BIG FIELDS, LOTS OF STAR POWER MARK FIRST HALF OF SUMMER MEET

Time flies when you’re having fun. 

We have reached the halfway point of the 2024 summer meet at Del Mar and one can only hope the second half is as well as the first.

There was Opening Day, on a Saturday this year, with two fully loaded stakes races. The following week was packed with full fields and 11-race cards, highlighted by The Chosen Vron winning the G1 Bing Crosby for the second year in a row and the G2 San Diego (Dr. Venkman), a thrilling prep for the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic.

Week three featured the G1 Clement Hirsch complete with a fitting tribute to the man the race is named after followed by a dominating performance by last year’s winner, Adare Manor. The 2-year-olds took center stage in week four, trainer Bob Baffert winning the G3 Sorrento with his star filly Nooni and the G3 Best Pal with one of his top colts Getaway Car.

“I think it’s going as we expected,” racing secretary David Jerkens says of the summer meet so far. “I think the highlight for me was the Clement Hirsch. You look around the country, fillies and mares on the dirt is a challenge. But we attracted shippers to the race.

“The race today (the Del Mar Oaks) you’re seeing two shippers,” Jerkens continues. “It looks like we’re getting additional support for our stakes and the one or two horses you don’t expect make a difference.”

Some barns have shipped into Del Mar with their Breeders’ Cup hopefuls, looking to get a race under their belts on the track where the championships will be run this November.

“I think that’s part of it,” remarks Jerkens. “Also, especially for the grass races, people can rely on the conditions being fast and firm. Back east they’ve had issues with weather. The fact our turf races have generally been pretty wide open for the most part, I think that’s helped. There are also some monsters running back east that people are trying to avoid so sometimes that helps us. But obviously, we’re getting a little bit of a bump because of the Breeders’ Cup not only this year but next year.”

Del Mar had a strong start to the meet with big fields and competitive racing.

“We knew the past couple of years the bar had been set high,” Jerkens says. “At the beginning of the meet we did see that influx of over-subscribed races. Part of that is the typical month break from turf racing (in Southern California) so people are pointing to our turf races. We split a lot of the turf races, we carried extras back and we ran 11-race cards.”

One thing that stands out is the Cal-bred numbers have gone up in all levels. 

“That’s been a big help,” Jerkens comments. “Even just general claiming races have filled consistently. We’ve definitely had some star power. The 2-year-olds we’ve seen run in the Sorrento and the Best Pal were very impressive. So it’s been typical Del Mar in terms of star quality.”

Looking down the line, the Pat O’Brien next Saturday is developing into a ‘must see’ race with The Chosen Vron coming back and the return of multiple-stakes winner Senor Buscador. Then there’s the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic weekend featuring five stakes on Saturday, two on Sunday and two more on Labor Day. 

“At this early stage it’s developing well,” Jerkens says of the Labor Day weekend. “I don’t like to get too high or too low before nominations come out but because of the Breeders’ Cup, people from elsewhere are commenting on the Green Flash. The Del Mar Handicap is a ‘Win & You’re In’ as well. So it’s coming together.”

As for Jerkens’ hopes for the home stretch run?

“I hope we can continue with the amount of races we have planned on,” Jerkens says. “We’re adding another day this year, the Thursday of closing week. I think we’re going to see that bump.”

INVADERS BUCHU, WHISKEY DECISION SPICE UP G1 DEL MAR OAKS

Out-of-town horses always add a little extra to a graded stakes race. The local horses make up the meat of the race and the invaders are the spice. They are the ‘X’ factors, unproven at the track but packing good form. They add a bit of mystery to a race. 

The G1 Del Mar Oaks presented by Keeneland Sales has two such invaders. Both are from Kentucky and both come with credentials that match up with the rest of the talented field going to the gate this afternoon.

Whiskey Decision comes in riding a three-race win streak. She broke her maiden by 6 ½ lengths at Turfway Park in March, followed by a 5 ½ length victory in an entry level allowance race at Churchill Downs in May.

“We always felt very highly of the filly,” trainer Arnaud Delacour says. “We do things step-by-step and we took her to Delaware Park to test her at the distance and if she did well, the Del Mar Oaks was always in our plans.”

