Strong Work by Baeza for Stephen Foster
Baeza continued to signal he is sitting on another major effort with a sharp five-furlong drill as preparations intensified for next month’s Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Working over the Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, the classy colt turned in a strong move that caught the attention of both clockers and horsemen on the backside. Equipped with blinkers and handled by regular exercise rider Neil Poznansky, Baeza covered five furlongs before galloping out with energy to spare through six furlongs in 1:14.32. The move was completed in solo fashion, and by all appearances the colt finished willingly and comfortably through the lane.
The work represented another important step forward for Baeza as connections target the Grade 1 Stephen Foster, a race expected to feature several of the top older horses in training. The colt has maintained a steady series of drills dating back to the winter at Payson Park, where he logged a number of notable moves, including a bullet-style five-furlong gate work in 1:00.60 earlier this spring.
Baeza’s emergence among the leading older horses has added another layer of intrigue to the Stephen Foster picture, especially with the possibility of taking on stablemate Sovereignty in one of the summer’s marquee dirt races. The Foster has long served as a launching pad toward the late-summer handicap division, and this year’s edition already is shaping up as one of the stronger renewals in recent memory.
Horsemen around Saratoga have noted how professionally Baeza has been training in recent weeks. The colt appears stronger physically than he did earlier in the campaign, and the addition of blinkers in recent drills seems designed to keep him more focused during the early stages of his races.
With several weeks still remaining before entries are drawn, Baeza looks right where his connections want him — fit, sharp, and moving with the kind of confidence you expect from a horse preparing for a Grade 1 assignment. If his recent morning activity is any indication, he will head into the Stephen Foster as a very serious player in the older dirt male division.
