Baffert Won’t Miss Gentlemen

Trainers Richard Mandella and Bob Baffert were seatmates at a press luncheon at Santa Anita on Wednesday.

After all the questions had been asked, Baffert got up to leave, turned to Mandella and said: “I want to leave you with just one word: Dubai.”

Mandella smiled. He had been talking about the options after his Gentlemen runs today in the $300,000 San Antonio Handicap. On the calendar are the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 and the $4-million Dubai World Cup on March 28.

“We might run in one, or there’s a chance we could go in both,” said Mandella, who has been second twice (with Soul Of The Matter and Siphon) in the first two runnings of the Dubai race.

Baffert, who is running Silver Charm today in the $500,000 Strub Stakes, has ruled out the Dubai race for his colt, but plans to run in the Big ‘Cap. Having seen enough of Gentlemen in only one race last year, Baffert would like to see Mandella’s 6-year-old Argentine-bred go straight to Dubai.

“I took a shot against Gentlemen last year in the Pimlico Special,” Baffert said. “I ran Isitingood and he set the pace, with Gentlemen dogging us all the way. Gentlemen put my horse away and still had enough left at the end to beat Skip Away. Gentlemen’s one tough horse.”

Today, in the 51st Strub, the horse Silver Charm and Baffert have to worry about the most is Mud Route, who led the San Fernando for a mile three weeks ago, then couldn’t outfinish Silver Charm in a race that was decided by a length.

There are seven horses entered in the Strub, three more than ran in the San Fernando, but the issue appears to boil down to Silver Charm and Mud Route. Lord Grillo, who might have been a threat in the longer Strub after running third in the San Fernando, is out with a virus. Besides Silver Charm and Mud Route, today’s field has a combined record of 12 wins in 67 starts. The best chance any of them has is the off-track, something that Silver Charm and Mud Route haven’t been tested on before.

No one pushed Mud Route in the San Fernando, allowing jockey Chris McCarron’s colt to gallop along through a half-mile in :48 2/5 and six furlongs in 1:12 1/5.

Gary Stevens, who could have a big day, riding both Silver Charm and Gentlemen, isn’t sure what McCarron will do today.

“He was able to slow the pace down last time,” Stevens said. “He may try a different strategy this time.”

Gentlemen, who has won 12 of 17 starts and earned $2.7 million, will be carrying high weight of 124 pounds in the San Antonio, a race he won last year. Today he is spotting his five rivals between four and 14 pounds. A virus prevented him from running in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and this will be his first race in more than four months.

Horse Racing Notes

Gentlemen could become the first horse to win the San Antonio in successive years since Gun Bow in 1964-65. . . . Only three horses--Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Alysheba--have won the Kentucky Derby and the Strub, which is limited to 4-year-olds. . . . The last nine Strubs have been won by different jockeys. Stevens has never won the stake, his best finish was a second with Candi’s Gold behind Alysheba in 1988. . . . Mud Route, with two wins in six starts, is looking for his first stakes win. . . . First post is noon. . . . The San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds features Orville N Wilbur’s and Sea Of Secrets, who have been winning convincingly in maiden and allowance company.

The horses that finished behind Artax in last Sunday’s Santa Catalina are scattering: Souvenir Copy will run in the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds on March 15; Allen’s Oop is headed for the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 21, and Futuristic will try the El Camino Real Derby at Bay Meadows on March 7. Futuristic and Skeaping bled from the lungs in the Santa Catalina. . . . Baffert, who trains Souvenir Copy, will run Real Quiet against Artax in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 14 and has Commitisize entered in today’s $100,000 Turf Paradise Derby.