Tizamagician © Benoit Photo
MAJOR PLAYERS PUT IN FINAL WORKS FOR TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC
Summer Wind Equine’s Magic On Tap worked five furlongs under jockey Abel Cedillo in 59 seconds flat this morning for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in a final prep for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic which is now one week away. It was one of five works, at Del Mar and Saratoga, by nominees for the signature event of the summer season.
“It went well. We’re running in the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said via text of Magic On Tap’s exercise.
Working with stablemate Private Mission, who Del Mar clockers also timed in :59 for five furlongs, Magic On Tap completed a series of three workouts since finishing fifth in the Grade II, $250,000 San Diego Handicap on July 17.
A stumble at the start severely compromised the 5-year-old son of Tapit’s chances in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap, the major prep for the 1 ¼-mile TVG Pacific Classic. Magic On Tap had arrived at Del Mar with a record of three victories in six career starts and earnings of $228,800 and was fresh from a win in the Grade II, seven-furlong Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita in May.
Later in the morning, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella sent MyRacehorse or Spendthrift Farm’s Tizamagician out for a five-furlong work in one minute flat with an interim clocking of :36.20 under exercise rider Austin Solis, the son of retired Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis.
“He looked great. Couldn’t be better,” Mandella said of the 4-year-old son of Tiznow.
Tizamagician has five wins in 18 career starts and earnings of $427,851. He stamped himself as a TVG Pacific Classic contender by winning the 1 ½-mile, Grade III Cougar II Stakes on July 18.
Perry and Denise Martin’s Mo Mosa, trained by Michael Maker, went five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Del Mar under exercise rider Marcelo Medina in a team work with stablemate Fight On. Track clockers recorded splits of :11.2; :23.0; :35.2 and a final quarter in :25.1.
“It was a great work, we were very pleased with it,” said Nolan Ramsey, in charge of the Del Mar string for Maker. “We need to speak with the owners. The Pat O’Brien is an option, but it (Pacific Classic) is still on the table for discussion.”
Mo Mosa finished fourth -- behind TVG Pacific Classic nominees Express Train, Tripoli and Royal Ship – in the San Diego Handicap shipping in from a stakes victory in May at Lone Star Park in Texas.
Cupid’s Claws, owned by Flawless Racing and partners and trained by Craig Dollase, worked five furlongs from the gate at Del Mar in 1:00 under Umberto Rispoli.
“He looked good and he finished up very well,” Dollase said. “It’s a go for the Pacific Classic.”
At Saratoga, Todd Pletcher-trained Dr Post worked four furlongs in :49.22, 27th of 80 at the distance. “We’re pleased with his workout and he’ll go west,” Pletcher said. “He is scheduled to ship on Tuesday.”
TVG Pacific Classic nominee The Great One went six furlongs in 1:13.20, but trainer Doug O’Neill said the 3-year-old is more likely to stay in competition with his age group peers in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes on August 29. Trainer Mike McCarthy said Independence Hall, who worked Friday, still has the Charlestown Classic as the main target.
SEDAMAR COULD CAP BIG WEEK FOR RUIS FAMILY IN SOLANA BEACH
A victory by Sedamar in Sunday’s $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes would be the latest reason to celebrate for Ruis Racing headed by San Diegans Mick and Wendy Ruis and their daughter Shelbe.
On Tuesday, some initial progeny of prized stallion Bolt d’Oro, whom Mick trained to win the 2017 Del Mar Futurity, battle eventual Triple Crown champion Justify in the 2018 Santa Anita Derby and go on to run in the Kentucky Derby, had an impact on the prestigious Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.
From Joe Nevills in The Paulick Report:
“The Grade I-winning son of Medaglia d’Oro was responsible for the sale’s most expensive yearling by a first-crop sire, when a half-brother to 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra sold to Larry Best’s OXO Equine for $1.4 million …
“Bolt d’Oro yearlings were received incredibly well in Saratoga. Ten of the 12 that went through the ring sold for an average of $407,000 and he had three yearlings sell for $500,000 or more.”
