By J. Keeler Johnson ("Keelerman") Twitter: @J_Keelerman
A stellar field has turned
out for Sunday's $100,000 Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar. The seven-furlong sprint
for juveniles has drawn a promising group of up-and-comers plus one
tried-and-true Grade 1 campaigner.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob
Baffert has won the Bob Hope 13 times, including seven of the last nine
editions and the last three in a row. He's entered two horses in this year's
Bob Hope and has a strong chance to win, but I believe this may be one of the
infrequent years in which the Baffert runners are beaten.
That's because #1 McKinzie Street has knocked heads
with some of the best juveniles in the country and should find the competition
a bit easier in the Bob Hope. That doesn't mean he's guaranteed to win, but he's
certainly run races good enough to shine at this level.
Hailing from the hot barn of
Tim Yakteen (a 20% winner at Del Mar this meet), McKinzie Street debuted in a 5
1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar, where he led all the way to
defeat next-out winner Emerald Bay by 3 1/2 lengths.
This effort warranted a jump
up in class for the seven-furlong Del Mar Futurity (G1), in which McKinzie
Street ran a giant race against fierce competition. After settling a couple
lengths off the pace, McKinzie Street finished up gamely down the homestretch
to run second by 1 3/4 lengths against future Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1)
runner-up Gaming. Coming home four lengths behind McKinzie Street in third
place was subsequent American Pharoah (G1) and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner
Citizen Bull.
McKinzie Street didn't fare
quite as well when stretching out over 1 1/16 miles for the American Pharoah,
fading to finish third by 7 3/4 lengths against Citizen Bull. But perhaps the
two-turn distance tripped him up; his pedigree (by McKinzie out of a mare by
Tale of the Cat) is arguably geared for success in sprints and miles more than
routes.
McKinzie Street pre-entered
the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but soon withdrew from consideration with an eye on
competing in next month's Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) instead. As a bridge to
the Los Alamitos Futurity, McKinzie Street is cutting back to seven furlongs
for the Bob Hope. Getting back to the distance of his excellent runner-up finish
in the Del Mar Futurity should make McKinzie Street formidable, so I'm
optimistic the stage is set for this capable colt to take home top honors.
That's not to say the
Baffert trainees aren't promising. #3
Kalea Bay was beaten in his first
two starts at Del Mar, finishing third in his debut against Citizen Bull before
running second to #5 Bullard. But
the third time was the charm. When Kalea Bay tackled a six-furlong maiden
special weight on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita, he led all the way to dominate his
rivals by 8 1/2 lengths.
The question is, can Kalea
Bay replicate that effort while returning to Del Mar? Whether his runaway
maiden win should be attributed to general improvement or a preference for
Santa Anita over Del Mar is a question worth considering.
The other Baffert trainee is
an unknown commodity and may or may not compete. #4 Madaket Road, a first-time starter, entered a Saturday maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, but
wound up as the second also-eligible entrant in an overflow field. Now he's
turned up in the Bob Hope, which may have been his second choice.
Purchased for $650,000 as a
yearling, Madaket Road has been cranking out bullet workouts one after another.
He was especially impressive at Santa Anita last Saturday, clocking five
furlongs from the starting gate in a bullet :58 flat. There's clearly talent
here, but debuting in a graded stakes against a Grade 1-caliber colt like
McKinzie Street isn't an easy task.
So with question marks
surrounding the Baffert trainees, I'm siding with McKinzie Street as my top
choice to win the Bob Hope. I'll give the edge to Madaket Road for runner-up
honors over Kalea Bay and throw Bullard into the mix for trifecta and superfecta
tickets.
Selections
1st: McKinzie Street
2nd: Madaket Road
3rd: Kalea Bay
4th: Bullard
Now it's your turn! Who do
you like in the Bob Hope?
*****
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J. Keeler Johnson (also known as "Keelerman") is a writer, videographer, voice actor, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast. A great fan of racing history, he considers Dr. Fager to be the greatest racehorse ever produced in America, but counts Zenyatta as his all-time favorite.
