Bench Warrant rallies to win Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita

ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) Bench Warrant rallied to win the $75,000 Baffle Stakes for 3-year-olds by a neck Sunday at Santa Anita.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Bench Warrant ran 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:12.43 and paid $5.80, $3.80 and $2.60 as the 9-5 favorite.

Pain and Misery returned $8.60 and $4.60, while Diamond Majesty was another length back in third and paid $3.60 to show.

Bench Warrant was last at the top of the stretch as Serbian Syclone set a lightning-quick pace.

''When they were 15 or 20 lengths in front of me, I knew how fast they were going up front,'' Baze said. ''I just had to have confidence. Even though they were spread out turning for home and it got tight for a second, he went right through there and made the hole we were running for.''

The victory, worth $48,300, increased Bench Warrant's earnings to $177,060, with three wins in six starts for trainer John Sadler.

Bench Warrant was coming off a fourth-place finish in the San Vicente on Feb. 1.