Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is returning to Churchill Downs this spring with more than a Kentucky Derby (G1) chance. He has a further opportunity in the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (G1) with California's top 3-year-old filly, Tenma.
On April 5, Tenma wore down her pacesetting stablemate Silent Law to punch her ticket for the Oaks, picking up 75 qualifying points toward the May 2 contest, upping her total to 108, well enough to secure entry. Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the Kentucky Oaks attracts more than its capacity field size of 14 horses. The race regularly overfills.
In picking up her fifth victory in six starts, a stalking Tenma had to work to catch her barn mate, who set quick splits in the 1 1/16-mile Santa Anita Oaks of :22.85, :46.38, 1:11.03, under pressure from No Bad Beats and later Vodka With a Twist. But, advancing three wide on the second turn under Juan Hernandez, Tenma struck the front in early stretch and gradually extended her lead to 2 1/4 lengths over Silent Law at the finish.
"Obviously we're trying to get her to the Oaks—Kentucky Oaks—and so she's been progressing, getting better and better, and I like the way she settled today," Baffert said.
Baffert won the Santa Anita Oaks for the third consecutive year, his fifth win in the race.
Tenma, who returned $2.60 for a $2 win wager, was clocked in 1:46.15, the slowest time in the Santa Anita Oaks since Miss Musket was timed in 1:47 in 1974. The winner took :07.19 to complete her final sixteenth.
Vodka With a Twist, off slowly and keen through the first turn in her first start since December, weakened to be a distant third. Madame Secretary followed her in fourth, and No Bad Beats faded to complete the order of finish.
Owing to just five competing, 75% of the scheduled qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks were awarded. The race's five competitors picked them up on a 75-37.5-18.75-11.25-7.5 basis, provided they are Kentucky Oaks-nominated or eventually become so.
Silent Law, without any earlier Kentucky Oaks points and not an original Kentucky Oaks nomination, can be made eligible with a payment of $1,500 from her connections by April 9. She and Vodka With a Twist (36.75 qualifying points) would likely need defections to make the Kentucky Oaks field based on their point totals.
Bred in Kentucky by Bobby Flay Thoroughbreds, Tenma is a 3-year-old daughter of Nyquist out of the unraced Tapit mare Amagansett. Along with Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) winner Cavalieri, Tenma is one of two graded winners this year for Nyquist, who stands for $175,000 at Darley near Lexington.
Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni purchased Tenma for owner Baoma from the Wavertree Stables consignment to the 2024 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training for $850,000.
Video: Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks (G2)
Queen Maxima Reigns in Monrovia
A race later, Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures' Queen Maxima romped by 4 1/4 lengths in the $100,500 Monrovia Stakes (G3T) over Santa Anita's hillside turf course. The Jeff Mullins trainee covered about 6 1/2 furlongs on firm turf under Hernandez in 1:12.93, returning $2.40 to win.
Queen of the Mud was the distant runner-up, and Venganza ran third.
Queen Maxima is a Florida-bred 4-year-old chestnut daughter of Bucchero out of the Corfu mare Corfu Lady, and was purchased by agent Mike Pender from the Blue River Bloodstock consignment for the 2023 OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale for $40,000.
Bucchero, who excelled in turf sprints during his racing career, stands for $10,000 this year at Ironhorse Stallions in New York.
