Published Friday, November 23rd, 2018   ( 5 years ago )

Stakes Doubleheader Tops Saturday Card at Del Mar

Del Mar | Benoit

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will present an enticing stakes doubleheader Saturday, featuring two-year-old fillies in the Grade III $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes and then older grass runners in the Grade II $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:30 p.m., with the Durante Stakes carded as the fifth race and the Seabisuit as the seventh.

Both stakes attracted full fields – 13 fillies were entered in the Durante at one mile on the grass and a dozen in the Seabiscuit at a mile and one-sixteenth, also on turf, and both events appear to be wide-open betting affairs.

Durante entrants are, in post position order: Italia, Mike Smith; Lakerball, Mario Gutierrez; Elsa, Joe Bravo; Monette, Kent Desormeaux; Cedars of Lebanon, Rafael Bejarano; Pivottina, Drayden Van Dyke; Thriving, Flavien Prat; Creative Instinct, Tyler Baze; Kookie Gal, Tiago Pereira; Posh Holly, Geovanni Franco; Courteous, Joe Talamo; Velvet Queen, Agapito Delagadillo, and Discreet Diva, Evin Roman. The lukewarm morning line favorite is the French-bred, Graham Motion-trained Pivottina at 7-2.

Vying for first money of $120,000 in the Seabiscuit will be Caribou Club, Talamo; Big Score, Franco; Ann Arbor Eddie, Gutierrez; Pincheck, Smith; Holiday Stone, Prat; Madame Stripes, Pereira; Synchrony, Bravo; Kenjisstorm, Bejarano; Le Ken, Baze; Ohio, Van Dyke; Secretary at War, Ruben Fuentes, and He Will, Desormeaux. Synchrony is the early 9-2 morning line favorite.