She passed with flying colors at Delaware Park, beating a field of nine other fillies in the $150,000 Christiana Stakes at 1 1/8 mile, same distance as today’s race. 

“She shipped last Saturday,” Delacour notes. “Pretty uneventful. She paddock schooled two times and she’s training well so we’re happy. Of course it’s not an easy race but it looks to me to be pretty wide open and I’m happy with the post.”

Whiskey Decision will break from post #3 in the eight-horse race. 

“I hope there’s enough pace so we can stalk and take it from there,” Delacour says. “We’ll leave it up to Umberto. He knows the track very well. He’s already watched all the replays and understands the filly.”

Whiskey Decision is a daughter of super sire Into Mischief.

“She had a few setbacks as a 2-year-old and didn’t make the sales,” Delacour explains concerning the homebred. “So they decided to regroup and sent us the filly. We took our time with her. They (the owners Fred Hertich or John Fields) were pretty keen about going to Turfway Park this winter. She’s a Kentucky-bred and the purses are decent. First race sprinting wasn’t really her game so we stretched her out and she’s done great ever since.”

Buchu is the other invader in the Del Mar Oaks. She hails from the Philip Bauer barn and has been a highly regarded filly from the start. She broke her maiden last September then won the G2 Jessamine at Keeneland in the fall. That landed her in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf where she ran sixth.

After giving her the winter off, Bauer brought her back at Keeneland’s spring meet and she rewarded him with a win in the G2 Appalachian.

“After we won the Grade 2 back in April we thought, ‘Let’s swing at some Grade I’s after the Churchill meet’,” Bauer says. “We raced at Aqueduct, now this one and the QE II (at Keeneland in October). They’re good spacing.”

Bauer is hoping the style of turf racing on the west coast will suit his filly’s style.

“Sometimes she can be a victim of pace,” Bauer notes. “California racing can sometimes give you that so hopefully she’ll be able to chase a good pace and come with her kick.”

Last time out, Buchu lost to Cinderella’s Dream in the G1 Belmont Oaks.

“I thought it was a paceless race,” Bauer says. “I thought the winner was much the best and she came back to prove it but for everyone else it was just a merry go round race. When they go almost fourteen to the three-quarters they’re finishing up about as well as you are. Four lengths behind of, who I think is the best horse in the division, isn’t anything to be ashamed of. 

Cinderella’s Dream came back and won the G1 Saratoga Oaks last weekend. 

The rider who gets the call on Buchu will be familiar to Southern California race fans. Martin Garcia returns to Del Mar today. 

“It’s overall just familiarity,” Bauer claims. “He’s familiar with the course. He’s familiar with the horse and they get along very well. Her two best races were with him aboard. He’s learned a lot about her this year. She was a little too close to the pace in the Oaks Day race (G2 Edgewood) then came back and ran credible in the Regret (second). I think we’ve learned what we need to do and hopefully be successful this time.”

The G1 Del Mar Oaks is the eighth race on the 10-race Saturday card. Probable post is 5:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Iscreamuscream (Hector Berrios, 8/5); Circle of Trust (Reylu Gutierrez, 6-1); Whiskey Decision (5/2); Zona Verde (Juan Hernandez, 8-1); Buchu (12-1); Medoro (Antonio Fresu, 5-1); Sakura Blossom (Armando Ayuso, 20-1) and Sea Dancer (Diego Herrera, 20-1). 

A FULL FIELD SET TO GO IN $150,000 SOLANA BEACH STAKES SUNDAY

Cal-breds are back in the spotlight in Sunday’s feature race, the $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes. A full field of 11 fillies and mares are expected to line up for the one-mile turf event.

Reddam Racing’s Stay and Scam is the morning line favorite. She’s run in three Cal-bred stakes races this year and won two of them. Trainer Doug O’Neill pitted her against open company last out and she ran a respectable third in the $100,000 Daisycutter at Del Mar.

“She ran good,” remarks O’Neill. “At the end of the day, five on the turf is a tad too short for her. I wish I had a barn full of Stay and Scams. She shows up every morning, loves to exercise, loves to compete and she’s just a blessing to train.”

