High-Flying Dettori Wins Six At Santa Anita, Including Oaks Aboard Nothing Like You

The Santa Anita Oaks is a qualifying points race for the May 3 Kentucky Oaks, with 100-50-25-15-10 points available to the first five finishers eligible to compete at Churchill Downs. Because Baffert has been banned from Churchill Downs the last three years, neither Nothing Like You nor Kinza earned any points. The third through fifth-place finishers did earn the smaller awards.

Owned by Georgia Antley Hunt, Jeff Giglio, and John Rogitz, Nothing Like you covered 1 1/16 miles and paid $16.40 to win. The victory was her fourth in eight career starts, including the listed Desi Arnaz at Del Mar and the G2 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos. Bred in Kentucky by Notch Hill Farm, Wolverton Mountain Farm and Spendthrift Stallions, the Santa Anita Oaks winner was produced from the Brother Derek mare Miss Derek.

Juan Hernandez sent Kinza to the lead at the start and set fractions of :23.42 for the opening quarter mile and :46.88 for the half. Kopion and Mike Smith pressured Kinza from the outside down the backstretch, with Nothing Like You tucked in along the rail. As the top two battled around the turn and into the stretch after six furlongs in 1:10.72, Dettori waited patiently for an opening and then shot Nothing Like You through along the rail, then quickly opened an insurmountable lead.

 “We were lucky enough to have a decent break and got in a good position, where I wasn’t getting any of the kick back,” Dettori said. ”I was fully loaded at the quarter pole. I just needed a little bit of room and she took off. What can you say about Baffert? He’s a genius. We have a good working relationship. He trains them and I ride them.”

Kinza came into the Oaks off three consecutive wins since Dec. 29, including the G3 duo of the Las Virgines in February and Santa Ysabel in March. 

“She ran good, but she got a bit of pressure today," said Hernandez. "She never really settled down as she has in the past. She was hot in the post parade, but she looked like she wanted to run. She ran a good second. A good filly beat me. I just think the pressure early in the race got to her.”

Last time out in the Las Virgines, Nothing Like You finished fourth, beaten 12 3/4 lengths by a front-running Kinza, who drew off to win by five lengths.

“Without the horse, the jockey doesn't matter, but Dettori kept this filly as clean as possible," said Baffert. "I was disappointed in Nothing Like You the last time out because she just didn't bring it. Today, my other filly, Kinza, got really worked up going into the gates. They were pressuring her, and I knew that was going to happen. She just got tired. Nothing Like You was just sitting behind there. Unfortunately, when you use Dettori, you can't blame it on the jockey. He's just a phenom. He is world-class and has brought his talent to every stage. He's just that good, but you have to give him the horse. And he had the horse to do it."

After a sixth-place finish in the first race, Dettori's winners were: Ball Don't Like ($6.60) in the second race; Recinto Rompere ($18.20) in the third; Roberta's Love ($21.60) in the fourth; Kathynmarissa ($15,00) in the fifth; Nothing Like Y ou ($16.40) in the sixth; and Royal Charter ($10.80) in the seventh.