Kentucky-bred Goal Oriented cut back to seven furlongs in the $300,000 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita and promptly earned his first stakes victory.
With Joel Rosario aboard, Goal Oriented was sent off as the even-money favorite in a field of seven. He trailed the field early, gained four wide around the turn, and rallied strongly in the stretch. He hit the front in the final sixteenth and rolled to a one-length victory over stablemate Midland Money. Goal Oriented covered the distance in a fast time of 1:20.97. The final clocking encroached on Twirling Candy’s track record of 1:19.70 set in 2010.
“The ride was beautiful,” Rosario said of his Malibu trip. “Everything was being set up beautifully and he was in a good position on the backside. I was just letting him find himself and he came out with a big run.”
Added winning trainer Bob Baffert: “I told Joel not to rush Goal Oriented. We slowed him down and took off the blinkers and he responded.”
Goal Oriented a G1 Winner
Goal Oriented is owned by an extensive ownership group that includes SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. He was purchased at auction at Keeneland September for $425,000 as a yearling.
“Goal’ we know is a good horse and ‘Madaket’ (Madaket Road) looked like he was going to take it for a while,” Baffert said. “And my other horse Midland Money ran really big. I’m just happy that it turned out.”
Goal Oriented is by Not This Time out of the Afleet Alex mare Bizzy Caroline. He was bred in Kentucky by Runnymede Farm LLC and CWC Investment 2 LLC. In four starts this year, Goal Oriented finished third in both the GI Haskell and GI Pennsylvania Derby; fourth in the GI Preakness; and most recently, sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 1. With the Malibu win, he upped his record to 7: 3-0-2 with $620,640 in earnings.