Like a human's comfort food when on the road, a healthy snack has helped Baeza feel right at home during his preparations for the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
The only problem for his doting connections? Kentucky Derby (G1)-placed Baeza is quite specific about his snack—liquified carrots—and as a 3-year-old Thoroughbred in training he's pretty hungry.
With that in mind, 10 pounds of carrots are prepared each morning at the John Shirreffs barn for the lightly raced runner who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and third in the Kentucky Derby in his previous two starts. There can be no shortcuts for Baeza, who started enjoying his "smoothie" in Southern California and feels at home with the familiar treat each morning since arriving at Saratoga May 29.
Shirreffs and wife Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs said Baeza is specific about the preparation of his snack. The carrots are fed into a blender and processed to the point of being liquified. The scene at the aging green barn with some peeling paint June 5 on the Saratoga backstretch was plenty familiar to the Shirreffs team. Baeza arrived back from his morning exercise on the main track and then walked the shedrow of the quiet barn. As he walks, the bright orange "smoothie" is poured into a small feed bucket and then exercise rider Frankie Herrarte does the honors of lifting the temporarily heavy blue bucket and holding it as Baeza enthusiastically devours his post-exercise snack.
Ingordo-Shirreffs figures the thought of this favorite healthy snack is somewhere in the back—or maybe even the front—of Baeza's mind as he powers through his training each morning; similar to a human runner thinking about how much they'll enjoy a smoothie after a morning run.
As defined by Baeza, the motivating reward is specific. Lacking that desired baby-food consistency and texture, regular carrots aren't really his thing. Carrot juice sees him turn up his nose. And so the barn continues to put in the effort each morning, as evidenced by a bright orange section of lawn covered by carrot residue outside Barn 83 on the Oklahoma Training Track side of the Saratoga backstretch.
On Thursday morning Baeza enthusiastically slurped up his favorite snack, leaving nothing but a bright orange cone covering his muzzle; the picture of a very happy horse, right at home.
Pace Considered Key for Rodriguez in Belmont
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert believes pace will be a determining factor in the chances for his trainee, Rodriguez, in the Belmont Stakes.
A wire-to-wire winner of the April 5 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack and a maiden race in fast time at Santa Anita Park Jan. 4, Rodriguez is expected to be sent early in an attempt to outsprint longshot Crudo for the early lead in the eight-horse Belmont, the final leg of the Triple Crown. Rodriguez and Crudo are the two principal speed horses in a 1 1/4-mile Belmont that is otherwise filled mostly with stalkers and closers.
Rodriguez's victory in the Wood followed defeats when third in the March 1 San Felipe Stakes (G2) and second in the Feb. 1 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3). In each of those two races, both at Santa Anita, he raced from just off the pace, in part due to facing stablemates with front-running styles.
"We tried rating him," Baffert said. "He just didn't want any part of that; you know, he wasn't happy being behind horses. So, unfortunately, he's sort of a one-dimensional kind of horse. When you have the horse like that, you're at the mercy of the pace."
WATCH: Baffert Hopeful Rodriguez Will Be On Lead in Belmont
With Rodriguez drawn in post 3, two spots inside Crudo, whose wins have similarly come in catch-if-you-can fashion, Rodriguez's jockey, Hall of Famer Mike Smith, may attempt to dictate terms and force fellow Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez on Crudo to ease off applying pressure. A slow break from one or the other could quickly alter the pace.
A wet track would add to a further level of uncertainty for Rodriguez. The Authentic colt has raced exclusively on fast tracks with a 2-2-1 record and earnings of $522,800 over five starts for owners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Bob Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.
According to a midday report June 5 from the National Weather Service, there is a 70% chance of rain Saturday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. More than half an inch of rain is forecast to fall.
"I'm hearing all these different weather reports, so (hoping) for a fast track," Baffert said. "We like fast, but he's doing well."
Rodriguez missed a start in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs due to a foot issue. Baffert also elected not to run him in the second leg of the Triple Crown, the May 17 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, feeling he could not train him as he desired into the race with the injured foot still on the mend.
Baffert seeks a fourth victory in the Belmont. He previously won the Belmont with Preakness winner Point Given (2001), and Triple Crown winners American Pharaoh (2015) and Justify (2018).
A Look Back at Medaglia d'Oro's Belmont, Racing Career
With Spirit of St Louis looking for his third grade 1 win on turf this season in the June 7 Manhattan Stakes (G1T) and undefeated Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (G1), there's plenty of attention on their sire, Medaglia d'Oro, at this year's Belmont Stakes weekend at Saratoga Race Course.
At age 26 Medaglia d'Oro is going strong as a sire at Darley near Lexington, where he stands for $75,000.
On the track some 20 years ago, Medaglia d'Oro won multiple grade 1 races under the guidance of trainer Bobby Frankel. He enjoyed wins in the 2002 Travers Stakes, 2003 Whitney Handicap, and 2004 Donn Handicap (all G1) but even with those big scores, there's a bit of wondering what could have been. That's because he also finished second in a number of top races—including some runner-up finishes in which his party was spoiled by some long-odds runners.
One of those efforts occurred in the 2002 Belmont Stakes (G1). Racing for Edmund Gann, Medaglia d'Oro took command at the quarter pole of the 1 1/2-mile test only to have 70-1 shot Sarava split horses moving into the stretch. The two dueled in upper stretch before Sarava finally prevailed by a half-length at the wire.
Among the other memorable runner-up finishes that would follow for Medaglia d'Oro? He finished second in both the 2002 and 2003 editions of the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) as well as a runner-up finish in the final start of his career in the 2004 Dubai World Cup (G1). Favored at 5-2 in the 2002 Breeders' Cup at Arlington International Racecourse, Medaglia d'Oro defeated the field's most-fancied runners only to see Volponi register a shocking 6 1/2-length victory at odds of 43-1.
Again favored at 5-2 in the Breeders' Cup Classic the following year at Santa Anita Park, Medaglia d'Oro would prevail in an early duel with Congaree only to see Pleasantly Perfect, at 14-1, give trainer Richard Mandella his fourth Breeders' Cup win on the day. Those two runners would duel in the stretch of the 2004 Dubai World Cup before Pleasantly Perfect prevailed by three-quarters of a length.
At stud, Medaglia d'Oro has twice finished among North America's leading sires and is enjoying another standout season in 2025. He ranks seventh on the general sires list and he's tied with Into Mischief and Curlin for the most grade 1 winners this year at two.
