Himika takes short way to victory at Santa Anita

ARCADIA — Two-year-old Himika showed trainer Bob Baffert her future lies in sprints by dominating the $85,000 Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday.

With leading Santa Anita jockey Juan Hernandez aboard, Himika ($3) passed front-runner Revera on the outside and beat her by 4-¼ lengths, covering 6 furlongs in 1:10.40, faster than average for the Anoakia.

Himika, a daughter of Curlin, won the 6-furlong Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar in August in her second start, but then was overmatched by the competition and distances in the 7-furlong Del Mar Debutante and Santa Anita’s 1-1/16-mile Oak Leaf.

“I was happy she was back in winning form,” Baffert told a track TV interviewer. “She basically told us, ‘No two turns for now, but maybe down the road.’”

Going into the final three days of the Santa Anita fall meet starting next Friday, Hernandez leads the jockey standings with 23 wins, seven more than Umberto Rispoli, and Baffert is second in the trainer standings with nine, two behind Phil D’Amato.