By Hank Wesch
FAMILIAR TRIO NECK-AND-NECK DOWN THE STRETCH FOR TRAINER TITLE
Three-time defending champion Rafael Bejarano has put his rivals for the jockey title in the rear view mirror, forging a nine-win lead over Tyler Baze and Joe Talamo with 11 racing days to go.
But in the trainer standings, Jerry Hollendorfer (15 wins) can look in the side view mirror and see Peter Miller (14) and Doug O’Neill (13) right above the “Objects May Be Closer Than They Appear” sticker.
If it sounds familiar, it should. Hollendorfer and Miller were co-champions of the 2014 summer meeting with 20 wins each, the second solo or shared title for Miller, the first Del Mar crown for Hollendorfer. O’Neill, a four-time title winner, finished fourth, four wins behind Hollendorfer and Miller.
Assessing their chances Wednesday morning, all three camps indicated it would be “let the chips fall where they may,” rather than “chips all in” to the finish.
“We still have a shot, but we’re not going to lose any sleep over it,” said Leandro Mora, chief assistant to O’Neill.
“We’re live (for the title) but we’re not going to drop any horses into spots we shouldn’t trying to win it,” said O’Neill stable operations director Steve Rothblum.
Hollendorfer, who won 36 straight training titles at Bay Meadows and 32 straight at Golden Gate Fields starting in 1986, had similar thoughts.
“We just do the best we can at all times and however it turns out is however it turns out,” Hollendorfer said. “We’re trying to win as much money as we can here and it helps to win the most races.
“We’ve got a lot to run, but I imagine a lot of the guys have a lot to run still. We’re not worrying about it. We’re just going to run our horses, and however it turns out, we’ll be happy.”
O’Neill jumped into the lead with a track-record five-win day on July 29, but cooled somewhat after that. Hollendorfer and Miller steadily cut into the lead and moved past.
“Whoever gets hot among the bigger barns is going to win it,” Miller said. “I’m hoping it’s us, obviously. It has been an up-and-down meet for us. We certainly could have won four or five more races with a little better luck.
“But we’ve got a lot of live horses left and if we don’t win, it won’t be for a lack of trying.”
ESPINOZA TAKING HIS TALENTS TO “DANCING WITH THE STARS”
Jockey Victor Espinoza has signed up to be one of the contestants in the new fall season of the popular television series “Dancing With The Stars.”
The announcement was made on ESPN Sports Night on Tuesday and quickly spread, of course, via social media.
“It’s something we’ve been working on since June, actually,” Espinoza’s agent, Brian Beach, said Wednesday morning in the Del Mar stable area. “He says he’s a decent dancer, but he’s planning on learning a lot.
“He knows rehearsals are pretty intense, but he welcomes that because he puts himself through pretty intense workouts already and this will be in place of those workouts and give him some variety.
“He’s looking forward to meeting people and to competing.”
Beach said that while Espinoza has received inquiries or offers from a variety of show business entities since his Triple Crown winning campaign on American Pharoah, the Dancing With The Stars opportunity was the one that best fit in to his race riding schedule.
The professional dance partners for Espinoza and the other celebrity contestants will be revealed on September 2 on the Good Morning America program, Beach said. Rehearsals will start shortly after that and the show’s season premier is September 14.
“It’s something mainstream and it could capture the general public’s interest and create more interest in racing,” Beach said.
Meanwhile, Espinoza has the matter of keeping American Pharoah on the winning track in Sunday’s $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga.
AMERICAN PHAROAH TODAY
The Triple Crown Champion departed Bob Baffert’s barn at Del Mar in the wee hours Wednesday morning accompanied by assistant trainer Jim Barnes for the journey to Saratoga. “Jim said everything went fine,” Baffert, who’ll head for New York on Thursday, said Wednesday morning. “The day before the plane had engine trouble or something and had been delayed. If that had happened again, we’d have brought him back here. But everything’s fine.”
MOTOWN MEN FAVORED OF SEVEN IN HARRY S. BRUBAKER STAKES
Motown Men, a 6-year-old son of Decarchy who was a sharp winner of a dirt mile on July 3, goes back to the surface and distance as the 2-1 favorite in a field of seven for today’s featured $80,000 Harry S. Brubaker Stakes.
Trained by Ted H. West and ridden by Tyler Baze for Gulliver Racing LLC, Motown Men has seven wins from 31 career starts and earnings of $443,209. Three of the victories have been recorded in six starts for West since being claimed for $40,000 in February at Santa Anita. Motown Men has two wins in four starts here, the most recent being a 3 ½ length score in 1:36.40 for the mile.
The Brubaker field from the rail: Safety Belt (Felipe Valdez, 12-1), Big Cazanova (Victor Espinoza, 5-2), Rock Me Baby (Corey Nakatani, 4-1), Point Piper (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1), Global View (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1), Smooth Roller (Mike Smith, 4-1) and Motown Men (Tyler Baze, 2-1).
WHAT’S IN A NAME – HARRY F. BRUBAKER STAKES
The Harry F. Brubaker Stakes is named for “Bud” Brubaker, who worked at Del Mar for 50 years, the last 25 as Director of Operations, before his passing in 1995. He was also a National Football League official from 1950-70 and officiated the 1968 NFL championship game won by Baltimore over Cleveland.
