By Jim Charvat

Hector Berrios © Benoit Photo

BERRIOS VAULTS TO THE TOP OF THE JOCKEY STANDINGS IN WEEK 2

Jockey Hector Berrios put together back-to-back riding triples last weekend to climb into a first-place tie with defending riding champion Juan Hernandez in the Del Mar jockey standings. Berrios came into last Saturday with five victories and by the time the final race was in the books Sunday night he had 11 wins. Two of those were stakes victories onboard The Chosen Vron in the G1 Bing Crosby and Gold Phoenix in the G2 Eddie Read.

Hernandez started last week with four wins, one back of first week leader Umberto Rispoli. He had a win each on Thursday and Friday, two on Saturday and then scored a riding triple of his own on Sunday. Rispoli is next in the standings with eight wins followed by Antonio Fresu, who is riding at Del Mar for the first time, with six. Edwin Maldonado rounds out the Top 5 with five victories.

In the trainer standings, Phil D’Amato is back in a familiar spot at #1. He has eight wins, two more than Doug O’Neill and Bob Baffert who are tied with six each. D’Amato notched four victories last week, including trips to the winners circle in the Daisycutter Handicap and G2 Eddie Read. First week leader Doug O’Neill posted one victory in the second week of racing.

The field sizes at Del Mar continue to be robust, keeping in line with last year’s impressive numbers. There have been 70 races through the first seven days of racing. The average field size is 9.70, a tick above 2022. There have been 30 races run on the turf with an AFS of 10.67. As for the 40 races run on the dirt, the AFS has been 8.98. 65 of the 70 races thus far have had a field size of seven or more.

69 ‘Ship and Win’ starters have debuted at Del Mar in the first two weeks, down slightly from last year. Six have ended up in the winners circle.

38 different trainers and 20 different jockeys have won a race at the meet so far.

ARABIAN KNIGHT, DEFUNDED POINTING TO PACIFIC CLASSIC

Trainer Bob Baffert says Arabian Knight will be pointed to the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic on September 2. The $2.3 million purchase as a 2-year-old was an early favorite for this year’s Kentucky Derby after a dominating victory in the G3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in January. But instead of heading down the Triple Crown trail the son of Uncle Mo took some time off and returned to the races last month. He most recently ran third behind Geaux Rocket Ride and Mage in the G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Baffert also plans to run his charge Defunded in the Classic. The son of Dialed In was a disappointing fourth as the favorite in the G2 San Diego last weekend.

KANGAROO COURT, BUS BUZZ RENEW RIVALRY IN REAL GOOD DEAL

The lucrative Golden State Series for Cal-breds resumes Friday at Del Mar when a six pack of 3-year-olds battle in the $175,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at seven furlongs on the main track. It features two colts who put on quite a show four months ago in the Echo Eddie at Santa Anita Park.

Kangaroo Court got the best of the deal that day, hooking up in a stretch long duel with Bus Buzz who had carved out quick opening fractions in the 6 ½ furlong race. Kangaroo Court nudged his nose in front on the wire in a race no one deserved to lose.

“He got beat in the last jump,” trainer Steve Knapp says of Bus Buzz. “We could have just as easily won that race.”

Knapp says his horse is coming into the Real Good Deal well.

“He’s coming into the race like he’s supposed to,” Knapp says. “He’s a very nice horse.”

Kangaroo Court is also coming into the Real Good Deal in good order. He’s coming off of a trip to Kentucky and a run in the G2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. The son of Dads Caps finished eleventh of 13 horses that day.

“We’re gonna have to,” trainer Tim Yakteen says about drawing a line through the last race. “That was a puzzler. He had trained exceptionally well and I was confident he was going to run a big race. We did come out of the one hole but I’m not going to make any excuses. He just didn’t fire.”

If Kangaroo Court and Bus Buzz hook up again, it could set up nicely for a stalker like Giver Not a Taker, a winner at Del Mar last summer. The son of Danzing Candy returns with his Cal-bred friends after trying entry level allowances in open company in his last two races. The winner of the $125,000 I’m Smokin’ on closing weekend of the 2022 Del Mar summer meet will be trying 7-furlongs for the second time in his young career.

The last time Giver Not a Taker went 7-furlongs was in the Golden State Juvenile at Santa Anita last year and he finished second to Passarando. He followed that up with a win in the $100,000 King Glorious and then a runner-up finish to Thirsty John in the $200,000 Cal Cup Derby.

Trainer Peter Miller gave Giver Not a Taker a five-month freshening before bringing him back in open company in June. He finished third at Santa Anita and fourth at Los Alamitos, six lengths back of the winner in both six-furlong sprint races.

Another Real Good Deal horse of note is Clouseau, from the Ian Kruljac barn. He finished third to Kangaroo Court and Bus Buzz in the Echo Eddie, 6 ¼ lengths back of the dueling pair. He followed that outing with a win in an entry level allowance race at one mile and then ran second to Old Pal in the $150,000 Snow Chief on the turf at a mile and an eighth at Santa Anita at the end of May.

