California Chrome © Zoe Metz for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
CLASSIC UPDATE: TWO WEEKS OUT, THE BUILD-UP HAS BEGUN
With the $1 million Grade I TVG Pacific Classic, the signature event of the summer meeting, two weeks from today, preparation procedures are well underway for the “probables” and “possibles,” the big names and, to this point, what look to be bit players for the 1 ¼-mile drama on August 20.
Nominations close at midnight next Thursday, August 11, for the 26th running of the event nine days later. The TVG Pacific Classic is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 5 at Santa Anita.
Close of entries is Tuesday, August 16, at which time we’ll know for certain if the dream matchup between California Chrome and Beholder will become a reality and the impact it will have on the size of the field. Classic field sizes have ranged from four, when Candy Ride bested Medaglia d’Oro in 2003, to 14, when Came Home prevailed in 2002.
California Chrome, ensconced at trainer Art Sherman’s headquarters at Los Alamitos, is scheduled for a penultimate workout for the Classic on Sunday and a final work there a week later before vanning to Del Mar for the race.
Beholder galloped “a nice mile and a half,” here Saturday morning, trainer Richard Mandella said. The three-time Eclipse Award winner and defending TVG Pacific Classic champion, will continue that pattern for a couple more days before Mandella expects to be able to set workout plans and make a decision regarding the Classic.
Dortmund, runner-up to California Chrome in the San Diego Handicap on July 23, is scheduled to work here on Sunday, trainer Bob Baffert said.
Win the Space, second in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita and third in the San Diego, worked five furlongs solo Saturday morning in :59.40 with trainer George Papaprodromou catching the gallop-out to six furlongs in 1:11.80.
“He’s doing great. He came out of the San Diego very well,” Papaprodromou said Saturday morning. “He ran a huge race in the Gold Cup, then had to come back and deal with California Chrome and Dortmund (in the San Diego). Going into the Pacific Classic we think the longer distance will hopefully be good for him.”
Win the Space was ridden by Hall of Famers Gary Stevens and Mike Smith in his last two starts, respectively. But Stevens is the regular rider of Beholder and had the call on Dortmund in the San Diego, and Smith will be out of town on Pacific Classic Day to ride Songbird in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga. Joe Talamo was aboard Win the Space’s workout Saturday.
Mandella’s decision on Beholder will undoubtedly trigger a domino effect regarding assignments for the Pacific Classic.
In addition to California Chrome, Dortmund and Win the Space, the racing office lists Midwest shipper War Story and locally-based Dalmore and Hard Aces as firmly targeting the Classic with Beholder, Hoppertunity and Cyrus Alexander possibles.
Dalmore, a 3-year-old son of Colonel John, won the Affirmed Stakes on July 2 at Santa Anita, defeating Danzing Candy . He is trained by Keith Desormeaux and ridden by Kent Desormeaux. Dalmore worked six furlongs Saturday in 1:14.0. “He did it very nicely,” Keith Desormeaux said. Track clockers observed the colt was “under restraint” the whole way.
“He doesn’t like to ship, so we thought we’d just stay here with him,” Desormeaux said. “We think he’s top caliber. I’d prefer a race against 3-year-olds, but the only one on dirt here is the Shared Belief.”
The Shared Belief has a purse of $100,000 and is at a mile on August 26.
Hard Aces, who worked four furlongs Saturday in :47.60, won the Cougar II Handicap here on July 24, after scratching from the San Diego. Both the Cougar II and San Diego have served as preps for Pacific Classic success in the past.
War Story, a 4-year-old Northern Afleet gelding, finished 16th to American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby and made his 2016 debut with a 9 ¼-length allowance romp over a sloppy track at Thistledown in Ohio last Sunday.
Hoppertunity was fourth in both the San Diego Handicap and TVG Pacific Classic in 2015. Cyrus Alexander is a 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro colt trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
DEL MAR’S A REAL PARITY PLACE FOR TRAINERS
Mark Glatt and John Sadler notched one win each Friday to join Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert in a four-way tie for the lead in the trainer standings with seven wins each.
Peter Miller is one back and Richard Baltas two behind the leading group.
Glatt’s Spin Forty ($6.40) tow-roped the field in the sixth race under Abel Cedillo. It was Glatt’s seventh win from 20 starters, making him the easy leader in both the percentage win (35%) and in-the-money (70%) categories.
Through the first 16 days of racing, 72 trainers have saddled at least one horse to victory and 30 of them have been down to the winner’s circle on multiple occasions.
Flavien Prat guided So Sweetitiz ($10.00) to victory in the featured Daisycutter Handicap on Friday to edge four ahead of Santiago Gonzalez (17-13) atop the jockey standings.
