Trainer Bob Baffert secured his ninth consecutive win as the 5-2 second favorite in the $200,000 Starlet Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos on Saturday. His horse, Consent, clinched victory by a full length over three contenders, including Cassid, who was 7-1.
Consent, a homebred by Juddmonte and one of the few with experience on two-turn tracks, stayed close behind early leader Cached. Favored stablemate Nima initially led but Consent moved from the outside down the stretch to overtake the runner-up nearing the finish line.
Consent is a daughter of Into Mischief out of the Uncle Mo mare Cognitive and has now remained undefeated in two starts. She launched her racing career 20 days earlier with a one-mile win by a length and a half at Del Mar.
Ridden by Kazushi Kimura, Consent completed the 1 1/16-mile race in 1:44.03, raising her earnings to $156,000 with a $120,000 purse. The winning payout was $7.60, with no show bets placed.
This victory adds to Baffert’s impressive record in the Starlet Stakes, where he now has 12 wins in total. Notably, he also claimed three wins at Hollywood Park when the race was known as the Hollywood Starlet, with standout horses like Excellent Meeting (1998), Habibti (2001), and Streaming (2013).
Assistant trainer Mike Marlowe commented, “She looked really good and clearly needed the distance to stretch out. She’s still inexperienced and a bit difficult to handle, but she’s improving and longer races will suit her even better.” He added that Nima might have needed this longer race to build stamina despite holding a good position initially.
Jockey Kimura, celebrating his first win in the Los Alamitos Stakes, praised Consent’s positioning throughout. “I felt confident following Speed because of her two-turn experience, and she really kicked into gear down the stretch,” he said.
In the same event, I’ll Have Another and California-bred Cashed led the field by four lengths, with Baffert’s favored 2-5 choice Nima finishing behind, paying $6.20. There was a stewards’ review after a collision between second and third place, but no changes were made to the results. The race also featured Cosmic Heat and Jewlz, while another Baffert trainee, Himika, was injured.
This article was first published by Paulick Report on December 7, 2025, in the News section.
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Fan Take: This victory highlights Bob Baffert’s continued dominance and knack for developing top-tier horses, which is thrilling for fans of the sport. Consent’s emergence as a promising young contender with stamina for longer races signals exciting potential for future stakes competitions and keeps the sport’s competitive spirit alive.
