Baffert Gets Back on Track in San Pasqual Handicap

So much for trainer Bob Baffert’s slump.

A winner with only one of his first 29 starters at Santa Anita, a meet he has led five consecutive times, Baffert picked up two victories Saturday, including a desperate win by 11-10 favorite Wooden Phone in the $200,000 San Pasqual Handicap.

Baffert’s Puerto Banus, a first-time starter who is also the half-brother to the stakes-winning mare Spain, won the sixth.

Wooden Phone, the 5-year-old Pick Up The Phone gelding and one of the top players in a soft local handicap division, overcame a tardy beginning and a wide trip to edge 5-2 second choice Euchre by a head in 1:41 4/5 for the 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

Owned by Tom Durant and Marilyn and James Helzer, the Florida-bred earned his fifth win in 14 starts under jockey David Flores and his second in eight tries at Santa Anita. Wooden Phone’s only other victory in Arcadia came when he upset Tiznow in last year’s Strub Stakes.

Most believed if Wooden Phone was going to win the San Pasqual, a Grade II, it was going to be wire-to-wire. However, he started slow and wound up outside of Irisheyesareflying, Red Eye and Euchre heading into the first turn.

“I’ve been so cold I’ve had to wear a jacket indoors,” joked Baffert. “I told David this horse didn’t have to have the lead. Whenever it looks like you are the only speed, people change their tactics.

“I told him he could relax and stay off the pace if he wanted to. I think the others were out to beat him and being that wide was really tough.

“At the three-eighths pole, I thought he was going to be in real trouble, but he gutted it out. The last 100 yards that was just all heart and he had the bigger heart today.”

The next race on the road to the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 2 is the $250,000 San Antonio Handicap on Feb. 3. But Baffert indicated the $500,000 Donn Handicap on Feb. 9 at Gulfstream Park is also a possible destination for Wooden Phone.

“I wanted to stay close to the pace and keep my horse in the game without making [Wooden Phone] work too hard,” Flores said. “We were very comfortable, but we were a little too wide.

“We were really wide on the second turn and at the top of the stretch, but he’s a very game horse and he was able to get in front of them.”

Euchre was also wide and wound up three-quarters of a length in front of Red Eye, the longest shot in the field at 43-1.

“At about the half-mile pole, I don’t know if he lost interest or what his deal was, but he just let go of the bridle and just was not involved in the race,” said Euchre’s jockey, Garrett Gomez. “When Wooden Phone came to him, he decided it was time to get going again and he ran a good race from there. Hopefully, he’ll just keep progressing.”

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Monarchos, who hasn’t run since finishing third in the Belmont Stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 from the gate at Gulfstream Park.

Preparing for his scheduled 4-year-old debut in the Donn Handicap, the 2001 Kentucky Derby winner had regular rider Jorge Chavez aboard for the drill.

“It was a maintenance move,” said trainer John Ward, whose colt won all three of his starts at Gulfstream last year, including the Florida Derby. “The work was what we wanted. He’s right on schedule.”

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Pisces, a 13-1 shot, rallied late to win the $150,000 Appleton Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Mohammed Moubarak for the Diamond C Stable, the 5-year-old son of Prized completed the mile over a turf course labeled good in a slow 1:39 2/5. It was the fifth win in 16 starts for Pisces, who was ridden by Roger Velez.

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Iron Deputy, the 17-10 second choice, took over after six furlongs and went on to a 2 3/4-lenghth win over favored D’Coach in the $83,300 Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct.