San Vicente runner-up Dessman a colt that will be heard from

The San Vicente (G2) was run on Sunday afternoon on a wet, sealed track at Santa Anita. The sprint distance means that most of the horses pointed for the Kentucky Derby (G1) skip the race, but when you are Bob Baffert and have so many good three-year-olds, you have to run them somewhere. Only five went to the gate and two of them were from Baffert. The betting public were in love with Godolphin's COLISEUM, who looked great first time out but not so great next time out. There were plenty of public reports about Baffert changing equipment and fixing some of his behavioral problems and it was being bought hook, line and sinker. Lost in all the analysis was this was a seven-furlong race and that, according to Andy Harrington's National Turf Clocker's Report, the son of Tapit was still breaking slowly in his workouts. Yes, he wasn't rank after the break, but it was a lot to ask for him to spot the field a couple of lengths and make it up going one turn on a sealed track. Still, he went off at 7-10 after being 2-5 for most of the betting. Baffert's other horse, DESSMAN, broke his maiden by more than seven lengths in his well-bet career debut and showed he can pass horses and handle a wet track. Having broken his maiden on January 19, I was surprised Baffert brought him back so quickly and it was at seven furlongs even though his pedigree screams going longer. At the start, SAVAGERY broke well from the outside and was joined by both Dessman and Coliseum on his outside. They raced as a team around the far turn while Joel Rosario had SPARKY VILLE saving ground on the rail. The first to crack was Savagery but he was soon followed by Coliseum, who backed out of it after racing in between horses. Dessman assumed the lead on the far outside and he looked like he was traveling well but Rosario got Sparky Ville into a drive when he tipped him to the outside and took the lead with 100 yards to go. Dessman battled back to his inside with his long strides and came back to miss by a nose. The time for six furlongs was 1:09.16 and the final time was 1:21.93. When you watched the gallop out, there was Dessman, ears pricked, four lengths ahead of the field. Sparky Ville has not gone two turns on the main track yet so the San Vicente hit him right between the eyes. Dessman, on the other hand, might never race at seven furlongs again since he is bred to go much longer. Sired by Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Union Rags, he cost $750,000 as a two-year-old in training last March and runs in the distinctive yellow with one blue chevron silks of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khaliffa al Maktoum – cousin of Godolphin's Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum. Off a blow-out maiden score and his visually impressive effort in the San Vicente, Dessman is a progressive colt that will be heard from. With all the other sophomores that Baffert is juggling, who knows when and where he shows up next. He has no Kentucky Derby eligibility points and will have to win his next start. Dessman might come to New York for the Wood Memorial (G2) but that puts all of his eggs in one basket of Kentucky Derby eligibility points. But, I could see his long stride enjoying the 1 1/8-mile main track at Aqueduct where a first or second would get him into the Derby starting gate.   Dessman (right) narrowly misses to Sparky Ville in the San Vicente (G2) (c) Benoit Photo