Coil turned in one mile according to Baffert at Santa Anita in good time for either the Indiana Derby or the Goodwood Stakes
Prior to the Haskell score, the 3-year-old Bob Baffert trained colt, Coil, was begging for a start in a grade 1 event, after performing well in the grade 3 and 2 races. The trainer was obliged and so the Point Given colt started to look like living up to
his pedigree.
Michael E. Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman owned Coil, broke his maiden last year on 13 November, 2010, in his second attempt at Hollywood Park, over 6 furlongs, and from then onwards the colt never looked back.
Nailing an allowance claimer as an immediate start after the maiden special weight, which was also run over a distance of 6 furlongs at Hollywood Park, Bob Baffert decided to gradually instill the feel of the stakes' races in Coil, and entered him in the
Grade 3 Affirmed.
Run at Hollywood Park at about 1 1/16 miles, Coil relished the increase in distance and coped with it like a professional runner on 11 June, 2011, going on to win his first graded stakes' race in his first attempt.
Next up was the Grade 2 Swaps on 9 July, 2011, at Hollywood Park, over a distance of 1 1/8 miles. Out of Eversmile by Theatrical, Coil couldn’t find a way past Dreamy Kid, as he came second on the day.
The display in the Grade 2 Swaps was an encouraging sign for trainer Bob Baffert, as he seriously considered the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational for Coil.
When the time came, Coil was among the participants and those were no ordinary runners. The Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes' winners, Shackleford and Ruler on Ice, were among the 8 runners.
All the hype created before the race and the big names running in the $1million event did not faze Coil as he destroyed his competition when the field turned for home in the 1 1/8 mile event. The Bob Baffert trained colt swept past all to win the biggest
race of his career.
However, he could not repeat the performance in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, where he finished a disappointing 10th.
Bob Baffert is now tuning his colt up for either the Grade 2 $500,000 Indiana Derby at Hoosier Park or the Grade 1 $250,000 Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita, both on 1 October.
The Point Given colt turned in one mile in 1 minute and 38.80 seconds at Santa Anita on 20 September, in preparation for the two races he is now pointed to.
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