By Jim Charvat
Adare Manor © Benoit Photo
PLAYERS COME BACK IN GOOD SHAPE FOLLOWING G1 CLEMENT HIRSCH
The morning after was business as usual at the Bob Baffert barn Sunday, less than 24 hours after his impressive filly Adare Manor won the G1 Clement Hirsch. The ‘Win and You’re In’ victory punches her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita November 4 and allows Baffert a chance to take a deep breath.
“When you have the heavy favorite like that there’s extra pressure and stuff like that,” Baffert says. “It’s a relief that she won this race.”
Baffert’s assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes says both of their runners came back in good order following the race. Fun to Dream ran last in her first race since March.
“I was disappointed,” Baffert says about Fun to Dream. “I thought she’d run better than that. But we gave it a try.”
Meanwhile, at the Phil D’Amato barn, Desert Dawn and Elm Drive were resting-up after their second- and third-place finishes in the Hirsch. Assistant trainer Rudy Cruz says both are in good shape this morning, though Elm Drive has some swelling on a hind leg after she got stepped on at the start by Fun to Drive.
It didn’t appear to bother her much in the race as she set a strong pace and fended-off Adair Manor for much of the stretch drive giving way inside the sixteenth pole. Her stablemate, Desert Dawn, passed her in the final strides.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the backside, trainer Dean Pederson says Carmelita’s Man was in good order, though a little tired Sunday morning, following his win in the $150,000 California Dreamin’, a race restricted to Cal-breds.
“I’d much rather have that,” Pederson says, “than have a horse that is bucking after a race he loses.”
Pederson has no definitive plan yet for his son of Mucho Macho Man.
“Maybe we’ll come back here,” Pederson says. “Of course, the horse comes first. I learned a long time ago if you put yourself before the horse, bad things happen.”
You can’t blame Pederson for wanting to run Carmelita’s Man back at Del Mar. The horse has won four races with two seconds in eight starts on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Last year, when Carmelita’s Man won the California Dreamin’, Pederson came back with him on closing weekend and won an entry level allowance race in open company.
“That’s what’s nice about Cal-bred wins; they don’t count against you in open company,” Pederson points out. “I had a horse a couple of years ago, Fashionably Fast, who won $800,000 and people were wondering how we could run him in a non-winner of two.”
PACIFIC CLASSIC COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Start the clock. The countdown has begun for the 33rd running of the $1 million, G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic, now less than a month away. Del Mar’s marquee race of the summer meet is part of a stakes-filled card on Saturday, September 2. The mile and a quarter test is a ‘Win and You’re In’ challenge race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic to be held at Santa Anita on November 4.
The handicap division has been wide open this year, especially on the West Coast where two of the three major races in the division were run earlier this year with two different winners: Stilleto Boy in the Santa Anita Handicap and Defunded in the Hollywood Gold Cup. Both are being pointed to the Pacific Classic.
Also mentioned as possible participants in the race are Geaux Rocket Ride from the Richard Mandella barn, Bob Baffert’s Arabian Knight, as well as Senor Buscador, winner of the G2 San Diego, the local prep for the Classic, who races out of the barn of Todd Fincher. Also, trainer Kenny McPeek has indicated he may bring his colt Rattle N Roll to the dance.
Here’s a closer look at the six possible runners in the 2023 Pacific Classic:
Stilleto Boy has run twice since his Big Cap win. He finished third in the Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park in April and sixth in the G1 Stephen Foster at Ellis Park. Trainer Ed Moger, Jr. brought the son of Shackleford back to the West Coast and has worked him three times at Del Mar, the most recent a five furlong breeze in 1:02.20 on Saturday.
Geaux Rocket Ride is fresh off his breakthrough race, a strong victory in the G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park July 22. Trainer Richard Mandella has worked the son of Candy Ride once at Del Mar since his cross country trip. He went 4-furlongs in :48.40 (20/70) on Friday. Mandella also could run his top 3-year-old in the $125,000 Shared Belief on September 3.
Defunded ran a disappointing fourth in the G2 San Diego last weekend (7-29) and has yet to put in a work since that race. Trainer Bob Baffert said the son of Dialed In came out of the race in good order. Many considered Defunded the best of the West Coast handicap division before the San Diego, a race in which he was the 4-5 favorite.