OBEY LOOKS TO STAY UNBEATEN IN GENEROUS PORTION
Ted Serna’s Obey, trained by Sam Scolamieri and ridden by Tiago Pereira, will aim to extend a two-race win streak to start her career as the 3-1 favorite in a field of nine fillies for Friday’s featured $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes for California breds.
A 2-year-old daughter of Desert Code, Obey won a maiden special race at Santa Anita on June 25 and followed that with a three-quarter length victory in the $100,000 CTBA Stakes here on July 31.
The field from the rail: Swiss Affair (Tyler Baze, 8-1), Just Google Me (Edwin Maldonado, 8-1), Later My Love (Fernando Perez, 5-1), Obey (Tiago Pereira, 3-1), Cajun Cookin (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1), Run for Retts (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Sambamzajammin (Alonso Quinonez, 15-1), My Palmilla (Joe Talamo, 6-1) and Patriotic Diamond (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2).
ONE START, ONE WIN FOR IAN KRULJAC
Ian Kruljac won with his first representative as a trainer when Finest City, the 7-10 favorite, powered home by an 8 ½-length margin in Sunday’s seventh race.
“I wish they all could be like that,” the 27-year-old son of veteran trainer J. Eric Kruljac said Wednesday morning. “I’m just thankful for having good parents, good owners and good horses to work with.”
Ian grew up in the business, of course, an assistant to his father for four years before taking out his own training license. He has two horses running in his name, Finest City and Shakeitupbetty, the latter a 20-1 long shot in today’s fifth race. His father has two horses in the same 6 ½-furlong event.
SEVEN EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY’S EL CAJON STAKES
With close of entries approaching Wednesday morning, the racing office anticipated a field for seven for Saturday’s $100,000 El Cajon Sakes.
In alphabetical order they are: Desert Dynamo, Fame And Power, Gimme Da Lute, Iron Fist, Rocko’s Wheel, Thanksgiving Day and Verraco.
CLOSERS – Horsemen should be aware the final day for training on the main track is Thursday, September 10. Horses are to be off the grounds by Friday, September 11. The training track will be closed after training on closing day Monday, September 7. The last day for turf works will be on Thursday, September 3 … Gary Stevens was named the Jockeys’ Guild Jockey of the Week for his victories aboard Beholder in Saturday’s $1 million TVG Pacific Classic and Avenzare in the Del Mar Mile on Sunday … Selected works from 283 officially timed the last three days: Monday – Dreamologist (7f, 1:25.00), Spud Spivens (6f, 1:11.80), Prospect Park (6f, 1:14.00), Sensitively (5f, :59.80), Young Brian (5f, 1:00.40), Elektrum (4f, :48.80), Allidoisdreamofyou (4f, :46.80) and Dortmund (3f, :36.40); Tuesday – Girl Downstairs (7f, 1:25.40), Sassy Ashley (6f, 1:11.80), Yahilwa (5f, 1:01.80), Look Twice (5f, :58.60); Wednesday – Relaunch A Memory (6f, 1:11.40), Glory (6f, 1:11.40), Warren’s Veneda (4f, :48.80), Pretty N Cool (4f, :48.00).
DEL MAR STATISTICS
| Jockey Standings | ||||||
| (Current Through Sunday, August 23, 2015 Inclusive) | ||||||
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | Money Won |
| Rafael Bejarano | 155 | 30 | 32 | 19 | 19% | $1,909,384 |
| Tyler Baze | 159 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 13% | $1,296,460 |
| Joseph Talamo | 139 | 21 | 11 | 12 | 15% | $1,280,288 |
| Flavien Prat | 134 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 13% | $1,570,804 |
| Santiago Gonzalez | 127 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 14% | $1,044,586 |
| Mario Gutierrez | 95 | 16 | 9 | 8 | 17% | $938,576 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 79 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 18% | $733,374 |
| Martin Garcia | 104 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 13% | $933,710 |
| Corey Nakatani | 63 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 19% | $587,676 |
| Fernando Perez | 113 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 9% | $547,668 |
| Trainer Standings | ||||||
| (Current Through Sunday, August 23, 2015 Inclusive) | ||||||
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | Money Won |
| Jerry Hollendorfer | 67 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 22% | $992,072 |
| Peter Miller | 98 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14% | $1,013,600 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 79 | 13 | 16 | 8 | 16% | $1,012,300 |
| Philip D'Amato | 61 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 20% | $863,942 |
| Richard Baltas | 55 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 18% | $535,322 |
| John W. Sadler | 41 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 24% | $512,784 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 44 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 23% | $291,572 |
| Bob Baffert | 44 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 18% | $695,140 |
| Mike Puype | 55 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 15% | $499,500 |
| Richard E. Mandella | 31 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 19% | $1,492,476 |
| Winning Favorites Report | |||
| (Current Through Sunday, August 23, 2015 Inclusive) | |||
| Winning favorites | 75 | 256 | 29.30% |
| Winning favorites on dirt | 56 | 175 | 32.00% |
| Winning favorites on turf | 19 | 81 | 23.46% |
| Winning odds-on favorites | 15 | 29 | 51.72% |
| In-the-Money favorites | 148 | 256 | 57.81% |
| In-the-Money odds-on favorites | 26 | 29 | 89.66% |
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793