The road to the Kentucky Derby is a long one, and Mastery is taking an important step at Los Alamitos

The care and feeding of a prospective Kentucky Derby horse is one of the most scrutinized and unpredictable parts of America’s obsession with that race. Six months to go, but it could seem like six years.

This Saturday at Los Alamitos Race Course will be one of those benchmark races for a horse that is already the second betting favorite — behind Breeders’ Cup juvenile winner Classic Empire — in the Derby future’s pool. And he’s only run two races.

The question mark, which most likely is really not that big of a question, is how Mastery will do going two turns for the first time. Most horses start with shorter races (generally less than 7 furlongs) before they turn to the more tactical two-turn race (in this case 1 1/16 of a mile) where they’ve got to learn to rate themselves for a longer distance.

If you wanted to put your horse in someone’s care, you would be hard pressed to come up with a more accomplished duo than trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Baffert has won the Los Alamitos Futurity and its predecessor, the Hollywood Futurity, eight times. He’s two for two (Dortmund two years ago and Mor Spirit last year) since the race moved from Hollywood Park.

“With [Triple Crown winner] American Pharoah, I didn’t know if he would like two turns until I sent him two turns,” Baffert said. “But, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem [with Mastery].”

Mastery is lightly raced for a 2-year-old, mostly because he was a late foal, born May 3, 2014. For classification purposes all horses have the same birthday — Jan. 1 — so he will be running as 3-year-old for about four months when he’s actually only 2.

He’s been the heavy favorite in winning both his races, by 4¼ lengths at 6 furlongs at Santa Anita and by 1¼ lengths under a very confident hand ride by Smith in the 7-furlong Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar.

“He gave me confidence I could ride him that way,” Smith said. “Every time he saw a horse around him he jumped into the bridle.”

When riding younger horses, Smith, and other jockeys, approach the race with the grit and wisdom of a fifth-grade teacher getting ready to send their kids to middle school.

“You want them to have a great experience,” Smith said. “When they are young they remember things, so you want them to be happy in the post parade. You need to teach them to settle. You don’t want to use much whip. You don’t want to stir them up. They have to learn to take a little dirt. Some get it really quick. Some it takes a little time. Some never seem to grow up.”

Baffert’s success with young horses is by design. It’s remarkable to see that he won this race with Real Quiet (winner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness) in 1997; Captain Steve (Dubai World Cup) in 1998; Point Given (Preakness and Belmont Stakes) in 2000; Pioneer of the Nile (American Pharoah’s sire) in 2008; Lookin at Lucky (Preakness) in 2009 and Liaison (never won another Grade 1) in 2011.

“People ask why Chad Brown is such a good turf trainer,” Baffert said. “It’s because that’s what he has his stable set up for. My stable is about developing young horses, and that’s what we do.”

Baffert says he starts with about 30 or 40 younger horses, with the hope that each will be the next great thing.

“A lot of people think I have 200 horses,” Baffert said. “But I keep to my numbers. I don’t want a lot of horses. A lot of the horses we buy ourselves. I get some nice horses sent to me. Then you have to manage them.

“I like to bring them along at their own pace. If they get to the Derby, they do it on their own. They have to develop on their own time frame.”

Mastery is one of the horses that was sent to him from Cheyenne Stables. The colt was purchased for $425,000 at the 2015 September Keeneland sale.

Saturday’s race has a small field with Baffert also running Show Me Da Lute, winner of his only race at 1 1/16 of a mile. Doug O’Neill has Dangerfield, winner of one of five and that was over two turns, and Irap, a maiden running for the first time on dirt after two turf races. The only other horse is Bobby Abu Dhabi, winner of his only race over 6½ furlongs for Peter Miller.

“Everyone is scared to death of Mastery,” O’Neill said. “Brilliant as he was in both his races, he hasn’t done two turns yet. Now, he’ll probably end up being way better going two turns, but we have two all lined up to see if we can knock him off.”

O’Neill recognizes the importance of the first time a horse goes two turns.

“You are trying to learn if the horse has the mental ability to handle a two-turn race,” O’Neill said. “In a one-turn they are going gate to wire without the rider having to take hold. A two-turn race, the jockey is trying to navigate the first turn and save some for the second turn. Some of the younger horses just hyperventilate and can’t finish the race.”

Baffert isn’t tipping his hand as to where he thinks Mastery might fit in his plans.

“They are all Derby horses when they get in the barn,” Baffert said with a laugh. “When we buy them they are Derby horses. … So I try not to get too far ahead of myself.”

john.cherwa@latimes.com