible start in the $1.25-million Travers Stakes. Or, he could fly the blossoming 3-year-old back to his West Coast base at Del Mar, allowing him to see the youngster train every morning while he weighed his options.
The Hall of Fame trainer opted for the latter before ultimately deciding to return Bayern to the East Coast to take a shot in the Travers, the famed “mid-summer Derby,” on Saturday. It was not a call he made lightly.
“When I ship, we want to ship to make sure it’s going to be a winning ship,” Baffert said. “We put him on the plane to win. We don’t want to run just to be part of the race.”
BAYERN WINNING HASKELL

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Bayern looks so formidable that he was established as a 2-to-1 favorite in a field of 10 high-caliber 3-year-olds. The group includes Belmont Stakes victor Tonalist, Jim Dandy Stakes winner Wicked Strong and Kentucky Derbyy runner-up Commanding Curve.
The one virtually certain element is that Bayern and jockey Martin Garcia will seize the lead from the outset of the 1 ¼-mile Travers.
“You’ve just got to let him go and, you know, what happens, happens,” Baffert said. “When you have a brilliant horse with that kind of speed, you’ve just got to use it.”
Although the dark bay or brown colt by Offlee Wild was unraced at 2, he quickly showed promise at the start of this year at Santa Anita Park. He rolled in his debut on Jan. 4 by 3 ¼ lengths. He wowed fans with a 15-length romp in an allowance race in mid-February.
Baffert thought they were on the road to the Kentucky Derby but was forced to make adjustments after Bayern ran a disappointing third in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. The horse went on to Churchill Downs, but it was to compete in the Derby Trial Stakes, where he was disqualified for interference and placed second after crossing the finish line first. A difficult early trip contributed to a ninth-place finish in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes, forcing the connections to regroup once more.
Bayern was much the best when he ruled the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes by 7 ½ lengths as part of the Belmont Stakes undercard to set the stage for his heroics in the Haskell, where Garcia was allowed to set a modest pace.
In all, the $320,000 purchase by Kaleem Shah owns four victories, one second and one third-place finish for earnings of $1,077,680.
Pace – or lack of it – could very well decide the Travers. Although Tonalist, with jockey Joel Rosario, and Wicked Strong, who will have Rajiv Maragh aboard, should be prominently placed, neither possesses the early foot of Bayern, who will break from post two and whose ability to get the classic distance looms as the overriding  question for handicappers.
“After he ran in the Haskell, I didn’t see any reason to maybe not try him a little farther because it wasn’t really taxing on him,” Baffert said. “He handled it pretty well.”
Baffert knows what it takes to win the Travers, accomplishing that with Point Given in 2001. He has since run third with Roman Ruler in 2005, 10th with Coil in 2011 and ninth with Liaison in 2012.
$1,250,000 Travers StakesSaturday, Saratoga Race Course, Race 12, 5:45 p.m. ET1 1/4 miles, dirt, 3-year-oldsTelevision coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Morning Line

1

Commanding Curve

Shaun Bridgmohan

Dallas Stewart

15-1

2

Bayern

Martin Garcia

Bob Baffert

2-1

3

Charge Now

Junior Alvarado

Bill Mott

15-1

4

V. E. Day

Javier Castellano

Jimmy Jerkens

15-1

5

Viva Majorca 

Julien Leparoux 

Ian Wilkes 

20-1

6

Tonalist

Joel Rosario

Christophe Clement

3-1

7

Wicked Strong

Rajiv Maragh

Jimmy Jerkens

7-2

8

Kid Cruz

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Linda Rice

12-1

9

Ulanbator

Brian Hernandez Jr.

Ian Wilkes

30-1

10

Mr Speaker

Jose Lezcano

Shug McGaughey

10-1