Hard Aces © Zoe Metz for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
PACIFIC CLASSIC UPDATE, ONE WEEK OUT: FINAL WORKS HAVE BEGUN
Five candidates for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic put in their final workouts here Saturday for the signature race of the meeting, now only a week away.
At 6:30 a.m., Cougar II Handicap winner Hard Aces, San Diego Handicap third-place finisher Win the Space and Affirmed Handicap winner Dalmore took to the track. Hard Aces went five furlongs in 1:00.40 under regular exercise rider Jose Contreras. Win the Space covered six furlongs in 1:12.20 with jockey Joe Talamo in the irons. Dalmore went an easy five furlongs in 1:02.80 under regular rider Kent Desormeaux.
At 9, Midwest shipper War Story and two-time Classic participant Imperative took their turns. War Story was timed in :58.60 for five furlongs under Drayden Van Dyke, co-fastest of 63 works at the distance. Imperative went six furlongs in 1:12.00 under Norberto Arroyo, Jr., the fastest of 16 works at the distance.
Del Mar clockers had interim splits of :12.40, :24.00, and :36.40 with a last quarter in 24.00 for Hard Aces.
“He looked good, he’s not a big worker, it was just kind of a maintenance work,” trainer John Sadler said.
Hard Aces has also been entered in the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap, at 1 3/8 miles on the turf, a co-feature of TVG Pacific Classic day. Hard Aces has one victory in two tries on turf in a career of 33 starts with $999,645 in earnings. The grass win was in late January of 2014 at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
The TVG Pacific Classic is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 5 at Santa Anita. The Del Mar Handicap carries the same designation for the $4 million Longines Turf the same day.
“We won’t decide anything (between the Pacific Classic and Del Mar Handicap) until we have to,” Sadler said.
Close of entries for the Pacific Classic is Tuesday morning. The post position draw will be held that evening at the Brigantine Restaurant adjacent to the track.
Santiago Gonzalez, aboard Hard Aces for his last two starts, retains the mount.
Win the Space carved out interim fractions of :36.40, :49.20, 1:01.00 en route to the six furlong clocking and galloped out to seven furlongs in 1:25.20.
“He looked good and worked very nice,” trainer George Papaprodromou said. “The hard work is done. Now we wait.”
Talamo, who was aboard Win the Space in a maiden-breaking victory here on August 1 of last year, has the call for the TVG Pacific Classic.
War Story, a 4-year-old son of Northern Afleet who shipped in from Ohio on Tuesday, was timed in :23.80, :36.00, :46 4/5 on the way to :58.60 and a gallop out to six furlongs in 1:11.00.
“He worked exactly like we wanted him to,” trainer Dean Greenman said. “He got over the track real well, so he got plenty of air in him and he’s happy and healthy. It (fast time) was just the way it came up. The track’s a little firmer today. We expected him to go in a minute and he went a little faster than that, but it’s fine, he really wasn’t pushed that hard or anything. He’s ready to go.”
Imperative had interim clockings of :24.20, :36.60 and 1:00.00 on the way to his 1:11.40 and galloped out to seven furlongs in 1:25.40.
California Chrome and Dortmund, the 1-2 finishers in the San Diego Handicap, are both scheduled to put in their final works for the Pacific Classic tomorrow, California Chrome at Los Alamitos and Dortmund here.
Like all other racing fans, California Chrome trainer Art Sherman was pleased that doubts about defending race champion Beholder’s participation have been erased.
“Everybody’s running. It’s gonna be a good race. That’s what we need. Bring the people out,” Sherman said.
Trainer Richard Mandella has one more work in mind for Beholder, but said he has yet to decide whether to schedule it Monday or Wednesday.
TOP TURFERS ARE BACK FOR MORE ON OAKS, DM ‘CAP NOM LISTS
The Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Oaks and Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Handicap – events that add power to the TVG Pacific Classic Day card next Saturday – drew 19 and 17 nominations respectively. And when entries close and post positions are drawn on Wednesday, rematches of stakes earlier in the meeting figure to be set.
Mokat, Lady Valeur and Stays in Vegas, the 1-2-3 finishers in the Grade II $200,000 San Clemente Handicap on July 23, are all nominated to the Oaks. So are Barleysugar, Cheekaboo and Mrs. Norris, the top three from the Sandy Blue Handicap on July 17.
The Oaks is 1 1/8 miles on turf, the same distance as the Sandy Blue and one furlong more than the San Clemente.
The Del Mar Handicap, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf on November 5 at Santa Anita, drew nominations from the second and third-place finishers in the Grade II Eddie Read and the first two from the Grade II Cougar II.
Ashleyluvssugar and Flamboyant were less than a length behind winner Midnight Storm in the 1 1/8-mile Read on July 17. Hard Aces and Quick Casablanca ran 1-2 wire-to-wire in the 1 ½-mile Cougar II on dirt on July 24.