Arabian Knight also ran in the G1 Haskell and finished third behind Geaux Rocket Ride. It was his first race in nearly six months. The talented 3-year-old has one work since returning from the Jersey Shore, a 4-furlong move in :49.20 on Friday at Del Mar.
Senor Buscador has not worked since his victory last weekend. The day after the race trainer Fincher said his son of Mineshaft was tired but in good order.
Rattle N Roll was runner-up to West Will Power in the G1 Stephen Foster and came into the race riding a three-race win streak, all Grade 3 victories. He has worked twice since running in the Foster: four furlongs in :48.66 on July 29 and another four furlong work in :47.88 on Saturday, both at Saratoga. McPeek says there’s a chance he may stay at the upstate New York track and run the son of Connect in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on September 2.
KRULJAC STRIKES GOLD AGAIN WITH THE CHOSEN VRON
Eric Kruljac may not be a household name. In fact, he may not make many race fans most-recognizable-trainers list. But if the star of his barn, The Chosen Vron, continues to win races like he did in last Saturday’s G1 Bing Crosby that will all change.
The veteran trainer with the perpetual smile turned 70 in February and his level of experience in horseracing is second to none. He grew up on a ranch between Carmel and Salinas and spent many a day of his youth hanging out in the barn of his father’s trainer, Hall of Famer Buster Millerick.
When a broken ankle ended a promising football career in college, he started a successful private detective business. It was not like the private detectives you see on TV.
“No, far less glamorous,” Kruljac says. “When an insurance adjuster feels a certain claimant is faking his injuries or cheating the system, they’ll hire an investigator to go out and surveil the person. You take film that shows the person doing all sorts of things, playing football or baseball. We got 400 feet of film of a guy that was loading 125 pound bales of hay onto a truck hours after he left his doctor in a wheelchair wearing a neck brace.”
As a side, Kruljac bought and sold racehorses and his brother trained them. This went on for about 16 years until his brother decided to quit training. Kruljac, in turn, decided to quit the private detective business and took up training fulltime.
“I gave up the money to be a broke horseman,” he says with a smile. “Investigating workman comp claims provided me with the money to buy broodmares. When my brother quit training, I decided to train by myself and it’s been that way for 30 years.
“There was no pressure because I had partnerships that I led,” Kruljac continues. “When I started training, the owners and partners went along with it. I became a seven days a week guy.”
Kruljac started with a small string at Turf Paradise in Phoenix in the winters, shifting to California the rest of the year. In 2008, he moved to the Golden State fulltime.
His first taste of Grade I success came in 2005 when his mare Leave Me Alone won the G1 Test at Saratoga. Kruljac bought her at a sale not far from Del Mar.
“I had hooked up with a lawyer who had just made a killing on a big lawsuit,” Kruljac recalls. “He wanted to invest in horses.
“There was a sale out by Horse Park on the other side of the freeway east of Del Mar,” Kruljac continued. “I didn’t think he’d be interested because he wanted Kentucky stock, but when we met at the races later I told him I had been at this little Cal-bred sale. He asked, ‘Did you see anything you like?’ and I told him there was this filly that is the most perfect, athletic thing I had ever seen but she’s crazy and he said ‘Why don’t you buy her for me.’”
Kruljac trained Leave Me Alone until 2006 when she was retired with $653,330 in earnings.
Fast forward to 2023 and Kruljac is back in the catbird seat, training prospective Breeders’ Cup sprinter The Chosen Vron.
“He’s doing great,” Kruljac says. “He got three easy days (after the Crosby) and we went back to the track yesterday (Friday) and jogged a mile. We did the same thing this (Saturday) morning. We’ll give him a couple of easy weeks and then put a plan together.”
Meanwhile, Kruljac has not lost his interest in breeding.
“I have pieces of five mares,” Kruljac says. “They’re all up at Legacy Ranch and they’re all going to Clubhouse Ride. Breeding is in my blood.”
Says the grandson of a Hall of Fame cattle breeder.
WEEK FOUR STAKES SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON 2-YEAR OLD PROSPECTS
The new kids on the block, the 2-year-olds, take center stage in next weekend’s stakes action at Del Mar. Three of the four stakes races in week four of the summer meet feature juveniles. Some are starting their racing careers, others are stepping up in class while a few more are hoping to make the grade and earn a shot in one of the Grade I opportunities at the end of the meet.