The Real Good Deal goes off as race six on the eight-race Friday twilight program. Approximate post time is 6:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds. Kangaroo Court (Juan Hernandez, 8/5); Giver Not a Taker (Antonio Fresu, 5-1); Boss Sully (Ramon Vasquez, 6-1); Bus Buzz (Edwin Maldonado, 9/5); Barely Functional (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1); Geezer (scratched) and Clouseau (Geovanni Franco, 4-1).

ALLOWANCE MATCHES ‘SALTY’ GROUP OF STAKES CALIBER RIVALS

The five-furlongs turf race following the Real Good Deal Stakes Friday at Del Mar is officially listed as a third-level allowance but judging by the field, it could easily pass as another stakes race on the eight-race Friday evening card. 

Combined, the eight-horse field has won 39 races, five of them have won stakes races and one is a good placing away from becoming a millionaire. That would be Canadian invader Silent Poet who comes in from Woodbine.

“He was sent for ‘Ship and Win’,” trainer John Sadler says. “He’s been a steady sprinter at Woodbine. I got him about four or five weeks ago and I’ve worked him three times. He’s training good.”

War at Sea, winner of the 2022 Cinema at Santa Anita, is returning to the races after being off 11 months nursing an injury. Trainer Ron Ellis is using this race as a prep for a graded stake later in the meet.

“He had some bone bruising,” Ellis says. “We didn’t have to do surgery or anything. We got a little delayed with his training because of all the rain this year. It set me back a little bit. Just getting a race back into him. I’m trying to get him ready for the Del Mar Mile.”

The meet’s leading trainer, Philip D’Amato, sends out a pair of horses in the turf sprint. Turn On The Jets won the $100,000 Stormy Liberal during Del Mar’s fall meet last December. He returned from a seven-month freshening and finished fourth in an allowance, beaten by just a length at Santa Anita in June.

Stablemate Beer Can Man is making his first start following a trip back east. He won the $100,000 Turf Sprint at Pimlico on the Preakness Stakes undercard. He’s 3-for-3 on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course, including a victory as a 2-year-old in the 2020 G3 Cecil B. DeMille.

There’s also Whatmakessammyrun, winner of the G2 Eddie D last October and the $100,000 Siren Lure in April, both down the hillside course at Santa Anita. He also ran a close second, beaten a neck by Fast Buck in the G3 Daytona before running fifth in the allowance with Turn On the Jets, a race won by Noble Reflection, who is also in this race.

Sumter hasn’t won since taking down the $100,000 Singletary at Santa Anita in April of last year. He’s returning from a five-month layoff for trainer Richard Mandella, who isn’t buying into the notion that his son of War Front is dropping out of stakes company.

“The race is pretty tough,” he says. “Just like a stake.”

Here’s the field with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Whatmakessammyrun (Joe Bravo, 6-1); Beer Can Man (Ramon Vasquez, 5/2); Silent Poet (Antonio Fresu, 12-1); Turn On The Jets (Hector Berrios, 3-1); Radical Right (Juan Hernandez, 10-1); Sumter (Mike Smith, 10-1); War At Sea (Victor Espinoza, 6-1) and Noble Reflection (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1).

COOLING OUT:  Jockey Kyle Frey is taking a break from the action. “I’m just going to take some much needed down time and family time,” Frey says. He figures to be gone for about a month and plans to return by the end of the meet. He says he hasn’t taken any time off since he arrived in Southern California two years ago…Trainer Philip D’Amato says all of his top four finishers in the G2 Eddie Read have come back in good order. The winner, Gold Phoenix, will be pointed to a defense of his title in the G1 Del Mar Handicap September 2. Balnikhov and Count Again will point to the G2 Del Mar Mile also on Sept. 2 and Masteroffoxhounds may go in the same race with Gold Phoenix…Notable works this week, all on dirt: Monday – Faiza (3f, :36.60); Justique (5f, :59.80) and National Treasure (5f, 1:00.60). Tuesday – Mirahmadi (4f, :48.80) and Hudson Ridge (6f, 1:11.80). Wednesday – Warrens Candy Girl (5f, 1:02.20); Thursday – Eddie’s New Dream (3f, :38.60); Offlee Naughty (4f, :49.20, and Window Shopping (5f, 1:00.80).

Del Mar Statistics

 Jockey Standings
(Current Through July 30, 2023 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings
(Current Through July 30, 2023 Inclusive) 

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through July 30, 2023 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 19 out of 70 -- 27.14%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 12 out of 40 -- 30.00%
Winning favorites on turf -- 7 out of 30 -- 23.33%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 6 -- 33.33%
In-the-Money favorites -- 40 out of 70 -- 57.14%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 4 out of 6 -- 66.67%