Bolo © Del Mar Photo
BOLO CONTINUES HEARTWARMING COMEBACK STORY IN DEL MAR MILE
Trainer Carla Gaines was a bundle of emotions following the victory by Bolo, at odds of 33-1, in the Shoemaker Mile on May 27 at Santa Anita.
And why not?
A seven-year-old gelding, in his second start off a nearly two-year layoff, won a Grade I stakes that had, coincidentally, been the departure point for his long hiatus.
On Sunday at Del Mar, Bolo will take the next step on the remarkable comeback as part of an 11-horse field in the Grade II $200,000 Del Mar Mile. And while a win might not impact Gaines as much as the Shoemaker, there’s no question she’ll feel it strongly.
“He’s always been a very special horse,” Gaines said at her stable here. “He’s the horse that took me to the Kentucky Derby and understandably he was a longshot, but that was a strong year.”
Bolo was 32-1 and finished 12th as American Pharoah ignited his run to becoming the first Triple Crown champion in 37 years.
The Kentucky-bred son of Temple City won the Arcadia Handicap back-to-back in 2016 and 2017 but it looked like his career might be over after the Shoemaker in June of that year.
“He sustained a soft tissue injury that we knew would take a long time to heal,” Gaines related. “There was some interest in him as a stallion in other countries and as a jumper. There were some decent offers, but the partnership decided what the heck, let’s bring him back to run.
“The first thing we did was geld him because he was a very difficult horse to handle, a typical Dynaformer line that’s very, very hot (blooded). It was a very long healing process and there was no guarantee he’d make it. But I’ve said before that it was kind of a labor of love and that’s what it was.”
Returned to racing in a Santa Anita allowance in April, Bolo showed speed out of the gate and led for much of a 1 1/8-mile allowance and finished a game fifth, beaten only 1 ¼ lengths by Marckie’s Water. Then came the cutback to the Shoemaker Mile and a wire-to-wire 1 1/4 length victory under Florent Geroux, aboard for the first time.
“What an amazing horse and what an amazing training job by Carla Gaines,” Geroux, who’ll be back in the irons, said after the Shoemaker. The Shoemaker was a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita.
Is another gate-to-wire strategy in the offing for the Del Mar Mile?
“There’s some other speed in the race and I think I’ll leave it up to Flo,” Gaines said. “It’s going to be a jockey’s race for sure.”
The field from the rail: Prince Earl (Geovanni Franco, 12-1), El Picaro (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Majestic Eagle (Rafael Bejarano, 12-1), Bombard (Mike Smith, 6-1), Bowies Hero (Flavien Prat, 5-2), Double Touch (Abel Cedillo, 30-1), Grecian Fire (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), What a View (Martin Garcia, 6-1), Bolo (Florent Geroux, 5-1), Sharp Samurai (Joe Talamo, 6-1) and Ohio (John Velazquez, 15-1).
OMAHA BEACH, UNITED AFFECTED BY VIRUS IN MANDELLA BARN
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella was dealing with a virus in his stable that forced him to scratch United from Saturday’s $250,000 Grade II Del Mar Handicap presented by the Japan Racing Association, and reconsider plans for Omaha Beach in the Shared Belief or Pat O’Brien Stakes next weekend.
“They both have symptoms of the virus that is going around – mucus and congestion,” Mandella said via text. “A couple of my two-year-olds have it with a fever but Omaha and United do not have a fever yet.”
Del Mar Mile entrant Bombard is reportedly among horses being monitored for the virus.
Omaha Beach, the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, was scratched days before the race with a throat problem. United, a 4-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, was the 3-1 second choice for the Del Mar Handicap.
PLAYING THE ‘WHAT IF’ GAME FOR THE TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC
We read through the press kit for the 29th running of the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic and skimmed the record book (to save you time and bother – no thanks necessary) and came up with the following tidbits in post position order:
If War Story Wins – A 7-year-old, he would be the oldest winner ever, displacing 6-year-old Pleasantly Perfect and Game On Dude … Would be the 19th Kentucky-bred, 12th chestnut (most by color) and fifth gelding to win … Trainer Jorge Navarro would join Art Sherman and the late Don Warren as 1-for-1 in the TVG Pacific Classic.
If Quip Wins – He would become the ninth 4-year-old, 19th Kentucky-bred and ninth bay horse to be victorious … Florent Geroux would join Julie Krone and Richard Migliore as 1-for-1 in the race… Rodolphe Brisset would join Sherman and Warren as 1-for-1 and the partnership of WinStar Farm and China Horse Club would join five others as first-try winning owners.
