Hard Aces © Zoe Metz for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
SADLER’S CHOICE FOR HARD ACES TURNED OUT TO BE AN EASY ONE
Friday morning dawned with trainer John Sadler having a decision to make regarding 2015 Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Hard Aces.
Run the soon-to-be $1 million earning son of Hard Spun against California Chrome, Dortmund and a few others in today’s Grade II $200,000 San Diego Handicap? Or scratch for Sunday’s Grade III $100,000 Cougar II Handicap with Hoppertunity the 7-5 morning line favorite in a field of six and Hard Aces next at 8-5.
Rules allow for trainers to enter horses in more than two stakes, but they must withdraw from one well in advance which, in Sadler’s case, meant 10 a.m. on Friday.
“I wanted to see the Sunday (Daily Racing) Form, check the speed figures and get a feeling for what one would be best for him,” Sadler said Saturday morning. “I really was considering (the San Diego) because you’re dealing with horses (California Chrome and Dortmund) coming off layoffs.
“Then it all crystallized when I heard, about 8 a.m., that Hopportunity was coming out.”
Trainer Bob Baffert reported that Hoppertunity had run a slight temperature on Thursday and, while he appeared to be better on Friday, would have his next start put on hold for the time being.
The result of the shuffling is that today’s San Diego will go with a five-horse field – Dortmund, Crittenden, Follow Me Crev, California Chrome and Win the Space – and so will the Cougar II – Infobedad, Energia Fribby, Seve’s Road, Hard Aces and Quick Casablanca.
The 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap is the traditional stepping stone to the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, which will be run for the 26th time on Saturday, August 20. The 1 ½-mile Cougar II has also served that purpose in recent years, most notably for Richard’s Kid in 2009.
It figures to serve the purpose for Hard Aces.
“Last year I didn’t run Hard Aces down here before the Classic and he didn’t run very well (sixth of 10, 14 lengths behind Beholder),” Sadler said. “This year, I’m thinking it’s better to get two races for him down here.”
The field for the Cougar II from the rail: Infobedad (Joe Talamo, 12-1) Energia Fribby (Drayden Van Dyke, 4-1), Seve’s Road (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Hard Aces (Santiago Gonzalez, 6-5) and Quick Casablanca (Tyler Baze, 2-1).
The Cougar II is the fourth on a 10-race card with an approximate post of 3:33 p.m.
BEHOLDER, STELLAR WIND, NYQUIST ALL SET TO WORK SUNDAY
Champions Beholder, Stellar Wind and Nyquist are all scheduled to put in final workouts here Sunday for major stakes assignments the following weekend.
Beholder and Stellar Wind will square off next Saturday in the $300,000 Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar. Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist is headed for the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on July 31.
Trainer Richard Mandella opted to put off the planned work for Beholder from Saturday to Sunday and had the defending TVG Pacific Classic champion and three-time Eclipse Award winner jog instead under regular exercise rider Janeen Painter, who was to have ridden the work.
Painter is expected to get the call for the work Sunday. Racing officials will clear the track except for Beholder and other Clement Hirsch horses for a short period starting at 7:45 a.m. although trainers may opt to go earlier.
Sadler said Stellar Wind would work at approximately 6:30, possibly with Victor Espinoza in the irons.
Nyquist will work one mile under regular rider Mario Gutierrez at around 1 p.m., shortly after the flag-raising ceremony for the Sunday program.
ALERT BAY TOPS NINE THAT ARE CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’
Alert Bay drew the No. 5 post and will carry 2-1 morning line favoritism in Sunday’s $150,000 California Dreamin Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older California-bred horses.
Owned by Peter Redekop and trained by Blaine Wright, Alert Bay, a 5-year-old son of City Zip, has 12 wins in 27 career starts and more than $1.1 million in earnings. His form has been especially good since April, when Tyler Baze got back aboard, guiding Alert Bay to an allowance runner-up and victory in the Grade III San Francisco at Golden Gate Fields and a second in the Crystal Water Stakes at Santa Anita on June 11 at Santa Anita.
Poshsky, a neck victor over Alert Bay in the Crystal Water, is also entered in the California Dreamin’ as is Soi Phet, who was declared from the San Diego Handicap.
The field from the rail out: Magic Mark (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Ambitious Brew (Flavien Prat, 4-1), Boozer (Gary Stevens, 6-1), Something’s Unusual (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Alert Bay (Tyler Baze, 2-1), Patriots Rule (Joe Talamo, 12-1), Poshsky (Fernando Perez, 5-1), Soi Phet (Kent Desormeaux, 9-2), Avanti Bello (Rafael Bejarano, 8-1).
CLOSERS – East Coast-based Florent Geroux, one of the top riders in the country, has three mounts on Saturday’s card, all for trainer Peter Miller – Banze No Oeste (3rd, 10-1), Calculator (5th, 3-1) and Belvoir Bay (7th, 4-1). Geroux rode at Del Mar in the fall of 2014 finishing third aboard The Pizza Man to Finnegan’s Wake in the Hollywood Turf Cup .. With only five horses in the race, there will be no superfecta wagering on the San Diego Handicap … Dragon Eyes (15-1, 2nd) and Feel Freely (15-1 4th) will go from racing Saturday to the Barretts Paddock Sale following the races … Selected workouts from 123 officially timed Saturday morning: Dalmore (4f, :49.00), Miss Southern Miss (4f, :50.60).
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Friday, July 22, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
I.M.% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
36 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
19% |
31% |
$290,625 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
33 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
18% |
52% |
$199,054 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
27 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
19% |
52% |
$268,800 |
|
Tyler Baze |
33 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
15% |
45% |
$319,754 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
13 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
31% |
77% |
$243,578 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
19 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
21% |
37% |
$184,682 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
18 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
17% |
50% |
$279,126 |
|
Gary Stevens |
11 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
27% |
45% |
$197,640 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
20 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
10% |
25% |
$67,280 |
|
Fernando Perez |
11 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
18% |
36% |
$64,708 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Friday, July 22, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
I.M.% |
Money Won |
|
Philip D'Amato |
11 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
36% |
55% |
$361,656 |
|
John W. Sadler |
9 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
33% |
78% |
$165,050 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
20 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
15% |
25% |
$106,380 |
|
Neil D. Drysdale |
8 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
38% |
50% |
$133,224 |
|
Brian J. Koriner |
7 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
29% |
71% |
$79,290 |
|
Mark Glatt |
10 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
20% |
70% |
$63,750 |
|
James M. Cassidy |
13 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
15% |
54% |
$127,547 |
|
Steven Miyadi |
8 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
25% |
63% |
$94,165 |
|
Peter Miller |
16 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
13% |
31% |
$153,345 |
|
Richard Baltas |
8 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
25% |
50% |
$59,136 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Friday, July 22, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 20 out of 54 -- 37.04%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 13 out of 35 -- 37.14%
Winning favorites on turf -- 7 out of 19 -- 36.84%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 3 out of 3 -- 100.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 41 out of 54 -- 75.93%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 3 out of 3 -- 100.00%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793