From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2018)–In what quickly developed into a two-horse race, Bob Baffert’s Cruel Intention bested Jerry Hollendorfer’s Galilean by a neck as they finished some 16 lengths clear of their competition in Saturday’s $200,000 Golden State Juvenile at Santa Anita. Ridden by Evin Roman, Cruel Intention, a 2-year-old California-bred colt by Smiling Tiger (who stands at Harris Farms in Coalinga), got seven furlongs in 1:22.82 as he remained unbeaten in two starts.
Breaking from the far outside, Cruel Intention was a close third after the first half mile, drew even with Galilean mid-way around the far turn, and from there, it was a match race to the wire.
“I knew he was a very good horse and he’s very smart,” said Roman, who also took Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes earlier in the day. “We laid close to the pace and when I asked him around the turn, he went right up with Bejarano’s horse (Rafael, aboard Galilean) and he finished very strong.”
A 5 ½ length first-out maiden winner here on Oct. 13 when ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Cruel Intention was off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of seven California-bred or sired two year olds and paid $3.60, $2.20 and $2.10.
A $200,000 Barretts 2-year-old in Training Sale purchase in April, Cruel Intention, who is out of the Pleasantly Perfect mare Perfect Feat, was bred by Premier Thoroughbreds, is owned by Jungle Racing, LLC, LNJ Foxwoods and Nexus Racing Club, and picked up $110,000 for the win, boosting his earnings to $140,000.
A first-out winner of the restricted Barretts Juvenile on Sept. 22 at Los Alamitos, Galilean added blinkers today and showed good speed out of the gate in a huge effort. Off as 9-5 second choice, Galilean grudgingly gave way in the final sixteenth and paid $2.80 and $2.40.
Off at 13-1 with Gary Stevens, Luck’s Royal Flush paid $3.80 to show.
Fractions on the race, all set by Galilean, were 22.17, 44.90 and 1:09.47.
The Golden State Juvenile is part of the Golden State Series, which is for eligible horses bred or sired in California.