Rinse And Repeat © Benoit
TEAM O’NEILL HOPES BEST PAL DUO CAN JUMP START SECOND HALF
The second half of the 39-day summer racing season has just begun and Team O’Neill is well off its usual pace and well down from its usual high place in the trainer standings.
The year 2016 is going to go down as a fine one overall for trainer Doug O’Neill and Co. A perfect Kentucky Derby prep campaign and victory in the Run For The Roses can’t be taken away.
But the sun hasn’t shone as brightly on O’Neill’s barn as it generally has here this summer and the numbers aren’t very pretty. Entering Friday, O’Neill had saddled five winners from 74 starters with 10 place and 10 show results. A seven percent win rate and 34 percent in-the-money number. Good only for a No. 7 spot in the trainer standings, five wins behind leader Phil D’Amato.
This from a stable that had averaged 16.5 wins and a 13.5 victory percentage over the past two years while finishing third in 2015 and fourth in 2014 in the trainer standings.
On the flip side, a stable that produced a Del Mar training record five wins in a single day on July 29, 2015. And a stable that follows its leader’s ultra-positive outlook and forward-thinking attitude.
With head coach Doug spending Friday morning on a family outing at the beach, assistant Steve Rothblum was deputized to assess the Team O’Neill situation.
“You just stay the course,” Rothblum said. “With every barn you go through these swings sometimes. Certainly not the first time it has happened to us where you get a little cold and run a lot of seconds and you have some horses that don’t work out.
“We’ve got some babies coming up and it’s certainly no time to push the panic button.”
Two of the “babies” will be on display Saturday in the Grade II $200,000 Best Pal Stakes, a 6 ½ furlong event for 2-year-olds that often serves as a springboard to the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day of the meeting. Last year Nyquist won the Best Pal and Futurity as part of an incredible 8-0 career start climaxed by the Kentucky Derby victory.
Secret House, a Kentucky-bred son of Tiznow, was a $125,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale who won his career debut on May 27 at Santa Anita, then finished fourth, beaten 3 ½ lengths by California Diamond, in the Santa Anita Juvenile on July 9.
Rinse and Repeat is a California homebred son of Square Eddie owned by J. Paul Reddam. Rinse and Repeat won here on July 16 in his third career start.
“A Best Pal win would be huge,” Rothblum said. “Rinse and Repeat is very fast and very precocious. Secret House is very talented but probably a two-turn horse. The added distance will be good for him, but I think we’ll see the best from him later on as the races get even longer.”
The Best Pal field from the rail: Secret House (Santiago Gonzalez, 12-1), Rinse and Repeat (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1), Drafted (Gary Stevens, 15-1), Thirstforlife (Joe Talamo, 5-2), Klimt (Rafael Bejarano, 9-5) and Big League (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 2-1).
BEHOLDER SET TO GO IN TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC; 15 NOMINATED
“At this point, I’d say we’re running,” Richard Mandella, Hall of Fame trainer of defending TVG Pacific Classic champion Beholder, said Friday morning. “Everything looks good and I’m anxious to do it.”
The pronouncement heightens anticipation for the dream matchup between Beholder and California Chrome in the 1 ¼-mile $1 million race on August 20. But with 13 others nominated before Thursday night’s deadline and several of them committed, the 26th running of signature event of the Del Mar season figures to be much more than a two-horse race.
In addition to Beholder and California Chrome the nominees, in alphabetical order, are: Arrogate (trainer Bob Baffert), Chris And Dave (Michael Pender), Dalmore (J. Keith Desormeaux), Dortmund (Baffert), Effinex (James Jerkens), El Huerfano (Peter Miller), Firing Line (Simon Callaghan), Hard Aces (John Sadler), Hoppertunity (Baffert), Imperative (Richard Baltas), Mubtaahij (Kieran McLaughlin), War Story (Dean Greenman) and Win The Space (George Papaprodromou).
A field of seven-to-nine is anticipated when entries close Tuesday morning. The apparently solid seven are: Beholder, California Chrome, Dalmore, Dortmund, Hoppertunity, Win The Space and War Story.
Imperative would be making a Pacific Classic start for the third year in a row. Baltas said Friday morning that on a scale of 1-to-10 it’s “about an eight” that the six-year-old son of Bernardini will be given the opportunity.
“It’s going to be a tough race, but I just don’t want to ship somewhere else,” Baltas said.
Imperative and Hard Aces, who has also been nominated for the 1 3/8 mile Del Mar Handicap earlier on the Pacific Classic Day card, will both work Saturday.
NEW LIFE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE FOR JOCKEY AGENT YAMAGUCHI
It has been an eventful last five days for Tora Yamaguchi, agent for four-time defending Del Mar riding champion Rafael Bejarano.
Entering Sunday’s card, Bejarano was tied for fifth in the jockey standings with half as many wins (18-9) as leader Flavien Prat. Then Bejarano notched three wins on Sunday, one on Wednesday and two more on Thursday. Starting Friday’s program the perennial champion is now tied for second and has pared Prat’s lead to five (20-15).
And, oh yes, on Tuesday Yamaguchi and his wife Christine brought a son, Ryan Akira Yamaguchi, all nine pounds and seven ounces of him, their first, into the world.
“It was quite an experience,” Yamaguchi said Friday morning. “Everybody is healthy, so that’s the most important thing. A lot of things happening at the same time, but that’s what life is all about.”