The Del Mar Handicap is 1 3/8 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
SCRATCH REDUCES FIELD FOR SUNDAY’S SOLANA BEACH STAKES TO 10
Minster’sadventure was scratched Saturday morning, reducing the field for Sunday’s featured $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes to 10.
The field from the rail out: Mangita (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1), Charming Starlet (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Singing Kitty (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Barbara Beatrice (Tiago Pereira, 6-1), Lily Kai (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), How Unusual (Santiago Gonzalez, 8-1), My Fiona (Fernando Perez, 20-1), Tiz a Kiss (Kent Desormeaux, 10-1), Thermodynamics (Joe Talamo, 10-1), Majestic Heat (Flavien Prat, 5-2).
PRETTY N COOL LOOKS TO ADD TO DEL MAR STAKES TOTAL
Bob Baffert-trained Pretty N Cool will shoot for her third Del Mar stakes victory in just over a calendar year when she heads a field of seven in Wednesday’s Grade III $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap.
The 6 1/2 –furlong sprint for older fillies and mares is the first of five graded stakes during Del Mar’s fifth full week of racing during the summer season.
Pretty N Cool, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Scat Daddy owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, won the first two starts of her career here last year, a maiden in mid-July and the Sorrento Stakes, on August 12. She started her second summer at Del Mar with a victory in the CERF on July 20, ending a six-month layoff.
With the post position draw scheduled later on Saturday, the field in alphabetical order with trainers and jockeys: Coniah (William Morey/Drayden Van Dyke), Enchanting Lady (Bob Baffert/Rafael Bejarano), Finest City (Ian Kruljac/Kent Desormeaux), Lost Bus (Gary Sherlock/Tiago Perez), Pretty N Cool (Bob Baffert/Mike Smith), Sensitively (Phil D’Amato/Tyler Baze) and Tara’s Tango (Jerry Hollendorfer/Martin Garcia).
CLOSERS – Trainer Simon Callaghan said that while he is undecided pending discussions with the owner, “I’ll more than likely wait for the Brubaker” with TVG Pacific Classic nominee Firing Line. The $75,000 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes at a mile on the main track is Wednesday, August 24 … Selected works from 179 officially timed Saturday morning: Alsvid (4f, :47.80), Luminance (4f, :48.40), Privy (4f, :46.60), Ashleyluvssugar (5f, 1:02.60), Avenge (5f, :58.60), Dalmore (5f, 1:02.80), Hard Aces (5f, 1:00.40), Patentar (5f, 1:00.80), War Story (5f, :58.60), Imperative (6f, 1:12.00) and Win the Space (6f, 1:12.20).
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 12, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
116 |
21 |
16 |
10 |
18% |
41% |
$1,264,390 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
111 |
16 |
19 |
15 |
14% |
45% |
$810,714 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
83 |
15 |
15 |
14 |
18% |
53% |
$953,736 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
79 |
13 |
14 |
11 |
16% |
48% |
$831,710 |
|
Tyler Baze |
109 |
11 |
17 |
21 |
10% |
45% |
$782,708 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
40 |
11 |
7 |
6 |
28% |
60% |
$830,503 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
55 |
9 |
8 |
5 |
16% |
40% |
$592,557 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
57 |
9 |
2 |
5 |
16% |
28% |
$329,560 |
|
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. |
49 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
16% |
47% |
$352,740 |
|
Joseph Talamo |
71 |
7 |
5 |
11 |
10% |
32% |
$499,114 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 12, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Philip D'Amato |
50 |
10 |
6 |
8 |
20% |
48% |
$716,631 |
|
Mark Glatt |
28 |
9 |
4 |
7 |
32% |
71% |
$292,910 |
|
Peter Miller |
51 |
8 |
8 |
7 |
16% |
45% |
$427,355 |
|
Richard Baltas |
36 |
8 |
6 |
6 |
22% |
56% |
$495,111 |
|
Bob Baffert |
35 |
8 |
6 |
4 |
23% |
51% |
$637,385 |
|
John W. Sadler |
34 |
8 |
5 |
6 |
24% |
56% |
$581,755 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
77 |
6 |
10 |
10 |
8% |
34% |
$422,240 |
|
Michael Machowsky |
15 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
40% |
47% |
$204,220 |
|
Jerry Hollendorfer |
33 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
12% |
36% |
$295,888 |
|
James M. Cassidy |
27 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
15% |
44% |
$235,262 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Friday, August 12, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 63 out of 184 -- 34.24%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 45 out of 119 -- 37.82%
Winning favorites on turf -- 18 out of 65 -- 27.69%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 15 out of 27 -- 55.56%
In-the-Money favorites -- 131 out of 184 -- 71.20%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 22 out of 27 -- 81.48%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793