Baffert finds it E Z to dominate Triple Bend

Martin Pedroza celebrates his milestone win at Hollywood aboard E Z’s Gentleman (Benoit Photos) Arnold Zetcher’s E Z’S GENTLEMAN (Yankee Gentleman) led home a Bob Baffert exacta in Saturday’s $248,500 Triple Bend H. (G1), speeding to a 3 1/4-length victory over his stablemate Sangaree (Awesome Again). While the five-year-old was earning his first career stakes triumph, he handed veteran rider Martin Pedroza his 1,000th career victory at Hollywood Park. “When I used to be in the jocks’ room with Shoemaker and McCarron, I was the bambino,” Pedroza said. “That’s what Shoemaker used to call me, ‘The Bambino.’ Now they call me the veteran here. “I’m sweating so much because this is like winning the Santa Anita H. (G1) or six races in a day. To get my 1,000th win here in a Grade 1, it means a lot to me. Baffert told me, ‘If you would have gotten him beat, I would have beat you up.'”

E Z’s Gentleman was given a masterful ride by Pedroza. A stalking second
through an opening quarter in :22 4/5, he crept closer on the inside to prompt the leading M
One Rifle (One Man Army) through a half-mile in :45. E Z’s Gentleman drove to
the front at the top of the stretch, and after getting six furlongs in 1:08 3/5,
he roared away to complete seven furlongs in 1:21. The nearly 4-1 third choice
in a seven-horse field, the winner paid $9.80, $4.80 and $3.20 while
spearheading the $1 exotics — $22.90 (exacta), $81.80 (trifecta) and $181.90
(1-6-4-3 superfecta).

“Mike Smith (on M One Rifle) rode a great race,” Pedroza offered. “He figured
there was only two speeds, him and me. He kept me inside just enough so I could
stay there. He was hoping I’d come around him and maybe he could steal the race.
And who knows, if he got away he might have been tough. I said to myself, I’m
here, and I’m not going to give up my position.”

“When (E Z’s Gentleman) was dueling, I thought, ‘Oh, no he doesn’t run like
that,'” Baffert said, “but he just put it to him (M One Rifle); he got
aggressive with him from the inside. He got up in there and he got aggressive
with him because he didn’t want M One Rifle to sneak away because he can do that
to you. Martin knew what he was doing.”

His fellow riders greet Pedroza with the obligatory ice bath (Benoit Photos) Pedroza is only the 10th rider to reach the milestone of winning 1,000 races at Hollywood, joining leader Laffit Pincay Jr. (3,049), Bill Shoemaker (2,416), Chris McCarron (1,920), Alex Solis (1,582), Eddie Delahoussaye (1,535), Patrick Valenzuela (1,354), Gary Stevens (1,274), Corey Nakatani (1,146) and John Longden (1,038). Sangaree, who was turning back in distance off runner-up efforts in the Californian S. (G2) and Mervyn LeRoy H. (G2), rallied from off the pace for second. The nearly 6-1 chance yielded $4.80 and $2.60. Ancient Title S. (G1) winner Gayego (Gilded Time), the 3-2 favorite in his first start back from Dubai, did his best work late to take third. The Godolphin runner checked in a length behind Sangaree and returned $2.40 to show. M One Rifle faded to fourth, followed by New Bay (Cuvee), Fantasy Free (Free House) and Bestdressed (Lit de Justice). My Summer Slew (Siberian Summer) was withdrawn.

E Z’s Gentleman was originally trained by Ron McAnally. The bay stamped
himself as a promising two-year-old at Del Mar in 2007, defeating future
multiple Grade 1 winner Colonel John in a maiden. Unlike Colonel John, E Z’s
Gentleman failed to progress from that effort. He was unable to hit the board in
2008, and missed his entire 2009 season.

Transferred to Baffert in advance of this campaign, E Z’s Gentleman took some
time to round into form for the new barn, but broke through with an
allowance/optional claiming score at Santa Anita in March. He continued to go in
the right direction, finishing third in the Potrero Grande H. (G2) at Santa
Anita, easily winning an allowance in the Churchill Downs slop on Kentucky Derby
Day, and finishing a game runner-up to Cost of Freedom (Cee’s Tizzy) in the June
5 Los Angeles H. (G3) last time out. His Triple Bend coup improved his mark to
15-4-1-2, $299,711.

“Recently, E Z’s Gentleman has just gotten better and better with age,”
Baffert said.

E Z’s Gentleman was bred by Dixiana Stables in Kentucky. He brought
progressively more each time he visited the sales ring — fetching $57,000 as a
Keeneland January yearling, $107,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling,
and finally $240,000 as a Barretts March two-year-old. E Z’s Gentleman was
produced by the stakes-winning Tensie’s Pro (Distinctive Pro), whose youngest
offspring are an unnamed yearling filly by Closing Argument and a 2010 filly by
Count the Time.

Although the recent generations of the family have been rather skimpy on
black type, that picture is altered completely when going back to E Z’s
Gentleman’s fourth dam, Ole Liz (Double Jay). Among her descendants are multiple
Grade 1-winning millionaires Sabin (Lyphard) and Miss Oceana (Alydar), Grade 1
queen and $2 million earner Film Maker (Dynaformer), two-time champion
steeplechaser Flat Top (Alleged), and Group 1 scorers Kitwood (Nureyev) and
Magic of Life (Seattle Slew).