For the Top

FIELD OF 10 APPEARS LIKELY FOR 29^TH RUNNING OF TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC

Two days before the close of entries and the draw for post positions, a field of 10 appeared likely Sunday for next Saturday’s 29^th running of the Grade I, $1 million TVG Pacific Classic.

Noteworthy developments Sunday morning were trainer Todd Pletcher informing racing officials that Bal Harbour would not be coming out for the race and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert choosing the Classic for For the Top after considering a switch to turf for the Argentine import.

Bal Harbour, whom Mike Smith had ridden to a runner-up finish in the Monmouth Cup on July 20, worked four furlongs at Monmouth Park on Friday in 49 seconds flat, breezing. It was the eighth best of 23 at the distance, but apparently not good enough for Pletcher to send the 4-year-old son of First Samurai across the country for Saturday’s race.

Meanwhile, Monmouth Cup winner War Story worked five furlongs in 1:01 flat there Sunday and trainer Jorge Navarro said by telephone that both he and the 7-year-old Northern Afleet gelding will be travelling to Del Mar on Tuesday.

“We weren’t looking for much (out of the work),” Navarro said. “It’s been three weeks since he last raced, he’s an older horse and he takes good care of himself.” War Story has over $2.8 million in earnings from 35 career starts. He ran in the 2016 Pacific Classic, finishing seventh in a field of nine in a race dominated by California Chrome.

Tiago Pereira has the call for the Classic.

Early on Sunday morning Baffert indicated that For the Top would work on the turf and not attempt the 1 ¼-miles on dirt of the Pacific Classic. “I don’t think I’ll be in there, they’ve scared me off,” Baffert said.

By mid-morning, however, Baffert had changed his mind. For the Top worked six furlongs on the main track in 1:15.40 under Martin Garcia, who’ll be aboard for the Classic.

Trainer John Sadler said that all three of his TVG Pacific Classic prospects – Campaign, Higher Power and Catalina Cruiser – returned from Saturday works in good shape. While Campaign and Higher Power appear to be solid to start, Sadler said a decision on Catalina Cruiser would be made after talks with Hronis Racing LLC head Kostas Hronis during Sunday’s races.

There could still be supplemental entries, at a cost of $10,000, by the entry deadline Tuesday morning. Post positions will be drawn at an event at the Brigantine restaurant that afternoon.

The likely entrants, in alphabetical order, with jockeys in parentheses: Campaign (Rafael Bejarano), Draft Pick (Joe Talamo), For the Top (Martin Garcia), Higher Power (Flavien Prat), Mongolian Groom (Abel Cedillo), Pavel (Mario Gutierrez), Quip (Florent Geroux), Seeking the Soul (John Velazquez), Tenfold (Mike Smith) and War Story (Tiago Pereira).

PRAT TAKES HIS FIVE-WIN SATURDAY IN STRIDE

Winning five of the nine races on the Saturday program was a personal best at Del Mar for jockey Flavien Prat. It enabled the 26-year-old Frenchman to expand his lead over Drayden Van Dyke atop the jockey standings to 25-17 in wins.

But five wins on seven mounts left him two short of the single-day record at the track co-held by Victor Espinoza (September 4, 2006) and Van Dyke (August 19, 2018). It left him one short of getting into the record book with Bill Shoemaker (September 4, 1954), Laffit Pincay, Jr., (July 28, 1976, July 29, 1978) and Rudy Rosales (September 6, 1969) for polishing off a six-pack.

So, pleasing as it might have been, Prat was his usual all-business self while waiting to ride a workout for trainer Simon Callaghan on Sunday morning.

“I didn’t really think it would be a big day,” Prat said. “Sometimes you think you’ll have a good day and it’s not. Sometimes you don’t think it will be a good day and it is.”

Prat went five-for-five with mounts in five of the first six races. The wins came aboard  Storm the Court (1^st, $27.20 for trainer Peter Eurton), Drippin Sauce (2^nd, $6.00/Jonathan Wong), Billy Batts (3^rd, $3.80/Peter Miller), Andesh (5^th, $6.80/Phil D’Amato) and Swing Thoughts (6^th, $9.20, Ed Moger).

While fans and the connections he rode for might disagree, Prat didn’t think there was any exceptional use of strategy or horsemanship in the string of successes for five different trainers. “I just tried to hang on,” he said with a shrug and a smile. “Riding the best horses for the best trainers makes my job easy.”

The string was broken with a fourth-place finish in the seventh race, sitting out the eighth when his scheduled mount, morning line favorite Schrodinger, was scratched from the Best Pal Stakes, and a fourth place finish in the nightcap.

“We set a goal of 40 wins for this meet and after (Saturday) we’ve got a chance,” Derek Lawson, Prat’s agent said.

Thirty-eight wins gained Prat a share of the 2016 title with Rafael Bejarano and 35 secured one outright the following year.

BEST PAL FOLLOW-UP: SCHRODINGER APPEARS ON THE MEND

Trainer Simon Callaghan said Sunday that Schrodinger, the morning line favorite for the Best Pal Stakes, seems to be on the road to recovery after being scratched from Saturday’s race with a fever.

“His temperature is down this morning,” Callaghan said. “I’m going to give him a few days and he could be back on the track next week.”

The top three finishers in the $200,000 six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds – Collusion Illusion, Wrecking Crew and Fore Left – could meet again in the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on September 2, closing day of the meeting.

Mark Glatt, who trains Collusion Illusion, said he had considered going straight to the Futurity after the son of Twirling Candy, a $300,000 purchase at the Ocala sale in April, won his racing debut here on July 21. But Collusion Illusion showed readiness to run in a short time and prevailed by 1 ¼ lengths in a professional rate-and-rally win in the Best Pal.

“I wouldn’t rule out the Futurity,” Glatt said. “That might be a little too aggressive with him, but we’ll keep it as an option.”

By text, Peter Miller said that runner-up Wrecking Crew, who broke inwardly from the gate and was last of six for the first half mile, came out of the race fine and would be pointed  for the Futurity.

Of third-place finisher Fore Left, who was edged out for second, trainer Doug O’Neill said: “I think his Beyer figure will move forward and it will be a highly-rated race. He should get better with more experience. The Futurity is a possibility. We’ll play it by ear.”

CLOSERS – Selected works from 252 officially timed Sunday, 206 on the main track and 56 on turf: Dirt – River Boyne (3f, :35.60), Cistron (4f, :49.60), Magic at Midnight (4f, :46.60), Stormy Liberal (4f, :49.20), Acclimate (5f, 1:00.40), Fighting Mad (5f, :59.80), Sharp Samurai (5f, 1:00.00), Curry (6f, 1:12.60), Dr. Dorr (6f, 1:14.00), For the Top (6f, 1:15.40) and Improbable (6f, 1:13.40); Turf – Eddie Haskell (3f, :36.80), Majestic Eagle (4f, :49.80), Ohio (4f, :47.00), Vasilika (4f, :50.00), Bowies Hero (5f, 1:03.40), Calexman (5f, 1:01.60), Core Beliefs (5f, 1:01.60), Fahan Mura (5f, 1:01.00), Keeper Ofthe Stars (5f, 1:02.40), Ritzy A.P. (5f, 1:01.40), What a View (5f, 1:01.40).    

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Saturday, August 10, 2019 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Saturday, August 10, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Saturday, August 10, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 60 out of 153 -- 39.22%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 39 out of 90 -- 43.33%

Winning favorites on turf -- 21 out of 63 -- 33.33%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 18 out of 30 -- 60.00%

In-the-Money favorites -- 111 out of 153 -- 72.55%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 28 out of 30 -- 93.33%