Habibti Wins for Baffert

DEL MAR —  A different coast, another Grade I victory for the team of trainer Bob Baffert and owner Prince Ahmed bin Salman.

A little more than 24 hours after Point Given’s latest win in the $1-million Travers at Saratoga, Habibti, a 2-year-old Tabasco Cat filly, became a stakes winner in her second career start here Sunday.

Purchased for $450,000 at the Barretts sale in March, Habibti, the 2-1 second choice, tracked the pace along the inside while full of run, got through along the inside early in the stretch and went on to win the $250,000 Del Mar Debutante by two lengths over 10-1 longshot Who Loves Aleyna. Tempera, the 1-2 favorite who had been so impressive winning the Sorrento Stakes three weeks earlier, faded to third, another two lengths back, without a visible excuse.

Less than four hours after returning from New York, Baffert picked up his fifth victory in the Debutante and his fourth in the last five years.

Combined with Officer, the unbeaten California-bred, Baffert and Salman’s Thoroughbred Corporation appeared well stocked for both 2-year-old races in the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 27 at Belmont Park.

Habibti, which means “my love” in Arabic, had rallied from well off the pace when breaking her maiden in her debut on July 29, then wasn’t bothered by the rail when winning Sunday. Her final time for the seven furlongs was 1:22 1/5, which was faster than the previous two runnings of the Debutante and the same as Excellent Meeting’s clocking when she won for Baffert in 1998.

“Baffert is spoiling the hell out of me,” said Salman, who showed his glee by hoisting winning rider Victor Espinoza in the air in the winner’s circle. “We called this filly Habibti because that’s how I address my wife and kids.”

Although nothing is definite, Habibti could make her next start in New York. Baffert mentioned the $500,000 Frizette on Oct. 6 as a possible destination. Like the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies three weeks later, the Frizette is run at 1 1/16 miles.

“We’re very excited about this filly,” said Baffert. “She’s a great one. Once we get her going farther, she’ll get better and better.”

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Shine Again, the longest shot in the field at 21-1, rallied along the rail to win the $200,000 Ballerina Handicap Sunday at Saratoga.

It was the seventh win in 15 tries for the 4-year-old Wild Again filly, but her first graded stakes victory, and it came in a Grade I.

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Preparing to defend her title in Saturday’s $150,000 Palomar Handicap, Tranquility Lake worked five furlongs on the turf in 59 3/5 under regular rider Eddie Delahoussaye about an hour before the first race on Sunday.

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Jockey Chris McCarron ended a lengthy dry spell when first-time starter Siphonic won Sunday’s third race. It was the first victory for McCarron at Del Mar since Aug. 9 and only his fourth of the meet. The win was also the first of the season for Siphonic’s trainer Dave Hofmans.