Hope Road © Benoit Photo
Del Mar Press
DEL MAR, Calif.—Beautifully rated on the lead by jockey Juan Hernandez, odds-on favorite Hope Road ran to expectations with an easy victory in the $200,500 Bayakoa Stakes, an under card feature on the second and final day of the Breeder’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar Saturday.
Taking command from the break, the Bob Baffert-trained Hope Road, sent to the post at 3/10, set a leisurely pace, then resisted the challenge of Alpha Bella to win by a half-length in 1:36.51 for the mile over the main track.
Runner-up Alpha Bella was a half-length in front of Desert Dawn, with Sun of Hill fourth in the field of six older fillies and mares. Show Card was a late declaration.
“This filly is improving a lot. She’s fast from the gate. I could see she wanted to run, so I just let her go to the lead. I felt the pace was a little strong, but she’s a real nice filly and I knew she could do that. After that, I was just waiting for the quarter pole where she switched leads, and we reached the wire first.
“She’s a warrior. She’s improving every race. I like her and I think she’ll do even better next time,” Hernandez commented.
The stakes win is the first of the meet for rider Hernandez and his first in the Bayakoa. He now has 52 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winner, a 3-year-old daughter of Quality Road owned and bred by Cicero Farms, returned $2.60 after her fourth win in seven lifetime starts. First money was $120,000, which increased her career earnings to $318,020. The tally was her second graded stakes score.
Fractions: :22.38, :46.11, 1:10.73 and 1:36.51.
“We expected her to do what she did. She’s getting better and better. We’re developing her in a slow, nice way. It’s good to have these kind of horses. We were very fortunate to train her mother (Marley’s Freedom) and she can run farther than her mother. She’s speed; she’s really fast,” said Baffert.
With a record 179 stakes wins at Del Mar, the second stakes win of the meet for trainer Baffert, it was his second (Vale Dori, 2016) in the Bayakoa.
The owner/breeder of the winner is Cicero Farms, which is overseen by Barbara Ranck Perry of Rancho Santa Fe, CA.
