Adare Manor is looking more and more like a grown-up version of the filly that won the 2022 Las Virgenes (G3) by 12 lengths. Controlling the pace before effortlessly opening up in the stretch, the daughter of Uncle Mo won the April 29 Santa Maria Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park by 4 3/4 lengths under leading rider Juan Hernandez.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert sent Adare Manor away last summer for an extended break after she tailed off in the spring and summer, most noticeably with a distant sixth in September’s Cotillion (G1) at Parx Racing. She came back as a 4-year-old with consecutive starts in allowance optional claiming races, winning the second one as a tune-up for Saturday’s smashing effort.
“It’s really nice because last year we were so high on her and we had high expectations for her and then she sort of went sour on us,” Baffert said. “So we turned her out to give her the time and now she’s blossomed. You can tell she’s this big mare with a beautiful stride; she just eats up the ground.”
“The older you get you really appreciate them,” said Baffert, who won the Santa Maria for the third time in four years and sixth time overall. “It was nice to see her, when they’re training that well, and she performed like that, it’s pretty awesome.”