If Pavel Wins – He would become the second gray/roan, 19th Kentucky bred and 13th 5-year-old to wind up in the winners circle …Doug O’Neill would become the fifth trainer to win more than one Classic … The win would be a first for owner J. Paul Reddam with his fifth starter.
If For the Top Wins – He would become the third Argentine-bred, ninth 4-year-old and 10th bay champion … Hall of Famer Bob Baffert would move into a tie with Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel for training wins with six … It would be the third win for jockey Martin Garcia from seven starts … RRR Racing would join five other owners in the 1-for-1 club.
If Seeking the Soul Wins – He would tie with Pleasantly Perfect and Game On Dude as the oldest winners, age 6 …Would become the 10th bay and and 19th Kentucky-bred to score … Connections of jockey John Velazquez, trainer Dallas Stewart and owner Charles E. Fipke all claim 1-for-1 status.
If Higher Power Wins – Back-to-back titles for owner/trainer combination of Hronis Racing and John Sadler put them in the company of Juddmonte Farms/Bobby Frankel who did it in 1994-95 and again in 2000-2001 … Hronis/Sadler would be first to win consecutively with different horses… First win with second mount for Drayden Van Dyke … Would be 10th bay, ninth 4-year-old and 19th Kentucky-bred.
If Tenfold Wins – He would be the eighth dark bay or brown, 19th Kentucky-bred and ninth 4-year-old … Hall of Famer Mike Smith takes his fifth and breaks a tie with Garrett Gomez for most wins by a jockey … Trainer Steve Asmussen adds a TVG Pacific Classic to his stakes-win list in his second try.
If Campaign Wins – Back-to-back victories for trainer John Sadler put him with Bob Baffert (2009-10), Bobby Frankel (2000-01) and Richard Mandella (1996-97) in the consecutives club … Sadler joins Mandella in winning two in a row with different horses … NOTE: Frankel won four in a row from 1992-95 … Would give Rafael Bejarano a win in his 10th try and take him off the spot as the active jockey with the most chances without a win … Woodford Racing joins the 1-for-1 owners club.
If Mongolian Groom Wins – He becomes the eighth dark bay or brown victor, 19th Kentucky-bred and ninth 4-year-old … Trainer Enebish Ganbat notches a second win in a race with a $1 million purse to go with Mongolian Saturday’s in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint…Ganbat and Mongolian Stables owner Ganbaater Dagvadoj become one-for-one club members.
If Draft Pick Wins – He becomes the second progeny of 2003 champion Candy Ride to duplicate the sire’s feat, joining Shared Belief in 2014 … He becomes the 19th Kentucky-bred, ninth 4-year-old and 10th bay champion … Trainer Peter Eurton is a first-try winner and owner CRK Stable tastes victory with its second starter.
MEDIA ‘EXPERTS’ QUICK WITH A QUIP OR TO BESEECH HIGHER POWER
In a break from the past, the selections portion of the TVG Pacific Classic Day notes was limited this year to media types. The better for horsemen to avoid the embarrassment of a bad choice and the ire of peers for not selecting “their” horse.
Whether veteran turf writer or neophyte, media in and around the horse racing game get used to making erroneous choices and, as a result, being subjected to smack talk from peers.
Quip, one of the four invaders from the east, and locally-based Higher Power got the most calls from the randomly-asked group. The bar has been set fairly high with eight of 13 correctly identifying Collected in 2017 and 10 of 18 successfully going with favored Accelerate last year. Here are the choices:
Brad Free, Daily Racing Form – Higher Power. “Springs an upset with meet-leading jockey and meet’s stakes-leading trainer.”
Jay Posner, Union-Tribune – Quip. “Don’t have a pithy comment, a quip (or even much of a reason), but I’ll take him.”
Jeff Furmanski, press box steward – War Story. “I have to go with my gut.”
Jay Privman, Daily Racing Form – Mongolian Groom. “It’s only a matter of how far.”
John Cherwa, L.A. Times - Quip. “He had plenty left at the end of his last race and the distance is right up his alley.”
Jon Lindo, Union-Tribune – Quip. “Good tactical speed.”
Frank Scatoni, DMTC – Tenfold. ‘Has a win at the distance and gets Mike Smith.”
Steve Andersen, Daily Racing Form – Quip. “He will handle the distance.”
