Serengeti rewarded those who sent him off as the betting favorite in a maiden special weight at Santa Anita with a dominating victory. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 2-year-old colt pulled away in the stretch to win by 11 lengths and was named a TDN Rising Star for his efforts.
Bob Baffert trains Serengeti for his wife, Jill, and John Fort’s Peachtree Stable. Fort bought the Algorithms colt for $200,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Serengeti’s dam, Cinq Etoiles, is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Fast Bullet and hails from the same family as champion Brave Raj, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Algorithms, an undefeated graded stakes-winning son of Bernardini, was ranked #1 in his crop by Rate of Return. His 2016 yearlings averaged more than eight times his stud fee, bringing prices up to $220,000, while his 2-year-olds have fetched up to $180,000 at auction. Algorithms stands at Claiborne for a fee of $7,500.