Joe Talamo
TALAMO MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE, AND TO A WEDDING, ON TIME
Joe Talamo went from stakes-winning jockey to quick change artist to tuxedoed wedding guest in just over a half hour Saturday afternoon.
Here’s the Talamo timeline, provided by his agent Scott McClellan:
The featured $100,990 Let It Ride Stakes goes off, according to the official chart at 3:31. One minute, 34 and 61/100th seconds later, Talamo gets Risky Proposition ($47) under the wire three-quarters of a length in front of Choo Choo and Calexman who are heads apart for second and third.
Talamo goes through the post-race ceremonies and interviews then hustles to the jockeys’ room to shed silks, shower and don a tuxedo. With McClellan as wheelman, they motor to Rancho Santa Fe where Talamo is dropped off at 4:02 and is seated in time for the nuptials of a high school friend of his wife Elizabeth.
In retrospect, McClellan said Sunday morning, the upset win in the Let It Ride was the easy part of the day because McClellan and trainer Bill Spawr had a plan.
The plan was to run Risky Proposition in an allowance race that was listed as a “sub” in the condition book or, in the likely event that race didn’t fill (which it didn’t), opt for the one-mile turf test of the Let It Ride.
Talamo had been aboard for the 3-year-old gelded son of Bodemeister’s last five starts, two before and three after he was claimed by Spawr for $50,000. The feeling was that Risky Proposition was improving despite the fact that he was 0-for-5 since his last victory in June, the first time under Talamo.
“It was a little surprising that he won,” McClellan conceded. “But he has been coming from off the pace lately and you have to get a good trip to win like that. It was a little smaller field (7) and Joe was able to get him out in the clear and he really responded.”
One stakes win chalked up, Talamo could be a threat for the stakes upcoming today and Monday as he rides the “other” horses for trainers Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert. D’Amato has the 5-2 favorite in Just Grazed Me for today’s $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes, with Tyler Baze riding, and 5-1 S Y Sky with Talamo.
In the featured Desi Arnaz Stakes on the special Veterans’ Day program Monday, Baffert will send out 6-5 favorite Chasing Yesterday with Drayden Van Dyke in the irons and 6-1 Der Lu under Talamo.
Remember the most recent Del Mar Futurity in September when Baffert’s Roadster finished third as the 7-to-10 favorite and 8-5 Game Winner, the recent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner, prevailed.
“You throw them in if they’re doing well, and you can’t worry about it,” Baffert said. “It’s an equal opportunity barn.”
“Chasing Yesterday and Itsjustanillusion (7-5) have accomplished more and are definitely the horses to beat,” McClellan said. “But a lot of times being the favorite means you‘ve got a target on your back for the others in the race and things can happen. We’ve worked Der Lu and she’s doing fine.”
The field from the rail: Der Lu (Joe Talamo, 6-1), Andyoushallreceive (Tiago Pereira, 8-1), It’sjustanillusion (Flavien Prat, 7-5), Chasing Yesterday (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-5) and Boujie Girl (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1).
The Desi Arnaz will go as the second race on an eight-race card.
MILLER WATCH: 998 AND COUNTING
Trainer Peter Miller didn’t move any closer to a milestone 1,000th career victory, going 0-for-2 as Queen Shelly Ann finished last in the second race and Captain Scotty second, beaten three-quarters of a length by odds-on favorite Shivermetimbers in the eighth.
Miller has three horses spread over three races today. The representatives are: Wild Verse (4th, 6-1), Worthy Turk (7th, 3-1) and Loveahoneybadger (8th, 5-1).
‘SQUATTERS RIGHTS’ ADVOCATE MANDELLA GETS IN THE WIN COLUMN
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has been known to sing the praises of Del Mar. And when welcomed back for the fall meeting earlier this week, he added a new refrain.
“I’ve got 20 horses here and that’s enough to keep me from having to go back up there (commute to Santa Anita),” Mandella said. “And when the meet ends and they come to throw me out, I’m going to claim squatters rights (to his long-established area of Barn X).”
Mandella got into the win column for fall racing at Del Mar when he saddled Tapwater ($6.80) to win the nightcap on Saturday.
FRANCO’S DOUBLE-DOUBLE PUTS HIM ATOP THE JOCKEY STANDINGS
Geovanni Franco followed a two-win opening day with two more on Saturday to take a two-win lead over three pursuers atop the jockey standings.
Franco, 27, scored with Bahamian ($7.00) for trainer Vladimir Cerin in Saturday’s first race and Super Touch ($6.60) for Robertino Diodoro in the fourth. Franco has four wins and two third-place finishes from nine mounts.
Ruben Fuentes, Joe Talamo and Heriberto Figueroa all have two wins.
Jerry Hollendorferand defending champion Peter Miller lead the trainer standings with two wins each. Both have also notched one runner-up, Hollendorfer from six starters, Miller from five.
CLOSERS – Selected works from 48 officially timed Sunday, 35 on dirt and 13 on turf: Dirt -- Calculator (3f, :35.40), Batiquitos (4f, :47.80), Lady Dude (5f, 1:00.20); Turf—Fly to Mars (4f, :49.00), Flamboyant (6f, 1:16.60), Vexatious (6f, 1:19.40).