Dan Smith, DMTC – Campaign. “Barn won last year and Rafael Bejarano is due.”
Tod Leonard, Union-Tribune – Higher Power. “Hard to go wrong with Sadler, Hronis and Prat.”
Margaret Ransom, Lady And The Track– Higher Power. “And Campaign completes the Sadler exacta.”
Bob Ike, Horsebills.com – Higher Power. “Sadler and Prat can do no wrong at this meet.”
Jeff Nahill, Union-Tribune- Tenfold. “Big Money Mike jumps on this closer.”
Bryce Miller, Union-Tribune – Seeking the Soul. “Pegasus runner-up, $16.4 million in earnings, Hall of Fame rider. Speaks volumns.”
Kevin Modesti, L.A. Daily News – For the Top. “Shows speed and stamina. A good day to put it together.”
Art Wilson, Southern California News Group – War Story. “Has run twice here against superior competition. He fits with these.”
Jennie Rees, JR Communications LLC – Seeking the Soul. “Sticking with the class. And Kentucky shippers are having a huge summer.”
CATALINA CRUISER WORKS SIX FURLONGS; PAT O’BRIEN IS NEXT
Catalina Cruiser worked six furlongs under assistant trainer Juan Leyva in 1:12.60 Saturday morning to the delight of trainer John Sadler.
“It was a really good work,” Sadler said of an exercise that was the best of four at the distance by more than half a second. “You go 1:12 over this track, you’ve got a fast horse. He’ll go next in the Pat O’Brien.”
Sadler had been contemplating a race at Saratoga as well as the Pat O’Brien for Catalina Cruiser. In opting for the $200,000 Grade II Pat O’Brien, Sadler sets a course for Catalina Cruiser to repeat his 2018 feat of winning both the San Diego Handicap and the Pat O’Brien in the summer meeting.
The Pat O’Brien is Saturday, August 24.
CLOSERS – Selected works from 159 officially timed Saturday morning: Eagle Song (4f, :47.60), Ollie’s Candy (4f, :48.60), Giant Expectations (5f, :58.20), Horse Greedy (5f, 1:01.20), Catalina Cruiser (6f, 1:12.60).
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 16, 2019 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
88 |
25 |
8 |
16 |
28% |
56% |
$1,441,226 |
|
Drayden Van Dyke |
87 |
19 |
17 |
10 |
22% |
53% |
$1,231,946 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
97 |
18 |
15 |
8 |
19% |
42% |
$974,589 |
|
Abel Cedillo |
84 |
15 |
11 |
14 |
18% |
48% |
$519,709 |
|
Joseph Talamo |
71 |
14 |
9 |
12 |
20% |
49% |
$681,754 |
|
Ruben Fuentes |
96 |
13 |
12 |
9 |
14% |
35% |
$564,068 |
|
Jorge Velez |
68 |
8 |
15 |
6 |
12% |
43% |
$338,374 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
53 |
6 |
11 |
7 |
11% |
45% |
$570,928 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
58 |
6 |
8 |
14 |
10% |
48% |
$526,011 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
42 |
6 |
4 |
5 |
14% |
36% |
$475,607 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Friday, August 16, 2019 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
72 |
16 |
12 |
10 |
22% |
53% |
$849,835 |
|
Peter Miller |
46 |
13 |
7 |
8 |
28% |
61% |
$653,889 |
|
Richard Baltas |
59 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
17% |
46% |
$658,786 |
|
Mark Glatt |
43 |
9 |
4 |
11 |
21% |
56% |
$500,901 |
|
Robert B. Hess, Jr. |
25 |
9 |
4 |
0 |
36% |
52% |
$254,291 |
|
Philip D'Amato |
54 |
8 |
9 |
6 |
15% |
43% |
$687,952 |
|
John W. Sadler |
48 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
15% |
38% |
$834,619 |
|
Bob Baffert |
26 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
23% |
58% |
$389,833 |
|
Jeff Mullins |
19 |
5 |
7 |
2 |
26% |
74% |
$293,062 |
|
Brian J. Koriner |
26 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
19% |
58% |
$255,428 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Friday, August 16, 2019 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 70 out of 183 -- 38.25%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 44 out of 108 -- 40.74%
Winning favorites on turf -- 26 out of 75 -- 34.67%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 19 out of 37 -- 51.35%
In-the-Money favorites -- 132 out of 183 -- 72.13%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 33 out of 37 -- 89.19%