The Factor is getting ready for his final start as a 3-year-old in the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita
George Bolton and Fog City Stable’s, The Factor, is buckled up for the all important opening day feature of the Santa Anita Park’s winter/spring meet, the Grade 1, $300,000 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita Park on 26 December, 2011.
The Santa Anita fall, spring meet will start on its traditional date, hosting a grade 1 event which reeled in 9, 3-year-olds to contest over a distance of seven furlongs over the track’s dirt course.
The 3-year-old Bob Baffert trained colt, The Factor, broke his maiden at second asking at Santa Anita Park on 26 December, 2010, at about six furlongs under jockey Rafael Bejarano.
Exiting a 4th place finish in his previous maiden special weight race, The Factor wasn’t going to slip another chance of kick starting his racing career, as he romped past opponents to down the six furlong distance in 1 minute and 6.98 seconds.
Right after his maiden breaker, the Kentucky bred son of War Front, out of mare Greyciousness by Miswaki, The Factor rolled in and won two back to back grade 2 races. He went on to capture the Grade 2 San Vincente Stakes at about seven furlongs at Santa
Anita on 20 February, 2011.
Next up was at Oaklawn Park, where The Factor got stretched out in distance to participate in the 1 1/16 mile long Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, but it didn’t faze the colt as he picked up where he left from and won the race in 1 minute and 42.19 seconds.
There was a little stutter when he raced in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and finished an unplaced seventh over at 1 1/8 miles which broke his 3 race winning streak, but bounced back again in a seven furlong sprint to gain grade 1 status in the Grade 1 Pat
O’Brien Handicap on 28 August, 2011.
Del Mar’s synthetic surface suited The Factor after four consecutive starts on dirt. Brought back to dirt and The Factor lost two important races on the trot, starting from the Grade 1 Ancient Title at about six furlongs where he nearly missed a placed finished
by finishing fourth.
Then there was the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, where he was never in the contest and finished a dismal eighth to winner Caleb’s Posse at Churchill Downs on 5 November.
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