Here at Del Mar on Friday, Shelbe, who became the first (and still only) female trainer to win the Grade I Debutante (Union Strike, 2016), saddled Ruis Racing’s Cool Your Jets ($8.40) to win the fifth race. It was the first win in 16 lifetime starts for Cool Your Jets and the second win for Shelbe Ruis from six starters at the meeting.
It will be something of an upset for Sedamar, a 5-year-old Ruis-homebred daughter of Richard’s Kid, to win the Solana Beach, a mile turf test for California-bred older fillies and mares. Among her chief rivals are Warren’s Showtime (6-5 morning line), a multiple graded-stakes winner and Leggs Galore (5-2), who finished ahead of Warren’s Showtime twice in three matchups this year.
But Ruis has reason to believe it could happen.
“I think she has a chance to win if she gets the right trip,” Ruis said earlier this week. “I think she could have won her last race (4th in the Osunitas Stakes) against open company.”
The field for the Solana Beach from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parenthesis: Pulpit Rider (Flavien Prat, 5-1); Leggs Galore (Ricky Gonzalez); Nardini (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Sedamar (Drayden Van Dyke, 4-1); Warm Summer (Abel Cedillo, 15-1); Cassie Belle (Tyler Baze, 15-1), and Warren’s Showtime (Juan Hernandez).
CLOSERS – Selected works (other than Pacific Classic nominees provided above) from 210 officially timed this morning, courtesy of clocker/handicapper Toby Turrell: Howbeit (4f, :49.40); Smooth Like Strait (4f, :48.20); Big Fish (5f, 1:01.40); Edgeway (5f, 1:00.00) and Madone (5f, 1:02.40) … There will be a video and audio tribute on track and across Del Mar’s simulcast network today between the 4th and 5th races honoring track announcer Trevor Denman’s 50th anniversary of calling horse races.
Del Mar Statistics
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 13, 2021 Inclusive)
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Flavien Prat | 85 | 24 | 21 | 11 | 28% | 66% | $1,680,338 |
| Juan Hernandez | 102 | 19 | 8 | 12 | 19% | 38% | $1,297,594 |
| Abel Cedillo | 105 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 15% | 48% | $944,390 |
| Umberto Rispoli | 92 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 16% | 50% | $1,123,402 |
| Joe Bravo | 57 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 18% | 47% | $670,832 |
| Kyle Frey | 65 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 14% | 26% | $549,960 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 49 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 14% | 45% | $491,260 |
| Jessica Pyfer | 65 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 11% | 20% | $294,072 |
| Geovanni Franco | 39 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 15% | 23% | $254,340 |
| Jose Valdivia, Jr. | 45 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 11% | 33% | $250,660 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 13, 2021 Inclusive)
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Peter Miller | 71 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 18% | 49% | $829,646 |
| Mark Glatt | 39 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 23% | 51% | $608,290 |
| Bob Baffert | 31 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 26% | 71% | $591,960 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 75 | 6 | 15 | 13 | 8% | 45% | $509,452 |
| Peter Eurton | 21 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 29% | 33% | $186,860 |
| Richard Baltas | 50 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 10% | 34% | $458,720 |
| John W. Sadler | 45 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11% | 38% | $370,192 |
| Philip D'Amato | 50 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 10% | 26% | $486,476 |
| Simon Callaghan | 17 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 29% | 59% | $372,072 |
| Michael W. McCarthy | 26 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 15% | 46% | $328,480 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Sunday, August 13, 2021 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 53 out of 151 -- 35.10%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 30 out of 86 -- 34.88%
Winning favorites on turf -- 23 out of 65 -- 35.38%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 15 out of 26 -- 57.69%
In-the-Money favorites -- 105 out of 151 -- 69.54%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 21 out of 26 -- 80.77%