Face it, it happens in every sport and profession but when bettors fell asleep at the wheel at Del Mar it became an instant case of ‘how could that happen’.
The latest case involves a filly named American Cleopatra that was beginning her career on July 31 at the famed seaside racetrack.
Her name alone should have given an inkling to her quality but bettors still fell asleep at the wheel and allowed this debuting youngster to go off at 7-1 in the 8-horse field.
Sure, wagering on first-time starters can be a tricky business because bettors basically just have workouts and pedigree to rely on to make educated decisions.
The workouts in California are very well regulated with several companies that keep an expert eye on the workouts and report on the morning activity.
The story about this filly is that American Cleopatra is no ordinary youngster.
In fact, she is a full sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and is owned by the same connections of the champ, Zayet Stables and trained by the same Bob Baffert.
According to her trainer, American Cleopatra has shorter legs than her brother but has a beautiful way of going and is easy to deal with around the barn.
Tabbed on the morning line at 4-1 before she drifted upward, American Cleopatra was quickly out of the gate just a head off the lead of rank outsider War Factor.
The first quarter was timed in :21.87, they went to the half-mile in :45.17 and finished up the 5 and a half furlongs in 1:03.38.
American Cleopatra earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 74 and what is interesting about this outcome is that Baffert’s other horse in the race, Jeweled, was the 4-5 favorite and had to settle for fourth.
Baffert had downplayed America Cleopatra’s talent before the first race. And the reason was he was probably figuring that since her full brother was stout enough to win going a mile and a half in the Belmont Stakes, this filly would improve with distance.
He was wrong and there was no good reason why bettors fell asleep at the wheel because America Cleopatra had trained solidly.
She had not missed a beat in her training. She even drilled farther than her debut was carded when she went 6 furlongs out of the gate in 1:13 2/5 10 days before her opener.
On top of that Baffert put the ‘live’ blowout into her 5 days before the race when she went a sharp 3-furlongs in :35 and change.
A blowout is a typical ploy that good trainers use to just wake up a horse and let the horse know that a race is near.
The late-great Charlie Whittingham was famous for that kind of a work pattern. If his horses had shown a good foundation before a blowout, a big race was in the cards.
One of the possible reasons why bettors fell asleep at the wheel with America Cleopatra is that top rider Rafael Bejarano was not aboard.
Bejarano has been a top jockey in Southern California for years but he was obligated to ride at Monmouth Park on July 31.
Stewart Elliott landed the assignment and the aftermath was that bettors fell asleep at the wheel.
Elliott has been getting on some live runners for Baffert and he was the regular rider for Smarty Jones.
Smarty Jones, of course, won two-thirds of the Triple Crown but had to settle for second in the 2004 Belmont Stakes when he was collared late by Birdstone.
By the success of her first race American Cleopatra earned a spot in the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante going seven furlongs September 3.
American Cleopatra’s winning Beyer of 74 stands up decently to recent winners of the Del Mar Debutante.
The unbeaten champion Songbird won the Del Mar Debutante last year after graduating with an 84 Beyer.
In 2014 Sunset Glow was coming of a win in the Grade 2 Sorrento before winning the Del Mar Debutante with 90 Beyer.
In 2013 She’s a Tiger earned a 72 Beyer in the race directly before the Del Mar Debutante, but she won the Deb in facile fashion.
Bob Baffert has also won the Deb 7 times including in 2012 when his student Executiveprivilege succeeded.
He obviously knows how to get a runner to peak for this particular stakes and would expect American Cleopatra to just have a couple of maintenance workouts before she competes again.
American Cleopatra’s future is so bright she may have to wear shades.
