CYPRESS — It’s not a major race, but maybe an easy victory in the Dark Mirage Stakes at Los Alamitos on Saturday will help Nothing Like You get back into graded-stakes-winning form.
That’s the hope in the Bob Baffert barn after the 4-year-old filly and jockey Juan Hernandez pressed front-runner Getthemoney, got the lead at the top of the stretch and won by 1¾ lengths over Double Cappuccino in the 1-mile race.
“I think it’s a good confidence builder,” said Mike Marlow, Baffert’s assistant trainer at Los Alamitos.
Nothing Like You, a daughter of Malibu Moon, won the Grade II Starlet at Los Alamitos at age 2 and the Grade II Santa Anita Oaks at age 3 but was 0 for 5 since, including a poor third to stablemate Splendora in a race at Del Mar.
“Her biggest issue sometimes is in the paddock,” Marlow said, explaining that she wastes energy before races. “But she handled everything good today.”
Nothing Like You paid $2.40. Three-year-old Double Cappuccino, the 27-1 longshot, earned her first stakes placing.
The Dark Mirage purse was reduced from $100,000 to $75,000 after the field shrank to five after Baffert scratched his other entrant, Ooty.
1K FOR KIMURA
Kazushi Kimura recorded his 1,000th career victory in North America with a rail-hugging ride aboard Steve Knight-trained Tee N Off ($7.20) in a maiden-claiming sprint at Los Alamitos, and then set his sights on the meet title.
Kimura has six wins to lead Edgar Payeras and Kyle Frey by one going into Sunday’s card, the finale of the two-week Los Al thoroughbred meet.
“Every year I have a different type of goal,” Kimura said. “I’m always trying to become leading jockey at any meet, and I realized this year I had the potential to reach 1,000 wins. I just stayed focused and kept doing my job, and we made it today.”
BAEZA BREAKS THROUGH
Baeza ($4.80) and jockey Hector Berrios looped the field of 10 in the $1 million, Grade I Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing in Philadelphia on Saturday to give the John Shirreffs-trained colt his first stakes-level win after four strong but losing efforts against 3-year-old class leaders Sovereignty and Journalism.
Gosger, who looked like Baeza’s strongest competition, ran a poor sixth. Magnitude ran second at 10-1, Baffert’s Goal Oriented third.
FINISH LINES
• A pair of 2-year-old first-time starters won for trainer Michael McCarthy in straight-maiden races at Los Alamitos on Saturday. Meaning, a daughter of Gun Runner bought for $440,000 as a yearling by a partnership that includes Journalism owner Eclipse Thoroughbreds, won by 3½ lengths with jockey Umberto Rispoli and paid $2.60, and Bust Out, a colt by Complexity owned by the Pegrams, won by 3 with Kimura and paid $3.60.
• Los Al pick-six players will chase a $28,316 carryover Sunday. There’s a mandatory payout on closing day.
• Santa Anita will draw entries Sunday for its fall meet opener Friday, Sept. 26, and Monday for the Saturday, Sept. 27 card featuring the Grade I Goodwood and four other graded stakes.