The resurgence of Bejarano, who has averaged just under 45 wins a year in capturing the last four summer titles here, was no surprise to track regulars. Given Bejarano’s competitive spirit, no one expected him to give up the title without putting up a strong fight.
“That’s not our style, we’re going to fight to the bitter end for every win we can,” Yamaguchi said. “Our focus is to defend our title. It was a little bit of a slow start in the beginning, we had to go out of town, which we were glad to do.
“But this is our bread and butter, and we’re not going to lay down.”
SO YOU WANT THE GLAMOUROUS AND EXCITING LIFE OF A JOCKEY
Here’s Flavien Prat’s itinerary for the next 72 hours or so, courtesy of agent Derek Lawson:
Have scheduled mounts in seven of the eight races on the Friday card here.
Catch an 11 p.m. overnight flight to Chicago.
Head straight to the jockey’s room at Arlington Park to catch a few hours more sleep before the Arlington Million Day program begins.
Ride six straight races, the fifth through 10th, on the Million Day card, among them Surgical Strike (9-2) in the Secretariat, Mary Pop (30-1) in the Beverly D and Wake Forest (5-1) in The Million.
Catch an early flight to get back to San Diego by late morning on Sunday and make it to the track for calls on all nine races on the card, among them Majestic Heat for Richard Mandella, the 5-2 morning line favorite in the featured Solana Beach Stakes.
ELEVEN ENTERED IN SUNDAY’S SOLANA BEACH
A field of 11 older California-bred fillies and mares has been entered for Sunday’s 23rd running of the Solana Beach Stakes at one mile on turf.
The field, from the rail out: Mangita (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1), Charming Starlet (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Singing Kitty (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Minster’sadventure (Martin Garcia, 20-1), Barbara Beatrice (Tiago Pereira, 6-1), Lily Kai (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), How Unusual (Santiago Gonzalez, 8-1), My Fiona (Fernando Perez, 20-1), Tiz a Kiss (Kent Desormeaux, 10-1), Thermodynamics (Joe Talamo, 10-1), Majestic Heat (Flavien Prat, 5-2).
AUTHOR GARY WEST, JOCKEYS TO HOLD BOOK SIGNING SUNDAY
Award-winning turf writer Gary West, along with several Del Mar jockeys, will conduct a book signing Sunday at the track for the recently released “Ride to Win: An Inside Look at the Jockey’s Craft.”
The book, written by Texan West along with New Orleans writer Bob Fortus, was based on dozens and dozens of interviews with riders from across the country who gave the authors their insights on the dangerous and exhilarating business of riding racehorses.
The signing will take place inside the Turf Club/Clubhouse entranceway and be held from noon to 3 p.m. Copies of the 281-page book will be available at $20 and West and various riders will be on hand to autograph it.
CLOSERS – Mike Smith will be in Chicago on Saturday with mounts in the three featured races on the Arlington Million card. Smith is scheduled to ride Cherry Wine (12-1) for Dale Romans in the $450,000 Secretariat, 2014 Del Mar Oaks winner Personal Diary (30-1) in the $700,000 Beverly D for Vicki Oliver and last November’s Hollywood Turf Cup winner here and defending race champion The Pizza Man (10-1) in the Arlington Million … Selected works from 136 officially timed Friday morning: Morganite (5f, 1:02.80), Bollywood (6f, 1:12.80).
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 11, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
109 |
20 |
16 |
10 |
18% |
42% |
$1,213,645 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
109 |
15 |
19 |
15 |
14% |
45% |
$771,654 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
78 |
15 |
14 |
14 |
19% |
55% |
$944,241 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
79 |
13 |
14 |
11 |
16% |
48% |
$831,710 |
|
Tyler Baze |
105 |
11 |
16 |
20 |
10% |
45% |
$761,858 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
36 |
10 |
5 |
6 |
28% |
58% |
$775,658 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
55 |
9 |
8 |
5 |
16% |
40% |
$592,557 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
56 |
9 |
2 |
4 |
16% |
27% |
$322,000 |
|
Joseph Talamo |
68 |
7 |
5 |
9 |
10% |
31% |
$486,889 |
|
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. |
46 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
13% |
43% |
$280,140 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 11, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Philip D'Amato |
49 |
10 |
6 |
8 |
20% |
49% |
$716,286 |
|
Mark Glatt |
28 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
32% |
71% |
$292,910 |
|
Bob Baffert |
33 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
24% |
52% |
$629,480 |
|
John W. Sadler |
34 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
24% |
56% |
$581,755 |
|
Richard Baltas |
35 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
23% |
54% |
$490,911 |
|
Peter Miller |
47 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
15% |
43% |
$381,510 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
74 |
5 |
10 |
10 |
7% |
34% |
$382,835 |
|
Michael Machowsky |
14 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
36% |
43% |
$156,820 |
|
Jerry Hollendorfer |
32 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
13% |
38% |
$294,628 |
|
James M. Cassidy |
26 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
15% |
46% |
$233,682 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, August 11, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 62 out of 176 -- 35.23%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 45 out of 114 -- 39.47%
Winning favorites on turf -- 17 out of 62 -- 27.42%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 15 out of 26 -- 57.69%
In-the-Money favorites -- 128 out of 176 -- 72.73%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 22 out of 26 -- 84.62%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793