ARGENTINE IMPORT PUTS PERFECT MARK ON LINE IN OSUNITAS
Sobradora Inc will make her U.S. debut in Sunday’s $75,000 Osunitas Stakes attempting to extend a winning streak to five straight to start her career.
A 4-year-old Argentine-bred daughter of Include, Sobradora Inc won at distances from seven furlongs to 1 ¼ miles on the turf of her native country, most recently last December. The Osunitas is at 1 1/16 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
Owned by Katsumi Yoshida, Sobadora Inc is now trained by Simon Callaghan and will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano.
The field from the rail out: Juno (Flavien Prat, 9-2), Sobradora Inc (Rafael Bejarano, 5-1), Elektrum (Victor Espinoza, 5-2), Moon Over Paris (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 20-1), Prize Exhibit (Mike Smith, 7-2), My Year Is a Day (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1), Havanna Belle (Tyler Baze, 6-1) and Entrechat (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1).
McCARRON TO RECEIVE PINCAY AWARD
Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, one of racing’s great riders as well as one of its best-liked individuals, has been named the 2016 recipient of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award and will receive the honor in ceremonies at Del Mar on Sunday, August 21.
McCarron, 61, becomes the 13th winner of the Pincay Award, given to those who have served the sport “with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction.” The honor and its handsome trophy will be presented to McCarron by his fellow Hall of Fame rider Pincay, who rode against him for more than two decades in California and called him “as tough a competitor as there was.
“Chris was a warrior on the racetrack,” Pincay said in making the announcement. “He was so smart and so competitive and when you rode against him you knew you had to be at your very best. He made me and all the other jockeys he rode against better riders.
“But away from the track he was – and still is – a special friend; someone you could count on every day of the week.”
For the first time, the Pincay Award will be part of a special relationship with one of racing’s most important charities – the Winners Foundation, which for more than 30 years has aided those in racing adversely affected by substance abuse and/or mental health issues. Already in 2016 the foundation has worked with more than 175 clients throughout the state.
Fans may purchase tickets that offer lunch, an afternoon with Pincay and McCarron in Del Mar’s exclusive Director’s Room and participation in the award ceremony. Tickets are limited and information can be obtained at the Winners’ Foundation website (winnersfoundation.org), or by calling (626) 574-6498.
CLOSERS – Selected works from 187 officially timed Saturday morning: Hard Aces (4f, :47.60), Jade Princess (4f, :46.40), Ashleyluvssugar (5f, :59.60), Firing Line (5f, :58.80), War Envoy (5f, :58.00), Win the Space (59.40), Dalmore (6f, :1:14.00), Drefong (6f, 1:10.60), Toews On Ice (6f, 1:11.20) … Shrinking Violet, the defending champion in Friday’s Daisycutter Handicap who raced while in foal to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, finished seventh of nine as the 2-1 favorite … Point Piper, a 6-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, is headed to Emerald Downs for the $200,000 Longacres Mile on August 14. Point Piper worked 6 furlongs in a bullet 1:12.20 here last Tuesday.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 5, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
86 |
17 |
12 |
7 |
20% |
42% |
$1,016,415 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
86 |
13 |
15 |
13 |
15% |
48% |
$645,524 |
|
Tyler Baze |
87 |
9 |
14 |
16 |
10% |
45% |
$669,773 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
63 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
14% |
52% |
$689,391 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
63 |
8 |
13 |
10 |
13% |
49% |
$592,280 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
43 |
8 |
5 |
4 |
19% |
40% |
$425,357 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
29 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
28% |
55% |
$653,413 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
47 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
15% |
23% |
$250,085 |
|
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. |
32 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
19% |
50% |
$250,635 |
|
Jamie Theriot |
26 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
15% |
46% |
$181,475 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 5, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Philip D'Amato |
38 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
18% |
50% |
$621,306 |
|
Bob Baffert |
29 |
7 |
6 |
2 |
24% |
52% |
$572,990 |
|
John W. Sadler |
27 |
7 |
4 |
4 |
26% |
56% |
$493,725 |
|
Mark Glatt |
20 |
7 |
3 |
4 |
35% |
70% |
$223,420 |
|
Peter Miller |
41 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
15% |
44% |
$334,520 |
|
Richard Baltas |
23 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
22% |
61% |
$298,121 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
55 |
4 |
7 |
8 |
7% |
35% |
$311,515 |
|
Jerry Hollendorfer |
31 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
13% |
35% |
$281,628 |
|
Michael Machowsky |
12 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
33% |
42% |
$134,500 |
|
Brian J. Koriner |
12 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
25% |
67% |
$150,935 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Friday, August 5, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 47 out of 141 -- 33.33%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 34 out of 93 -- 36.56%
Winning favorites on turf -- 13 out of 48 -- 27.08%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 7 out of 16 -- 43.75%
In-the-Money favorites -- 102 out of 141 -- 72.34%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 13 out of 16 -- 81.25%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793