The newest group of Cal-breds get their time to shine in the 72nd running of the $125,000 Graduation Stakes on Friday. A contentious group of 10 have been nominated for the 5 ½ furlong sprint on the main track including Mici’s Express, who broke his maiden at Del Mar on opening weekend.
Saturday, 2-year-old fillies get their shot in the 55th running of the G3 Sorrento. The six furlong drill on the main track is the local prep for the G1 Debutante next month. Trainer Bob Baffert’s Dua, winner of a maiden special weight at Del Mar on opening weekend, and Doug O’Neill’s Ur in Trouble, who was second to Dua, top the list of 11 talented nominees.
Sunday, juvenile colts are in the spotlight in the 53rd edition of the G3 Best Pal, named after the first Pacific Classic winner and one of the greatest Cal-breds to ever race. Eight colts have been nominated for the six furlong test, including two of trainer Bob Baffert’s promising young stars, Muth and Prince of Monaco. The winner most likely will go on to the G1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day.
The co-feature on Saturday is the 71st running of the G2 Yellow Ribbon for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up. 15 have been nominated for the mile and a sixteenth grass race including Phil D’Amato’s Macadamia and Leonard Powell’s Neige Blanche.
Macadamia has risen to the top of the Filly and Mare Turf division, winning three of her last four races, including last out in the G1 Gamely at Santa Anita. Neige Blanc won her last race, the $100,000 Possibly Perfect. She also won the 2021 Red Carpet at Del Mar.
COOLING OUT: Due to an exemption, Del Mar’s leading jockey, Juan Hernandez was able to ride Adare Manor in the G1 Clement Hirsch Saturday despite serving a 3-day suspension for careless riding last week. Hernandez may have earned himself a Breeders’ Cup mount. “I’m excited with her,” Hernandez says. “She has been so kind to me. I think she can make it.”…Notable works on Sunday: Dirt – Anisette (4f, :49.60); Du Jour (5f, 1:01.40); Eda (5f, 1:01.80), and National Treasure (6f, 1:12.60). Turf – Classical Cat (4f, :47.40); Conclude (4f, :48.40); Hong Kong Harry (4f, :49.40); Macadamia (4f, :49.80); Motorious (4f, :50.40), and Exaulted (5f, 1:02.00). A total of 214 horses posted official works on the dirt, 31 on the turf, 15 of which were Phil D’Amato horses.
Del Mar Statistics
Jockey Standings
(Current Through August 5, 2023 Inclusive)
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Juan Hernandez | 56 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 25% | 50% | $1,140,804 |
| Hector Berrios | 62 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 21% | 37% | $1,043,520 |
| Umberto Rispoli | 58 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 17% | 62% | $971,428 |
| Edwin Maldonado | 53 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 13% | 36% | $545,850 |
| Antonio Fresu | 53 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 11% | 45% | $558,150 |
| Ramon Vazquez | 82 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7% | 26% | $608,534 |
| Tiago Pereira | 53 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11% | 38% | $543,748 |
| Joe Bravo | 40 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10% | 25% | $283,600 |
| Armando Aguilar | 46 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 9% | 24% | $209,860 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 43 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7% | 28% | $304,540 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through August 5, 2023 Inclusive)
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Philip D'Amato | 62 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 16% | 48% | $1,005,134 |
| Bob Baffert | 25 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 36% | 52% | $730,980 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 47 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 15% | 43% | $609,080 |
| Peter Miller | 40 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 15% | 38% | $345,210 |
| Mark Glatt | 34 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 12% | 38% | $339,360 |
| Leonard Powell | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 24% | 29% | $266,640 |
| John W. Sadler | 35 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 9% | 40% | $295,940 |
| Peter Eurton | 20 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 15% | 60% | $238,400 |
| Steve R. Knapp | 29 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10% | 38% | $277,394 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14% | 29% | $150,160 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through August 5, 2023 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 29 out of 97 -- 29.90%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 17 out of 54 -- 31.48%
Winning favorites on turf -- 12 out of 43 -- 27.91%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 5 out of 12 -- 41.67%
In-the-Money favorites -- 56 out of 97 -- 57.73%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 8 out of 12 -- 66.67%