Misremembered made his first start outside of California a memorable one, as he took over in the stretch and held on for a half-length victory in the $512,600 Indiana Derby (gr. II) (VIDEO) Oct. 3 at Hoosier Park.
Shipping in from Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert, Misremembered entered off a disappointing 10th-place effort in his last start, the Sept. 6 Pacific Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar when facing older horses for the first time. Two starts ago the son of Candy Ride scored in the Swaps (gr. II) for his first stakes win. This was his first start on natural dirt. The 3-year-old ridgling is owned by Baffert’s wife, Jill, and George Jacobs.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Misremembered was never far off pacesetter Weslinn, who took the field of nine through splits of: 23.60, :47.40, and 1:10.80. Flat Bold and Karama were also up close early on.
Racing three-wide, Misremembered gained ground on the far turn, took command in upper stretch, and held off a late bid from runner-up Giant Oak . The final time for 1 1/16 miles on a “fast” track was 1:40.80, which set a new track record. Karama was third. Win Willy, the 5-2 favorite, finished fifth after a belated run.
Misremembered, who was bred in Kentucky by Baffert and is out of the Quack mare Beyond Perfection, won for the fourth time in seven starts and has now earned $554,760. Unraced as a juvenile, he was also runner-up in the Affirmed Handicap (gr. II) this summer at Hollywood Park.
The winner, sent off as the second choice, paid $7.80, $4.80, and $3. The exacta (8-1) returned $71, and the trifecta (8-1-5) was $682.60.