Itsinthepost Repeats in San Luis Rey Stakes

Like so many times before, Itsinthepost showed up and ran his race March 24 at Santa Anita Park.

Whether the trip goes well or not, odds are Southern California's top turf marathoner will fire his best, and he did it again in the $201,380 San Luis Rey Stakes (G2T).

Much like his last victory, when he gamely held off Hayabusa One in the 1 1/4-mile San Marcos Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita, the French-bred rivals duked it out again in the stretch in the 1 1/2-mile San Luis Rey.

Itsinthepost rallied three wide in the last of three turns to take command after he stalked the pace, but Hayabusa One, with a four-wide move, wasn't far behind. Unlike the San Marcos, however, when Hayabusa One lost a head bob by a nose, Itsinthepost gave up little ground in the stretch. About a length back at the top of the lane, Hayabusa One could not make much of a dent in the margin. Itsinthepost prevailed by three-quarters of a length under jockey Tyler Baze and finished in 2:27.73.

"I've been getting on him a long time, and this is a really special horse," said Baze, who has piloted the gelding in his last 18 starts and 25 times overall. "The guys at the barn have made this happen. They've worked with him and helped him develop. They deserve all the credit. ... Very few horses that you get on really want to win.

"This horse does every time. I think he's my all-time best horse now, for money won. ... He has a will to win."

The early pace was a bit of a scramble, as Play Hard to Get had a head in front through a first quarter in :24.32, with Saltini and Aquaphobia also involved, but Aquaphobia eventually worked his way to the front alone. The half-mile went in :49.35, six furlongs went in 1:14.40, and Aquaphobia had a one-length lead over Colonist through a mile in 1:39.04 on turf labeled good (the race did not start on the hillside turf course—its normal configuration—and instead began on the Santa Anita backstretch because of wet conditions). But the two-horse race was on once the field reached the third turn.

Baze got out of an uncomfortable situation on the inside in the first turn and moved into stalking position on the outside, which was key.

"The only instructions (trainer) Jeff (Mullins) gave me today were to try and see if we could stalk on the outside, and it worked out great," Baze said.

At the wire, the top pair was 6 lengths clear of Responsibleforlove, who closed from seventh in the nine-horse field to finish third. Colonist, Rye, Aquaphobia, Play Hard to Get, Oscar Dominguez, and Saltini completed the order of finish.

The San Luis Rey victory was the 6-year-old American Post (GB) gelding's sixth graded win (all grade 2 events) and pushed his earnings for owner Red Baron's Barn past $1 million ($1,095,712). He was bred by Julien Leaunes out of the Mozart (IRE) mare Sakkara Star (IRE). The 2017 San Luis Rey was his first graded score.

"I've had some good turf horses, but some of them—they'll kinda tail off at some point," Mullins said. "Not this horse. He's just solid every time."