Closing gamely in the middle of the track, Midshipman gave trainer Bob Baffert his first success in the seven-furlong Futurity since 2002 when Icecoldbeeratreds supplied the conditioner with his seventh consecutive success in the race.
Midshipman, a son of Unbridled's Song bred in Kentucky by the owner, stepped the seven furlongs in 1:23.35 and returned $14.60, $8.60 and $5.60. The colt, who broke his maiden in his first race, August 17, earned $150,000 to boost his earnings to $180,000.
Runner-up Coronet of a Baron paid $8.40 and $5.60, while Street Hero returned $5.20 to show.
In supporting features on Wednesday's 10-race program, trainer Howard Zucker sent out both winners of divisions of the Daisycutter Handicap for older fillies and mares and there was a stunning upset in the $86,080 Pirate's Bounty Handicap.
Synnin and Grinnin, owned by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny and trained by Zucker, won the first division of the Daisycutter Handicap by a head as the 2-1 favorite, running five furlongs on the grass in :55.39. Lightmyfirebaby closed well to be second with Eletro Nuclear third.
Synnin and Grinnin, a daughter of Beau Genius, returned $6.40 while earning $53,724 from a gross purse of $86,840 with her sixth victory in a row.
Zucker made it a sweep of the Daisycutter 'Cap with 11-10 favored Queen of the Catsle's triumph in the second division. Queen of Catsle, ridden by Victor Espinoza, outfinished Overly Tempting to win by a length in :55.57. The latter was a clear runner-up over Woodland City.
Queen of the Catsle, by Tale of the Cat, returned $4.20 and earned first prize of $42,024 from a gross purse of $75,140 with her fourth success in eleven career outings.
In the $86,080 Pirate's Bounty Handicap at six furlongs on the main track, 43-1 outsider Delta Storm collared pacesetting Black Seventeen in the final sixteenth to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:09.64. Sailors Sunset was third.
Delta Storm, owned by Michael House and trained by Mike Mitchell, returned $88 to his backers in the closing-day crowd. The seven-year-old Storm Boot gelding earned $61,648 with his ninth win in 23 starts.
Wednesday's attendance was 15,440.
TYLER BAZE (Midshipman) -- "How much horse is he? Here he runs two weeks ago and then he comes back and runs like this. He's very talented. He's a special horse. Today it all just worked right. We got a spot going down the backside and then I went wide to get them. He was running; all the way. That last sixteenth of a mile I didn't know if I was going to get there. But then the last 20 yards I did. He's something. And he'll run all day. As far as they want."
COREY NAKATANI (Coronet of a Baron) -- "He ran his butt off. He ran great. Tough beat. I was right where I wanted to be all the way around. The winner has to go five wide and I'm inside him. But the winner came and got us. What are you going to do?"
ALEX SOLIS (Street Hero) -- "He ran really good. A little more distance won't hurt."
GARRETT GOMEZ (Southern Exchange) -- "Aw, he got really hot on me. Hot and silly. I took him behind the gate to cool him down, but he was washing out. A little too much. He shipped all this way and it may have been a little too much. A learning experience for a young colt like this. He's talented, though. No doubt."
JOSEPH TALAMO (Believe in Hope) -- "I was right in there; right up behind the winner. Perfect trip. He wants farther, though. You could tell. Two turns will be right up his alley."
MICHAEL BAZE (Wild Wild Posse) -- "He got intimidated down inside there. He made an easy lead last time, but this time was tougher. He's a nice horse. He just has things to learn."
VICTOR ESPINZOA (Kelly Leak) -- "He was too sharp. He broke so sharp and we were on the lead. A horse like him wants to come from the back, so he was somewhere where he didn't want to be."
BOB BAFFERT (Midshipman) -- "We didn't even know if he could run until his first gate work down here. You know, they really start developing and getting fit this time of year. What he showed today was terrific talent, and Tyler rode him great. He rode with a lot of confidence, which is what I told him to do. The only other order for Tyler was to get outside the minute you can. I didn't want him down there inside. And Tyler did exactly what we wanted. And then the rest was talent on the part of the horse."
What's next? "I guess we'll go to the Norfolk [Stakes at Oak Tree at Santa Anita]. I don't know anything about that surface up there, but good horses can run on different surfaces. I think, I hope."
FRACTIONS: :23.34 :46.53 1:10.73 1:23.35
The stakes win was the fourth of the meeting for Tyler Baze, but his 17th overall at Del Mar. This is his first victory in the Del Mar Futurity.
The stakes win was the second of the meet for Bob Baffert, but his 80th overall at Del Mar, the most by any trainer. This is the eighth time he has won the Futurity, which includes a seven-straight run from 1996 to 2002.
