Baffert Has Pair to Watch in Santa Anita Maiden

It's that time of year when Bob Baffert gets his last 3-year-olds into the starting gate for the first time and this weekend he has entered a pair of first-time starters in race 2 at Santa Anita Park. Taiba, owned by Zedan Racing Stables, is the more notable of the two as a $1.7 million purchase from The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's 2-year-old select sale in Florida, by agent Gary Young. The Gun Runner colt was a highly successful pinhook for Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, who paid $140,000 for him as a yearling from the Buckland Sales consignment at The October Sale, Fasig-Tipton's fall yearling sale in Kentucky. Bred by Bruce Ryan in Kentucky, Taiba is out of the Flatter mare Needmore Flattery, Ohio's Horse of the Year twice and winner of 17 races of which 14 were stakes. Taiba worked a quick six furlongs Feb. 27, getting the distance in 1:12 3/5. John Velazquez will ride from post 4 in Saturday's six-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-olds. The field of seven also includes Taiba's stablemate Mauritius, a Twirling Candy colt out of Special Still that will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 5. Other races with horses of note on Saturday include CHC and WinStar Farm's Falconet, who will be making her first start for trainer Todd Pletcher in a seven-furlong maiden test for 3-year-old fillies, which is carded as race 2 at Gulfstream Park. The Uncle Mo filly is the first foal out of grade 1 winner Birdatthewire. She sported a bullet four-furlong work coming into her debut, stopping the clock in :49.05 Feb. 27 to be the fastest of 12 at the distance that day. Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard when the filly breaks from post 11 of 12. Oaklawn Park's race 10 is filled with notable pedigrees and Robertino Diodoro-trained Decade of Dreams, who finished third in her debut, will try to outrun her 8-1 morning-line odds and fulfill the expectations of being a half sister to grade 1 winner and sire Midnight Storm. However, the daughter of American Pharoah faces tough challengers by Gun Runner with the likes of Beguine, a half sister to grade 2 winner and multiple grade 1-placed Favorable Outcome; Bella Runner, a $750,000 weanling who is out of grade 1 winner Love and Pride; and Run the Tap, a half sister to grade 1 winner Halladay. With program odds of 3-1, Daniel Peitz trainee Beguine is favored but finished third in her Jan. 7 debut and returned Jan. 23 only to finish fourth. The filly will also have to overcome the outside post. At 7-2 on the program, Bella Runner has also raced twice, finishing fourth in both efforts. She will race from post 7 for trainer Steve Asmussen. Run the Tap has three attempts under her belt although two of those were in 2021. The Kenny McPeek trainee drew post 8.