By Hank Wesch

BIG MACHER TAKES ON BIG NAMES IN BING CROSBY

The big names in Sunday’s Grade I, $300,000 Bing Crosby Handicap are Goldencents, winner of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and more than $2.2 million lifetime, and Declassify, fresh from a victory in the Grade I Triple Bend at Santa Anita.

There’s even a big name scheduled to lead the post parade for the first major sprint stakes of the meeting, which is also a “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint this fall at Santa Anita.

Amazombie, retired winner of the Eclipse Award in the Male Sprinter division in 2011, will lead the field of eight to the post for the 6-furlong event that the Bill Spawr-trained gelding won in 2012.

In the No. 6 position in the parade will be Big Macher, a 4-year-old son of Beau Genius owned by Tachycardia Stables and Mansor and trained by Richard Baltas. Big Macher is unraced since winning the 6 ½-furlong, Grade II Potrero Grande in April at Santa Anita. 

“He’s training great and he’s fresh,” Baltas said Saturday morning. “He won the Potrero Grande then had a quarter crack in a workout and we had to stop on him. Since he’s been back, he’s had three six-furlong works including a bullet five-eighths here (5f, :59.40, July 18) and he did it pretty easy.

“We drew the six hole, which I think is a good spot and I expect a big effort out of him. Obviously, there are  some good horses in the race. But I think (Big Macher) has a legitimate chance to win the race.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Baltas, 53, was, by his own account, “struggling.” He left California for Louisiana to work for Southern Equine stables then came back to California to work as an assistant to Barry Abrams. Baltas took over on-site supervision of the stable while Abrams was treated for and recovered from throat cancer.

Out on his own, Baltas currently has 36 horses stabled at Del Mar and is enjoying good success in 2014. According to Equbase statistics, Baltas has 23 wins and 35 other in-the-money finishes from 125 starters for stable earnings of just over $1 million this year.

“We earned $700,000 last year and this year we’re over $1 million already,” Baltas said. “The future looks good and we’re very blessed.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU KNOW I KNOW         

John Sadler won the 2013 San Diego Handicap with Kettle Corn and seeks a repeat in Saturday’s 73^rd running of the $200,000, Grade II event with You Know I Know, a 5-year-old son of Simon Pure. And, of course, Sadler has his reasons.

“ You Know I Know we’ve been pointing for this race all year,” Sadler said.  “He excelled on synthetic last year (2-for-5), winning an allowance race and finishing third in the Pacific Classic here. We gave him some preps this year and then freshened him (off since June 21) for Del Mar. We think it’s going to be a big race for him.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME – The San Diego Handicap has been run every racing season since the track opened in 1937. Skimming used San Diego Handicap wins as a springboard to victories in the Pacific Classic in both 2000 and 2001.

IRISH SURF FINE AFTER COUGAR II; CLASSIC EYED             

Trainer Dan Hendricks reported Saturday morning that Irish Surf was in good shape following his victory in Friday’s Grade III, $100,000 Cougar II Handicap and would be given every consideration for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic on Sunday, August 24.

“He came back real good,” Hendricks said. “They needed help from the outrider to pull him up after the (1 ½-mile) race. “He’s like a freight train. Once he gets going, he’s hard to stop.”

Irish Surf had gone more than a year, racing eight times, since winning and hadn’t placed in a graded stakes before the Cougar II. But Hendricks focused on positive factors.

“The distance wasn’t going to be a problem, he’s a good distance horse,” Hendricks said. “Distance races around here are usually run on the turf and won by horses with a good late turn of foot and he doesn’t have that, he’s got more of a steady move.

“He’d run well here on the Polytrack as a 2-year-old so we knew he would handle the track. It was just a matter of things working out.” Irish Surf won by 8 ¼ lengths in a track record 2:29.01, breaking the existing mark of 2:29.22 set by Richard’s Kid in 2012. The Pacific Classic is a quarter-mile shorter over the same surface.

“It’s the only other race that’s far enough for the horse to take a run at,” Hendricks said. “It’s a mile and a quarter and there’ll be more speed, but it’s been done before (Cougar/Classic double), so we’ll nominate, look at it and decide.”

