ARCADIA, Calif. – Speed Boat Beach needed to change his attitude to win a seven-furlong Grade 1. The colt did just that on Tuesday at Santa Anita. It was a key workout under jockey Flavien Prat on Dec. 11 that gave trainer Bob Baffert confidence front-runner Speed Boat Beach could stay the Malibu distance. He ran like Baffert and bettors expected he would. Speed Boat Beach ($5.20 favorite) dueled inside stablemate Hejazi from the start of the Malibu and into the turn, then gradually inched clear in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:21.70, earning a solid 101 Beyer Speed Figure. Giant Mischief finished three lengths back in third. The win was Baffert’s record-tying sixth in the Malibu; trainer Richard Mandella also has won the race six times. According to Baffert, Speed Boat Beach has changed since his most recent start, a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. “Speed Boat [Beach] has really changed, a lot,” Baffert said. “He’s always aggressive. I had Prat work him one day out of the gate [to get him to relax].” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The work was designed for Speed Boat Beach to ration his speed. He did in the six-furlong gate work, a bullet 1:11.40 with a finishing kick. Tuesday in the Malibu, he ran just like the workout. Speed Boat Beach broke well from post 3, but Hejazi also broke running and had the tactical edge outside while Speed Boat Beach was pinned on the rail. The first quarter was 22.21, the half in 44.22. Despite outside pressure, Prat said Speed Boat Beach was comfortable. “He didn’t really mind it, and I didn’t want to take anything away from him,” Prat said. He let Speed Boat Beach duel. In the stretch, he asserted his superiority. Speed Boat Beach won for the fourth time in seven starts; the Malibu is his first Grade 1. In addition to settling comfortably under Prat, Baffert said the extra distance of the Malibu benefited Speed Boat Beach. “I think seven-eighths is better for him, because he’s not going to be going 21 and 3.” Hejazi ran well, but his reluctance to settle cost him. “Hejazi was a little bit fresh because we missed that training” Baffert said, referring to a recent track closure due to rain. Juan Hernandez rode Hejazi, who did not settle. But he kept fighting, and finished three lengths clear of third. Not bad for a colt still eligible for a second-level allowance. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “He’s going to be a serious horse down the road,” Baffert said, referring to Hejazi, who was making only his second start back from a seven-month layoff. Speed Boat Beach is a serious horse now, and positioned to be a prominent one-turn horse in 2024. After third-place finisher Giant Mischief, the fourth- through seventh-place finishers were Damon’s Mound, Raise Cain, Fort Bragg, and Sharp Aza Tack. Matanzas Creek scratched. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.