Officer Has Laid Down the Law

DEL MAR —  Trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the race five consecutive times, is running two undefeated 2-year-olds in today’s $250,000 Del Mar Futurity, but all of the attention will be on Officer, considered the stable’s most promising contender for next year’s Kentucky Derby.

Officer is a California-bred son of Bertrando, who won the Del Mar Futurity in 1991. Officer, who won the Graduation Stakes here in July and the Best Pal last month, has so dominated his races that he’s chased some of Southern California’s best 2-year-olds all the way to New York.

Officer, who’ll be ridden by Victor Espinoza in Del Mar’s closing-day feature, has won three straight by a combined margin of 21 lengths. Ahmed Salman, the Saudi Arabian prince who bought Officer in March as an unraced 2-year-old for $700,000, will also run the Baffert-trained Ecstatic, making his stakes debut after having won his first two starts. Ecstatic, to be ridden by Gary Stevens, was a $400,000 purchase at a 2-year-old auction.

In Officer’s last start, the Best Pal on Aug. 15, Ecstatic was scratched, leaving Baffert’s top colt with only two rivals. One of them, Metatron, was second, beaten by seven lengths, as Officer ran 61/2 furlongs in a brilliant 1:08 2/5 with little urging from Espinoza.

Metatron, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, is one of seven starters today.

Other trainers have sought more appealing options. Eoin Harty, whose Essence Of Dubai was beaten by 101/2 lengths in the Best Pal, is leaving his horse in the barn. Came Home and Roman Dancer, who had won three straight between them, bypassed today’s Del Mar race to run last Saturday at Saratoga, with Came Home notching his third win, by two lengths in the Hopeful Stakes. Roman Dancer, who finished fourth, is trained by Christopher Paasch, who is taking a shot at Officer with Kamsack in the Del Mar Futurity.

Came Home is returning to California, but owners Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan and trainer Paco Gonzalez are likely to skip Santa Anita’s Norfolk on Sept. 29--where Officer will probably resurface--and return to New York for the Champagne at Belmont Park on Oct. 6.

Baffert’s string of victories in the Del Mar Futurity began with Silver Charm in 1996. Since then, he’s won the stake with Souvenir Copy, Worldly Manner, Forest Camp and Flame Thrower.

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The Los Angeles County Fair’s 18-day meet at Fairplex Park in Pomona opens Friday .... The depleted ranks of 3-year-old colts were further thinned Tuesday with the announcement that Dollar Bill will be sidelined the rest of the year because of an ankle injury. Point Given, the clear-cut division leader, and Monarchos, the Kentucky Derby winner, are also injured, Point Given’s career having ended. Congaree, Point Given’s stablemate, is out until next year.

On the other side of the ledger, Macho Uno is on the comeback trail. Winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Macho Uno made his second start since that race, winning Monday’s Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park.