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3w ago

Baffert Sweeps Del Mar Juvenile Titles With Brant in Futurity and Bottle of Rouge in Debutante

The sweep signals a rebound for his 2-year-olds heading into the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.

Zedan Racing Stables’ Brant and jockey Flavien Prat, right, win the Grade I, $300,000 Del Mar Futurity, Sunday Sept. 7, 2025 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, Del Mar, CA. The two-year-old son of Gun Runner gave trainer Bob Baffert his 19th win in the race…Benoit Photo
In this image provided by Benoit Photo, Bottle of Rouge (5), with Mike Smith aboard, defeats Explora, inside, with Juan Hernandez aboard, in the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante horse race Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. (Benoit Photo via AP)

Overview

  • Odds-on Brant captured the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity by one length over stablemate Desert Gate, giving Bob Baffert a fifth straight win in the race and a record 19th overall.
  • Longshot Bottle of Rouge, owned by Jill Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, ran down favorite Explora to take the Grade 1 Debutante, extending Baffert’s record to 12 wins in the race and giving Smith his first.
  • Baffert started four runners in the Futurity and three in the Debutante, delivering a 1-2 finish in the Futurity and a 1-2 in the Debutante from a deep juvenile roster.
  • Flavien Prat flew in to ride Brant for Zedan after the colt’s $3 million purchase, while Baffert scouted yearlings at Keeneland as assistant Jimmy Barnes oversaw the winners.
  • Del Mar closed its 86th summer meet with handle up 6.7% and average attendance up just over 3%, and it will host the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 31–Nov. 1.