Published Friday, November 29th, 2024 (3 days ago)

Stakes Tripleheader Set Saturday Headed by GI Hollywood Derby

By Del Mar Press

Carson's Run | Coglianese Photo

Carson's Run © Coglianese Photos

Del Mar’s highly attractive Turf Festival goes into high gear Saturday at the seaside oval with a trio of turf tests at different levels on tap for racing fans throughout the afternoon. Topping off the day’s action will be the 84th running of the Hollywood Derby, a Grade I headliner that carries a $300,000 purse and that is limited to – as the name suggests – 3-year-olds.

Six of the Baker’s Dozen in the nine-furlong turf test have out-of-town connections. Four of them have won Derbies already this year. Five of them are last-out winners. And, just for fun, let’s throw in two fillies taking on the boys. There’s also a millionaire, a ridgling, a British-bred colt and a pair of geldings. That’s a lot in the mix for the race that made California Chrome Horse of the Year (for the first time) in 2014.

Then there’s a dozen older horses wanting to run a mile and a sixteenth on the lawn in the 48th edition of the $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap, a Grade II testing that serves as a nifty undercard offering on the nine-race program. And finally, 2-year-old fillies will get to strut their stuff in a one-mile grass affair that will bring out no fewer than 13 hopefuls with an eye toward the prize in a $100,000, Grade III contest.

You pretty much get one of every kind over the course of the afternoon, a horse player’s delight and a racing fan’s early Christmas gift all wrapped up in one.

Here are the lineup for the stakes threesome from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Hollywood Derby – Exline-Border Racing and Burns Racing’s Stay Hot (Antonio Fresu, 8-1); SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables’ Rothschild (Flavien Prat, 15-1); Agnew, Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners or Chatalas’ Chatalas (Kazushi Kimura, 30-1); West Point Thoroughbreds or Bouchey’s Carson’s Run (Dylan Davis, 3-1); Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT or Nentwig’s King of Gosford (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 5-1); Mr.-Mrs. W.K. Warren, Jr.’s Formidable Man (Umberto Rispoli, 9/2); Donegal Racing’s Donegal Momentum (Javier Castellano, 6-1); John M.B. O’Connor’s Atitlan (Hector I. Berrios, 8-1); Augustin Stables’ Tirupati (Vincent Cheminaud, 30-1); Slam Dunk Racing, Baltas or McClanahan’s British Isles (Diego Herrera, 30-1); Davis Racing, Giordano or Mueller’s Heart Headed (Mike Smith, 20-1); Augustin Stables’ Twirling Point (Lenfranco Dettori, 20-1), and Diamond T Racing, Iapetus Racing or Alphin, et al’s Cathal, Juan Hernandez, 15-1).

Seabiscuit Handicap – Zephyr Racing or De Alba’s Fast Buck (Herrera, 20-1); Perry or Ramona Bass’ Sumter (Smith, 8-1); Perry or Ramona Bass’ Seal Team (Rispoli, 7/2); Joe Navarro’s Zio Jo (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Bamford or Tabor’s Astronomer (Kimura, 15-1); Red Baron’s Barn or Rancho Temescal’s Mi Hermano Ramon (Berrios, 12-1); Klaravich Stables’ Redistricting (Prat, 3-1); Madaket Stables’ Easter (Fresu, 8-1); Bernsen or Rockingham Ranch’s Masteroffoxhounds (Dettori, 15-1); CYBT, McLean Racing Sables or Gevertz’s Almendares (Ortiz, Jr., 4-1); Alice Bamford’s St Anthony (Castellano, 20-1), and Kretz Racing’s Cabo Spirit (Espinoza, 30-1).

Jimmy Durante Stakes – California Racing Partners, Ciaglia Racing or O’Donnell’s Resolve (Berrios, 8-1); Little Red Feather Racing, Sterling Stables or Naify’s Slick (Davis, 15-1 ); The Del Mar Group’s Lee’s Baby Girl (Edwin Maldonado, 8-1); Bridlewood Farm, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, or Madaket Stables, et al’s Dandy Vandy (Ortiz, Jr., 12-1); TCK USA’s Schilflied (Pereira, 15-1); Pegram, Watson and Weitman’s Casalu (Kimura, 12-1); JWS Racing, Burk or Grund’s Origami (Fresu, 12-1); Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing’s Supa Speed (Prat, 7/2); CUYATHY’s Sea Runner (Rispoli, 9/2); Cady or Lambert’s Ce La Vi Charli (Castellano, 20-1); Augustin Stables’ Will Then (Cheminaud, 20-1); Bernsen and Rockingham Ranch’s Tigerish (Dettori, 15-1), and spendthrift Farm’s Acquitted (Hernandez, 8-1).

Hollywood Derby favorite Carson’s Run is a shipper from the east who has won five of nine lifetime starts and more than $1-million. He’s a son of the Tapit sire Cupid.

Redistricting, the top choice in the Seabiscuit, is also in from the east where he just missed in his comeback start for ’24 in a Grade III at Aqueduct last month. The British-bred 4-year-old failed to finish the course here last year when he competed in the Hollywood Derby.

Supra Speed, the one to beat on the line in the Jimmy Durante, was in a world of trouble in her last start at Santa Anita in October. The Justify chestnut was a good second in the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on September 7 in her prior start.

First post Saturday is the usual 12:30 p.m.