Coming off an eight-month layoff between races, it would have been fair to wonder how Imagination  would perform in his return to competition at Santa Anita Park Sept. 28.

The Into Mischief colt exceeded even the wildest of expectations, bursting down the center of the track and overtaking the race’s defending victor, Straight No Chaser, to win the six-furlong, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Presented by Estrella Jalisco. As a result, Imagination earned a berth in the Nov. 1, $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar.

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“We gave him a lot of time,” trainer Bob Baffert said regarding Imagination’s layoff. “He looks beautiful. He has filled out and his work was just sensational the other day. I thought, you know what, I am just going to run him in the Sprint. There is not a race for him for another three weeks. But this will set him up. He’s always been a good horse. He’s a little quirky, but that is his thing.”

How Imagination went about winning could be called quirky. Even unorthodox. Regardless, it worked. And it was stunning.

For most of the race, it appeared that favored Straight No Chaser was going to make it 2-for-2 in this race after winning it last year. The 2024 champion male sprinter was making it look easy for the first five furlongs and found himself well ahead at the eighth pole.

But jockey Juan Hernandez aboard Imagination went far to the outside as the field approached the home turn. With Straight No Chaser in the lead and not much real estate left, Hernandez at one point was in the sixth path, but closed in the four path as rivals fell back.

With a furlong left, Imagination came along the outside of Straight No Chaser and effortlessly blew past his foe, stopping the clock at 1:09, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Dr. Venkman, who edged past a tiring Straight No Chaser to nab runner-up honors.

“When I asked him to pick it up, he swung out and he passed everybody,” said Hernandez. “This horse has talent. Bob told me to ride this horse with a lot of confidence. He was working really good and he was right. He did it really easy.”

Winning Sunday also snapped a seven-race losing streak for the colt, whose last victory came in the 2024 San Felipe Stakes.

Cavalieri Overcomes Poor Start to Win Zenyatta Stakes

Cavalieri impresses in Zenyatta. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Cavalieri  kept her record spotless at five wins in as many starts in the $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes earlier on the Sunday card at Santa Anita despite hopping in the air when the gate opened. The Nyquist filly has so much talent that the head start she gave her four rivals didn’t impede her chances.

Trainer Bob Baffert, who finished one-two-three with Cavalieri, Richi, and Howin, had confidence that Cavalieri could overcome the rough beginning, though he added with a grin, “She can’t break like that in the Breeders’ Cup – we’ve got to work on that.”

Cavalieri went off as the 7-10 favorite despite not having run since the March 8 B. Wayne Hughes Beholder Mile Stakes Presented by FanDuel TV. Her hop at the start caused her to get away last instead of being first or second early as in her first four races.

Juan Hernandez, who has ridden Cavalieri in all of her races, let Cavalieri settle, and she quickly moved up into third while Richi set the pace.

“She was moving around in the gate a little bit,” Baffert said. “She’s such a nice mare. She can come from off the pace. He got her in her stride.”

Hernandez noted that Cavalieri was nervous and excited, having not run in so long.

“Even in the post parade she was dancing a little bit,” he said. “In the gate she moved a little bit and then she was okay. But then she moved when they opened the gate. It caused her to miss the break, but she recovered in three jumps and she recovered really well.”

The three Baffert runners dominated. Richi led for six furlongs, and though Howin ran well, the stretch duel came down to Richi and Cavalieri. Those two matched strides briefly before Cavalieri asserted her superiority, scoring by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:42.64 for 1 1/16 miles.

“The further the better for Cavalieri,” Baffert said.

That bodes well for Cavalieri’s next start, scheduled to come in the 1 1/8-mile Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 1 at Del Mar as the Zenyatta is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series event for the race. As for Richi, Baffert indicated she might prefer the seven-furlong PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.