The daughter of Square Eddie worked 4-furlongs in :48.40 last Sunday, third best time out of 131 horses working that distance.

“She’s doing really well,” O’Neill says. “She came out of her prep race sprint in good shape and we’re really happy. Mario (Gutierrez) knows her well, she knows Mario well and I think stretching back out this weekend is going to do her well. 6 ½ furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth is right in her wheelhouse.”

Safa is coming out of the $150,000 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar last month. She ran into a couple of monsters that day in the one-two finishers Pushiness and Grand Slam Smile.

“She got eliminated at the start on a speed-biased track,” says trainer Gary Stute. “For her to come running at the end and finish third, was actually closing in on second, I thought she ran a real good race against two really nice fillies.”

Prior to the Fleet Treat, Safa had run in two other Cal-bred stakes, the Melair and the Evening Jewel, and finished second in both of them.

“She’s coming into the race real good,” Stute notes. “The outside post isn’t the best but if you look at her PP’s, in half of them something happens to her coming out of the gate. Maybe being on the outside she can drop over and get a good path and have a clear run into the first turn.”

Safa is the model of consistency. She’s run 13 times and finished in the money in 12 of those races. But she’s only won twice.

“A lot of it’s just been bad luck,” Stute says. “Checked in the first turn, bumped at the start. Just little things that weren’t her fault.”

Moment’s Pleasure ran second to Stay and Scam in the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine at Santa Anita over the Memorial Day weekend. She subsequently came back and won an entry level allowance at Del Mar last month and appears to relish the one mile on the grass.

“Any distance is good for her,” trainer Craig Lewis says. “She’s very temperamental, that’s the only issue. She just likes things to go her way and gets upset easily. But other than that she’s a beautiful filly loaded with ability. If we get it out of her, that will be great.”

Trainer Steve Miyadi is bringing two of his charges to the Solana Beach. Tom’s Regret is back from Northern California where she won the Pleasanton Oaks and finished second in the Governor’s Cup at Sacramento. Rose Maddox, winner of the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint in January, is his other entry. 

The 31st running of the Solana Beach is the ninth and final race of the day Sunday. Probable post is 6 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Tom’s Regret (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1); Stay and Scam (2-1); Abhita (Diego Herrera, 20-1); Rose Maddox (Antonio Fresu, 5-1); Moment’s Pleasure (Hector Berrios, 10-1); Court Snort (Armando Ayuso, 6-1); Uncontrollable (Juan Hernandez, 12-1); Worthy of Magic (Adrian Escobedo, 15-1); Sneaker (Kyle Frey, 15-1); Safa (Tiago Pereira, 8-1); Cornelia Fort (Tyler Baze, 20-1); and also eligible Ultimate Hy (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1).

COOLING OUT:  The Chosen Vron put in another work in preparation for next Saturday’s G2 Pat O’Brien. He breezed four furlongs in :48.20 Saturday morning. “It was just beautiful,” trainer J. Eric Kruljac said afterward. “He just cruised. Coming off the viewing stand on the backside, Mark Glatt’s young son said ‘That horse trains himself, doesn’t he?” Kruljac says the work was exactly what he wanted to get into his star and full speed ahead to next week’s race…Sunset Glory came out of her victory in Friday’s CTT and TOC Stakes in good shape according to trainer Michael McCarthy. No word yet on where the Irish-bred will turn up next…Jockey Adrian Escobedo scored his first win at Del Mar Friday when he guided Western Grit to victory in Race 4 for trainer Ryan Hanson. This is Escobedo’s second summer riding at Del Mar...Notable works on Saturday: Dirt – Pushiness (4f, :49.20); Arabian Knight (5f, 1:00.20); First Peace (5f, :59.80); Grand Slam Smile (1:10.00); Reincarnate (5f, :59.60); Speed Boat Beach (1:02.40); Dr. Venkman (6f, 1:12.40); Katonah (6f, 1:12.60); Midnight Mammoth (6f, 1:13.20) and Mixto (6f, 1:14.00).