Nyquist winning the Grade II Best Pal Stakes Aug 8, 2014.
The Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity, the race that a year ago launched American Pharoah on the road to stardom and ultimately into turf history as the 12th Triple Crown champion, will have its 68th running Monday, Labor Day, climaxing Del Mar’s 40-day summer racing season.
The seven-furlong contest, won by four horses, including American Pharoah, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby – Tomy Lee, Gato Del Sol and Silver Charm, will be the featured attraction on a strong ten-race closing day holiday program beginning at 2 p.m. Also on the card are two other stakes events, the $80,000 Pirate’s Bounty Stakes for sprinters at six furlongs and the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf for two-year-old distaffers at one mile on the grass.
Reddam Racing’s Nyquist, unbeaten in two starts, including an impressive triumph in the Futurity prelude Best Pal Stakes, is the likely favorite over seven two-year-old rivals. Regular rider Mario Gutierrez has the call from trainer Doug O’Neill who won the Futurity in 2005 with Stevie Wonderboy.
Bob Baffert, trainer of American Pharoah, will have two Futurity starters – Nightly News (Rafael Bejarano) and Mt Veeder (Martin Garcia) in pursuit of an incredible 13th success in Del Mar’s traditional finale. Nightly News was beaten a half-length in his maiden debut while Mt Veeder was an impressive maiden winner August 15.
Returning for another crack at Nyquist will be the two-three finishers in the Best Pal, Swipe (Kent Desormeaux) and Annie’s Candy (Victor Espinoza). Swipe won the Los Alamitos Juvenile Championship prior to losing by five and one-quarter lengths to Nyquist in the Best Pal, with Annie’s Candy another half-length back in third.
Others in the Futurity line-up are Archaeo (James Graham), Blameitonthelaw (Tyler Baze) and Rockin Bayou (Mike Smith). Blameitonthelaw and Rockin Bayou are winners of their only starts, while Archaeo is a maiden from the O’Neill barn.
The Del Mar Juvenile Fillies drew a wide-open line-up of a dozen fillies. Entered are Gomo, Yodelsong, Jakaby Jade, Optimism and Hope, One Last Shot, Sheeza Milky Way, She’s On the Line, Baby Bea Scattin, Imflatoutsweet, Find Joy, Exactamente and Sutton’s Smile.
Big Macher, winner of the 2014 Bing Crosby Stakes, returns to action after a five-month layoff and will face 11 rivals in the Pirate’s Bounty. His foes are Spirit Rules, Cherubim, Athens, Horse Laugh, Glacken Too, Wine Police, Melatonin, Kenjisstorm, Look Twice, Ankeny Hill and Why Two.