Dr Dorr and Mubtaahij © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club 

DAY 19

TRAINERS OF TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC HORSES PLAY IT CLOSE TO THE VEST

With less than 72 hours remaining before the deadline, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, to confirm entries in next Saturday’s TVG Pacific Classic, there’s still a lot to be determined regarding the field for the 28^th running of the signature event of the summer meeting.

If it’s poker, trainer John Sadler is sitting pretty with a pair of aces – probable favorite Accelerate, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and unbeaten San Diego Handicap winner Catalina Cruiser. But Sadler says he’s only going to use one in the game.

That leaves eight other trainers, of 13 other nominated horses, to decide whether they’re in, or out, when the pot is $1 million, with $400,000 to be distributed between the second and fifth-place finishers. It’s also a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Late Friday afternoon, the racing office listed Accelerate, Beach View, Mubtaahij, Pavel, Prime Attraction, The Lieutenant and Roman Rosso as “probables.” On the “possible” list are Ann Arbor Eddie and Catalina Cruiser. Considered “doubtful” are El Huerfano, Full of Luck, Multiplier, Two Thirty Five and Unique Bella.

“I’ve nominated three, but I might only run one,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Saturday morning of his trio of Dr. Dorr, Mubtaahij and Roman Rosso. Dr. Dorr and Mubtaahij had bullet works last Tuesday and would be due for another before the entry deadline.

Then there’s the Baffert-described “Mystery horse,” Roman Rosso.

An Argentine-bred son of Roman Ruler who was a Group I winner in his native country and Uruguay, the 4-year-old chestnut colt shows workouts at Southern California tracks since June, the last three here. The earner of $547,576 from five wins in eight career starts, went six furlongs in 1:14 handily on August 3, best of six at the distance, and went seven furlongs in 1:26.00 under meet-leading rider Flavien Prat on Friday.

Prat has the mount for the Classic.

Accelerate is scheduled to work “six or seven” furlongs Sunday morning under assistant trainer Juan Leyva, Sadler said. “Back-up” Catalina Cruiser went five furlongs in a minute flat on Friday.

Trainer Leonard Powell sent out Cougar II Handicap winner Beach View for a final five-furlong work Saturday morning. With exercise rider Timothy Florent up, Beach View broke five lengths behind workmate Obscure Brew at the half-mile pole and made up the distance when they hit the wire. Beach View was timed in 1:01.80.

“A nice and even work with a good strong gallop-out,” Powell said. “His usual work. He just went a mile and a half (Cougar II) so fitness is not an issue.”

Powell will meet with the Levy Racing ownership Sunday and make a decision about the Classic then. Rafael Bejarano has the mount.

SKYE DIAMONDS HOPES TO SPARKLE AGAIN IN RANCHO BERNARDO

The Rancho Bernardo Handicap was one of many highlights in the 2017 campaign of Skye Diamonds, the latest in a line of claimed horses that trainer Bill Spawr has turned into stakes winners.

Splitting rivals in the stretch, the then 4-year-old California-bred daughter of First Dude won by 1 ¼ lengths, giving her back-to-back graded scores coming as it did after the Great Lady M at Los Alamitos.

Sunday, Skye Diamonds is back to defend her title in the Grade III $100,000 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares. Skye Diamonds is 0-for-5 since the 2017 Rancho Bernardo with four of the defeats in 2018.

But Spawr, 78, is hopeful that the return to the race and conditions of her last victory will get the $40,000 claim who has career earnings of $618,150 back into the winner’s circle.

“She’s training well and her last race was the best she’s run this year,” Spawr said. “She was hooked on the lead and put away a couple (rivals) and fought down the stretch before (Marley’s Freedom) got past her late.”

Skye Diamonds, the 9-5 second choice to Anonymity (8-5) on the morning line, started her 2018 campaign with second-place finishes to Selcourt in the Grade III Las Flores and Grade II Santa Monica at Santa Anita and sixth of seven in the Grade I Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.

“Just bad luck,” Spawr said.

“She caught Selcourt when Selcourt was really good,” said Jon Lindo, who owns a quarter-interest in Skye Diamonds. “The Kentucky race you can throw out because it was rainy and nasty all day.

“We’ve got no excuses (Sunday) we’re hoping this race can really get her back on track and in the winner’s circle.”

The field from the rail: Turkish Tabby (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1), Yuvetsi (Tyler Baze, 6-1), Anonymity (Flavien Prat, 8-5), Skye Diamonds (Tiago Pereira, 9-5), Deer Valley (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1) and Moonshine Memories (Mike Smith, 3-1).

STRONG FIELDS EXPECTED FOR PACIFIC CLASSIC SUPPORTING STAKES

In addition to the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, the card for Saturday, August 18, will also feature the  Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Handicap and the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Oaks.

The Del Mar Handicap, sponsored by Japan Racing Association, is a “Win and You’re In Qualifier for the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. Twenty-six horses have been nominated, among them Catapult and Prime Attraction, the 1-3 finishers in the Grade II Eddie Read Stakes on July 22 and potential East Coast invaders Conquest Sandman and Manitoulin.

The Oaks, which generally determines the meeting’s three-year-old filly champion, closed with 20 nominations. The racing office lists 10  “probables:” Expecting, Animosity, Fatale Bere, Flammetta, Fool’s Paradise, Got Stormy, Ollie’s Candy, Paved, So Hi Society and Toinette. Listed as “possibles” are: Colonia, Daddy is a Legend, Ms Peintour and West Palm Beach.

The draw for the Pacific Classic is Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the Saturday races will be drawn Wednesday morning.

MEET LEADERS PRAT, MILLER GET SEPARATION FROM PURSUERS

Jockey Flavien Prat and traner Peter Miller increased margins atop the leaderboards Friday. Prat won two on the eight-race card, one of them in combination with Miller. The victories were Nos. 19-20 for  Prat during the first 18 days of the meeting and enabled him to open a five-win bulge over Drayden Van Dyke.

Miller gave a leg up to apprentice Heriberto Figueroa aboard Stop the Violence ($4.00) to win the second race and Wild Wild Kingdom ($13.80) in the third. Miller also boosted Prat up on Angel Alessandra ($8.40) in the fifth. Miller’s three wins gave him 17 from 58 starters, a six-win lead over Doug O’Neill and Jerry Hollendorfer.

Figueroa’s win on Wild Wild Kingdom was No. 40 of his career, dropping his weight allowance from seven to five pounds.

CLOSERS – Selected works from 183 officially timed Saturday morning: Ashleyluvssugar (4f, :48.80), Edwards Going Left (4f, :49.40), Madame Stripes (4f, :50.80), Roadster (4f, :47.60), Shenandoah Queen (4f, :49.80), St. Joe Bay (4f, :50.40), Beach View (5f, 1:01.80), Brill (5f, :59.80), Ransom the Moon (5f, 1:00.80), Rowayton (5f, :59.40) and Thirteen Squared (6f, 1:12.60).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 10, 2018 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 10, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Friday, August 10, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 53 out of 155 -- 34.19%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 40 out of 96 -- 41.67%

Winning favorites on turf -- 13 out of 59 -- 22.03%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 15 out of 23 -- 65.22%

In-the-Money favorites -- 109 out of 155 -- 70.32%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 22 out of 23 -- 95.65%