Trainer Bob Baffert said that Cougar II runner-up Sky Kingdom came out of the  race in good shape but Baffert had no thoughts regarding  a next start.

DURAN SURGERY DELAYED; BLANC OKAY AFTER SPILL

Surgery at Scripps La Jolla Hospital was postponed from Friday to Saturday for Joe Duran, the exercise rider who suffered vertebrae and rib fractures in the tragic accident aboard  Dance With Fate on Thursday.

“Not because of anything to do with Joe’s condition but because of the backup (of surgeries) at the hospital,” trainer Peter Eurton said.

Jockey Brice Blanc, who was taken to Scripps La Jolla following a spill in Friday’s sixth race, was released with minor injuries.

“He’ll be fine,” agent Susan McBrayer said. “He’s got bumps and bruises on his elbow and shoulder and a knot on his head. He’ll be taking a few days off.” McBrayer indicated she would likely start booking mounts again on Thursday for the 41-year-old native of Lyon, France.

UNDEFEATED SUNDAY RULES SCRATCHED FROM FLEET TREAT 

Sunday Rules, a daughter of Tribal Rule owned by Nick Alexander and trained by Phil D’Amato, was a late scratch from Saturday’s $200,000, seven-furlong, Fleet Treat Stakes for California-bred fillies due to illness, D’Amato reported. Sunday Rules would have been going for a fourth straight career-opening win and was the 8-5 opening line favorite.

With the scratch, the new opening line, by oddsmaker Russ Hudak, from the rail out is: Sprouts (Mario Gutierrez, 6-1), Bonus Spin (Corey Nakatani, 9-5), Shakeitupbetty (Tyler Baze, 10-1), Grazenette (Martin Garcia, 6-1), Wonderful Lie (Joe Talamo 5-1), and Go West Marie (8-5).

WHAT’S IN A NAME – The Fleet Treat Stakes is named for Fleet Treat, a California-bred stakes-winning filly owned by the Old English Rancho of Elwood Johnston. Trained by Jimmy Wallace, Fleet Treat won a division of the Ramona Handicap and the Palomar Handicap in 1966.

TRAKUS FACTS FOR FRIDAY            

A wild stretch run in Friday’s fifth race saw winner Oscar Party check badly in mid-stretch, but still get up in time. She covered the second shortest trip in the field en route to a ¾-length win, while second placer Lady Asano and third home Irish Presence covered 37 and 29 feet more, distances that approximate to 4 ¼ and 3 ½ lengths of extra ground.

CLOSERS – Ship and Win eligible horses on Saturday’s card are: Mr. Sexy (2^nd, George Papaprodromou, trainer), Go West Marie (4^th, Eddie Truman), Magnificent Shirl (5^th, Jerry Hollendorfer), Bound for Eden (5^th, Walter Frazier), Texas Red (6^th, J. Keith Desormeaux), Thundergram (7^th, Mark Casse), Flat Gone (7^th, J. Keith Desormeaux), Conquest Two Step (7^th, Mark Casse), He’s Had Enough (7^th, Doug O’Neill), Winning Machine (7^th, Frank Lucarelli), Frac Daddy (8^th, Ken McPeek, no bonus-stakes), Classified Weapon (9^th, Simon Callaghan), Spring Action (9^th, Mark Casse), The Tom Squad (10^th, Henry Dominguez) … Selected workouts from  157 timed Saturday: Street Icon (4f, :45.20), Drill (5f, 1:00.00), Candy Boy (6f, 1:13.00), Parranda (6f, 1:13.40).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

 Jockey Standings

(Current Through Friday, July 25, 2014 Inclusive)

 Trainer Standings

(Current Through Friday, July 25, 2014 Inclusive)

 Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Friday, July 25, 2014 Inclusive)

 Winning favorites -- 12 out of 66 -- 18.18%

 Winning favorites on Polytrack -- 8 out of 44 -- 18.18%

 Winning favorites on turf -- 4 out of 22 -- 18.18%

 Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 4 -- 25.00%

 In-the-Money favorites -- 37 out of 66 -- 56.06%

 In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 3 out of 4 -- 75.00% 

Saturday, July 26, 2014 Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793