San Felipe Stakes Field No Match For Dortmund

Dortmund Undefeated With San Felipe Stakes Victory

By: Claudia Lorena

Saturday’s Gr. II San Felipe Stakes saw yet another glorious win on behalf of Dortmund, a 3-year-old son of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown. Now undefeated in five starts, the win granted 50 points towards the derby, moving the chestnut into third place in the standings. Leading into the race, the hype was all about Dortmund and for good reason—this colt is the real deal.

“Coming into this race he was doing much better than he was last time.” Stated Bob Baffert. “As long as he stays healthy, the farther they go the better. He was just getting cranked up there at the end, it was pretty exciting.”

When asked if he had expected him to take the lead, Baffert added, “The thing about Martin is that he knows all of these horses; He knows [Dortmund] really well. The worst thing you can do is get him behind a wall of horses. He took the lead and was doing it pretty easily. He’ll stay here for the Santa Anita Derby.”

In the winners circle, Kaleem Shah was all smiles, but why wouldn’t he be? The winners circle is very much like home for the San Diego native, who won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic with a colt very much like Dortmund, Bayern. When asked if he was surprised by the 3-year-old’s performance, he stated, “Not really. He had been training very well and we were quite confident in his abilities.”

Martin Garcia, who was a little brash right after taking photos in the winners circle, returned to the press conference in much lighter spirits. “He makes it look so easy, but that’s what happens when you have a good horse,” Garcia said. Dortmund set fractions of 23.12, 46.98, 1:11.30, 1:35.51 and hit the wire at 1:41.65. The question of adding more distance doesn’t seem to be of any concern for the jockey either, who explained, “I’m always confident in him because I know how good he is. I don’t think there will be any difference; he can go any distance. It won’t be a problem.”

Purchased at the May 2014 Fasig-Tipton Mid-Atlantic sale for $140,000, Dortmund was bred in Kentucky by Emilie Gerlinde Fojan and is owned by Kaleem Shah. Donato Lanni sought out the colt for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who, on first impression, believed the colt was too big and bulky to stay sound. Needless to say, Baffert thinks differently today and is more than content with the progress the colt has made in the last few months. His win in the San Felipe Stakes received a 111 Beyer speed figure, the highest since 2005. To date he has made $689,400 in earnings.

At this moment, Dortmund is one of the top 3-year-olds in the country, but will he really be able to handle ten furlongs or, better yet, twelve? Big Brown may have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but he faltered in the Belmont when he did not finish. And, if distance is not of concern here, perhaps the traffic of the Derby should be. Traffic is difficult for any horse, but it is especially difficult for a horse of his size—approximately 17 hands—and one who almost adamantly prefers being on the lead. Dortmund has proven more than capable, but he has yet to show us if he can overcome a tough trip going route distance.

Second place finisher, and one of the “out-classed” colts in this field, Prospect Park ran a great race in his first attempt at a graded stakes. Kent Desormeaux was aboard the 3-year-old colt and was pleased with his efforts. “I had to throw on the air brakes in the first turn and then thread a needle there where he shied a bit, but he was made for this. He did a great job.”

Trainer Clifford Sise was also pleased with the performance. “We were OK with the trip, he ran very well. I think the next step is the Santa Anita Derby.”

Prospect Park is a 3-year-old son of Tapit and Our Josephina, he was bred and is owned by Pam and Martin Wygod. His second place finish in the San Felipe granted him 20 points towards a spot in the gate for the 141 Kentucky Derby, Presented by Yum! Brands, and he is currently 10th in the standings. He will continue to work regularly towards the Santa Anita Derby on April 4th.

First time runner on dirt, Bolo showed nice form on the surface and hit the wire 1 ¾ lengths behind the winner. Ridden by last year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness winning jockey, Victor Espinoza said of the colt, “He ran an amazing race today. To be able to switch to the main track for the first time like he did, he ran fantastic.” But, it wasn’t an ideal trip. “We lost some ground, but I liked where we were [during the race]. I didn’t want to get a bunch of dirt in his face and I didn’t want to get him back in behind horses.” At the top of the stretch, the dark bay colt seemed to almost have Dortmund, but the chestnut didn’t budge. “He is a great horse, no doubt about it,” Espinoza said of Dortmund holding onto the lead. “Just for a moment there, I thought we could beat him, but he was too tough.” Bolo is a son of Temple City and Aspen Mountain. He was bred by Spendthrift Farm and is owned by Golden Pegasus Racing Inc. and Earle I. Mack. His third place finish in the San Felipe Stakes moves him into the 22nd spot in the derby standings.

With only two months to go until the first Saturday in May, the San Felipe Stakes (G2) was one of the more exciting races for horses on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Sure, the Gotham Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby were equally exciting to watch, but the fields that faced El Kabir and Carpe Diem were nowhere as talented as that of the San Felipe. While some may argue that the talent is on the west coast, others will counter it is on the east. As the clock ticks forward and the days draw closer to the first Saturday in May, we begin to see where the talent truly lies. Not on east or west, but within certain colts as they mature and begin to blossom. We may never live down this east vs. west coast battle, but one thing is for sure, this year’s crop of 3-year-old colts is one of the finest.

Photo: © Terra Turrin / EverythingEq.com

The Maiden and The Mad Capper analysis of the 2015 San Felipe Stakes yielded yet another winning play. Did you play the exacta? Let us know! Check out the analysis, click here.