BAFFERT’S MULTIPLE STAKES WINNING EDA IS ALL-OUT TO TAKE $71,000 SANTA ANITA ALLOWANCE FEATURE BY A HEAD AS SHE GETS 6 ½ FURLONGS IN 1:16.16

ARCADIA, CA (April 28, 2023)—Make it five. Bob Baffert’s Grade I stakes winning Eda, idle since March 6 of last year, had her running shoes on Friday at Santa Anita as she registered her fifth consecutive win in a race that saw her fully extended the final eighth of a mile as Mark Glatt’s California-bred Teddy’s Barino pressed her right to the wire, with Eda prevailing by a head. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Eda got 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.16.

Away alertly from her rail post, Eda went straight to the front while Teddy’s Barino was part of a three-horse scrum for second heading into the far turn. With a length to make up at the furlong marker, Teddy’s Barino headed the winner a sixteenth from home, but Eda, under a hand ride late from Hernandez, held her at bay in a thriller.

“We were going to run her in the Desert Stormer (Grade III, six furlongs on March 25), but it didn’t work out,” said Baffert. “We were just lucky this race went and now we can put her back in stakes company. We just wanted her to come back and she came back well.

“Turning for home, I was listening to Frank Mirahmadi and he gave me like a confidence booster. When that other filly came up to her, I thought, ‘Wow, she’s gonna maybe go by her.’ But she dug in and Juan said she really showed some grit there. That’s the class showing up. She ran fast early, she’s always been a good mare.”

A winner of the Grade I Starlet Stakes two starts back at Los Alamitos on Dec. 4, 2021, Eda went to the sidelines following a gate to wire score going a mile and one sixteenth here in the Grade III Santa Ysabel on March 6, 2022.

Off at 4-5 in a field of six older fillies and mares, Eda paid $3.80, $2.60 and $2.10.

Owned by Baoma Corp, Eda is a 4-year-old filly by Munnings out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Show Me. With six wins, four of them stakes, from eight starts, she picked up $42,600 today, boosting her earnings to $472,600.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Teddy’s Barino, who is usually forwardly placed early, broke awkwardly and found herself last, about four lengths off the winner coming out of the seven furlong chute. Full of run, Smith was able to find room at the rail in the run to the far turn, angled outside Eda a quarter mile out and nearly pulled off an upset in a huge effort.

An impressive classified allowance winner going seven furlongs here on Feb. 18, Teddy’s Barino was the second choice at 6-5 and paid $2.40 and $2.10 while finishing 4 ¾ lengths in front of Kristi’s Tiger.

Ridden by Kyle Frey, Kristi’s Tiger, along with Teddy’s Barino and Half Past Twelve, was in hot pursuit to the far turn but couldn’t go with the top two late. Off at 11-1, she paid $2.40 to show.

Fractions on the race were 22.01, 44.62 and 1:09.61.

First post time for a 12-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.