Cassidy © Benoit Photo
CASSIDY CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT SUNDAY STAKES
Trainer Jim Cassidy has won the San Clemente Handicap four times. First with Katdogawn in 2003, then with Passified (2007), Evening Jewel (2010) and most recently with Prize Exhibit (2015).
The Grade II $200,000 Turf Mile for 3-year-old fillies is the one that pops up the most on the list of 15 stakes victories for the 71-year-old New York native and unrepentant Yankees fan. But when asked about taking a fifth San Clemente on Sunday with Spy Ring, Cassidy does the racetrack version of pleading the Fifth Amendment.
“It’s a tough race,” Cassidy said.
Because of (undefeated) Sircat Sally?
“Exactly. She hasn’t done anything wrong yet.”
Bred in Ireland, Spy Ring made her first five career starts, beginning in May of last year, in her native land and a sixth in England before coming to the U.S. to be conditioned by Cassidy for his major client Deron Pearson of DP Racing.
Campaigned in sprints overseas, Spy Ring made her U.S. debut at 6 ½ furlongs down the Santa Anita hillside turf course in April and lost by a head to San Clemente rival Storm the Hill. Moved up to the Grade III Senorita at a mile in May, she was fourth, beaten two lengths, as Sircat Sally notched the sixth of her now seven straight wins.
“We’ll see if she (Spy Ring) will get the mile, that’s the only question I have with her,” Cassidy said. “She’s run some really good races.
“ I had her in a really good spot in a race before we left Santa Anita and they went up the hill (to the 6 ½-furlong turf race starting gate) and she bucked (Rafael) Bejarano off and got loose.”
Speculation afterward was that Spy Ring had been spooked by some noise emanating from a nearby equipment yard.
“So that’s the adventures with her,” Cassidy said.
A plan to run Spy Ring in an allowance here on Opening Day fell through when the race wasn’t used, so Cassidy opted for the San Clemente and the difficult task of taking on Sircat Sally.
“I’d like to get some stakes credentials and go from there, she’s a nice filly,” Cassidy said.
The field, from the rail: Noted and Quoted (Martin Garcia, 8-1), Storm the Hill (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1), Lull (Brian Hernandez, Jr., 7-2), Enthrall (Rafael Bejarano, 5-1), Kenda (Tyler Baze, 15-1), Spy Ring (Victor Espinoza, 12-1), Sircat Sally (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-5) and Blame It On Alphie (Flavien Prat, 6-1).
Cassidy will also run Prime Attraction, a 4-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song also owned by D P Racing in the $75,000 Wickerr Stakes, a mile turf test that goes as the third race.
Prime Attraction broke his maiden here last November in his second career start, going a mile on the main track. Wins in February and March prompted a move up to the stakes level where he finished last of five in the Grade II Californian in April and last of seven in the Grade I Gold Cup at Santa Anita.
Prime Attraction’s best efforts at lower levels had come from close to or on the pace. Counter to plans, he was in a similar early position in both stakes efforts and faded in the late going.
“He’s a good colt when properly ridden,” Cassidy said. “He’s been training well, so we’ll give it a try.”
The Wickerr field from the rail: Street Lad (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Perfectly Majestic (Kent Desormeaux, 3-1), Prime Attraction (Victor Espinoza, 10-1), Dalmore (Corey Nakatani, 10-1), Calculator (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2), Blackjackcat (Gary Stevens, 5-1) and Vyjack (Flavien Prat, 8-5).
ROMAN MAKES HIS PRESENCE KNOWN WITH THREE-WIN FRIDAY
After going 0-for-14 over the first two days and two mounts into the third, apprentice Evin Roman notched his first Del Mar victory in Friday’s fourth race aboard Texas Wedge for trainer Peter Miller.
The 19-year-old native of Puerto Rico, who shared the Santa Anita riding title with Flavien Prat and won the championship at Los Alamitos by a wide margin, added wins in the sixth and eighth races to move up the standings into a tie for third. Rafael Bejarano has six victories in the first three days from 16 mounts with Prat (4-for-15), Joe Talamo (3-for-11), Kent Desormeaux (3-for-10) and Roman (3-for-21) following.
An indication of the depth of the jockey colony is that six riders have posted multi-win days – in five instances posting wins in consecutive races – in the first three days of the 36-day meeting.
Prat got things started winning the first, third and fourth races on Opening Day before Bejarano responded by taking the fifth, sixth, seventh and 10th.
On Thursday, Talamo won the first two and Tyler Baze the third and fourth. Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux got into the winner’s circle act following the second and third races on Friday and was back for an encore in the featured Osunitas Stakes aboard Madame Stripes for Neil Drysdale.
WEDNESDAY’S COUGAR II ATTRACTS A FIELD OF SEVEN
The second week at Del Mar kicks off with the only Wednesday graded stakes feature of the summer meeting, the Grade III $100,000 Cougar II Handicap.
At 1 ½ miles on the main track, the Cougar II has been used in the past as prep for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic later in the meeting, most notably by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert with Richard’s Kid before his 2009 and 2010 Pacific Classic victories.
The field from the rail: Infobedad (John Sadler/Tyler Baze), Curlin Road (Doug O’Neill/Flavien Prat), Big John B (Phil D’Amato/Rafael Bejarano), French Getaway (Bob Hess, Jr./Kent Desormeaux), Noble Nick (John Sadler/Santiago Gonzalez), Hard Aces (John Sadler/Santiago Gonzalez) and Giant Influence (Peter Eurton/Jamie Theriot).
O’NEILL AND ‘FRIENDS’ HAVE ANOTHER JUVENILE TURF FILLY
Trainer Doug O’Neill, the San Diego-centric in ownership Great Friends Stable and partners, are going down a familiar path with a recently-purchased 2-year-old filly named Klosters imported from Europe.
The filly is one of nine horses the Great Friends Stable has acquired for racing at the summer meeting, as it has done for the past several years.
Klosters won the EBF Novice Stakes at Chepstow in England on June 16 in her second career start. She finished third in her debut at the same track and was trained by Roger Charlton.
“She won impressively over there,” O’Neill said. “There’s the 2-year-old filly stake at the end of the meeting (Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, closing day, September 4) and then we’re dreaming about the Breeders’ Cup ($1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf, Friday, November 3) here with her.”
The “import to top day in the sport” play has been made by O’Neill and Great Friends with Clenor (2013) and She’s Complete (2014).
CLOSERS – O’Neill said the Travers at Saratoga in August is the next target with Blue Grass Stakes and Indiana Derby winner Irap. The Pacific Classic, which has been won by 3-year-olds against older on five occasions, is not a temptation. “We’re going to keep him in his age group as long as we can,” O’Neill said. One of the top runners in the O’Neill Barn, 3-year-old filly Shane’s Girlfriend, is being aimed for the Torrey Pines Stakes on August 27 … John Sadler will work Stellar Wind on Sunday morning, the final major exercise before her title defense in the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch on July 30. The work is scheduled for around 6:30 a.m. with exercise rider Jose Contreras aboard for a five or six-furlong spin …Selected works from 204 officially timed on Saturday morning: Do the Dance (4f, :46.80), Mr. Hinx (4f, :49.60), Tribalist (4f, :46.80), Big Macher (5f, :59.00), Coniah (5f, 1:01.80), Hard Aces (5f, 1:01.40), Kobe’s Back (5f, 1:00.00), Indygo Bo (6f, 1:12.00).