Abel Tasman surges to second straight G1 win in impressive Acorn performance
by Brian Bohl
Hall of Famer Bob Baffert continued to bolster his impressive legacy of stakes success at Belmont Park, racking up his second victory of the day when Abel Tasman showed her customary late-closing speed to win the 87th edition of the Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies on the main track on Saturday.
"I was a little bit concerned in the first eighth of a mile because she was so off the bridle," said Smith, who was has won five career Acorns for five different trainers. "But the scary thing about her is if you work too hard to get her on it, then it's from almost one extreme to the next. I was trying not to do that because of the big turns. I stayed behind and I tipped out outside of Joel [Rosario, aboard Salty] so he could really see me, and when he looked back I ducked to the inside. Otherwise, I would have lost too much ground out there. It worked. If it didn't work I'd have been an idiot."
"With this filly here, she's just getting really good and she showed that the [Kentucky] Oaks was not a fluke. She's that good a horse," said Baffert, who teamed with Smith to win the first of 10 stakes races on Belmont Stakes Day in the Easy Goer. "I didn't like the post. My other horses drew great except for her. It was pretty exciting. The quality she has, I just see it in the mornings. She's just getting better and better. I'm pretty happy for her."
Baffert, who two years ago captured the 12th Triple Crown with American Pharaoh in the Belmont Stakes, has four career Acorn wins, saddling Gabby's Golden Gal (2009), Contested (2012) and Midnight Lucky (2012). He said Abel Tasman could run next in Saratoga in the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama.
"I think a race like the Alabama is definitely in the works for her," Baffert said.