The connections of PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) — owner Ahmed Zayat and
trainer Bob Baffert — offered their views on the colt’s workmanlike 1
1/4-length victory in Saturday’s San Felipe S. (G2).
“I’m happy,” Baffert said Sunday morning. “He ate up good and his ‘workout’
is over.
“I felt a little pressure yesterday because it looked too easy on paper, and
I knew there wasn’t any pace,” he continued. “He started making his move at the
five-eighths pole, then the horse just pulled and pulled and pulled.
“We’re learning more about him. When he’s covered up, he’s pretty good. When
you’ve got him in the open, he takes off.
“When Garrett (Gomez) hit him a couple times, he just took off again.”
Baffert is looking forward to the April 4 Santa Anita Derby (G1), where
Pioneerof the Nile will face THE PAMPLEMOUSSE (Kafwain), a smashing six-length
winner of the Sham S. (G3) at the same track and nine-furlong distance.
“The Santa Anita Derby is going to be a good race,” Baffert said. “The
Pamplemousse is quick and he’s fast. We’re fast, too, but he’ll have a little
bit of an edge on me here, but we’re looking at the big picture.”
Zayat enjoyed the San Felipe victory along with his sons, Justin and
Benjamin.
“All we wanted was just to have an easy race for him,” Zayat said. “The real
crank up will start now.
“We just wanted to keep going forward with an easy maintenance race. We
didn’t want any effort from him. He was very close (to the pace). The track had
a speed bias, and we just wanted him to have it easy.”
Zayat also responded to a question about the colt’s name.
“I’m from Egypt, and a pioneer — Pioneerof the Nile, kind of like that.”