|
|
Behaving Badly gives Baffert Del Mar stakes mark Hal and Patti Earnhardt's BEHAVING BADLY (Pioneering) put on another impressive show at Del Mar on Friday, winning the Rancho Bernardo H. (G3) for the second straight year with a facile 3 1/4-length, wire-to-wire score. The stakes victory -- her fifth of the year -- also provided Bob Baffert with a major milestone as the silver-haired conditioner passed the legendary Charlie Whittingham to become the all-time leader by stakes wins at Del Mar with 75. With Victor Espinoza up, Behaving Badly went right to the lead after the break and led by one length through a quarter-mile in :22 1/5. She extended the margin to two lengths after a half-mile in :44 3/5, and the bay five-year-old mare was never threatened through the stretch, getting six furlongs in 1:08 3/5 before finishing up 6 1/2 furlongs over the fast track in 1:15. Behaving Badly is now four for four at Del Mar. Favored at 3-5 over five rivals, Behaving Badly returned $3.20, $2.60 and $2.20 and keyed the $20 exacta for $1. True and True (Is It True) offer a solid run for second at 21-1 and paid $8.60 and $3.20. Allswellthatnswell (Perfect Mandate) rallied from the back of the pack for third at nearly 13-1 and gave back $3. The 4-6-5 trifecta ($1) totaled $120.90. Somethinaboutlaura (Dance Floor), Proposed (Benchmark) and Short Route (Mud Route) rounded out the order of finish. Bred in New York by Thomas/Lakin, Behaving Badly was purchased for $150,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale and earned her first stakes win in last year's Rancho Bernardo. She's been on quite a tear this season, opening 2006 with a convincing tally in the Santa Monica H. (G1). She captured the Las Flores H. (G3) and Bug Brush S. in authoritative fashion and then suffered her lone setback this year with a second in the Humana Distaff H. (G1). Behaving Badly rebounded to win the Genuine Risk Breeders' Cup H. (G2) prior to overwhelming her competition on Friday. She's out of the unraced Timeleighness (Sir Raleigh), who is also the dam of stakes winner Lavish Numbers (Polish Numbers) and an unraced two-year-old colt named Scenic Route (Precise End). Baffert was humbled by the record-setting accomplishment. "I can never put myself in the same category as Charlie Whittingham," Baffert said. "He's the greatest. I think I just had more chances than he did. In the old days, the didn't have as many stakes. But it's still a huge accomplishment. It shows you how important the staff and the right clientele are." Behaving Badly has now earned $734,224 to go along with a 12-9-2-0 record.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
