Phil Hall & Summerland © Benoit Photo
DAY 12
LONG FREEWAY JOURNEY LEADS TO SORRENTO FOR SUMMERLAND
Trainer Phil Hall loaded his undefeated two-year-old filly Summerland onto a van at Hastings Park, Vancouver, Canada, early in the morning a week ago Thursday and drove to a farm near Sacramento, arriving that night.
To avoid the heat, he repeated the procedure the following evening and drove through the night, arriving here at Del Mar the following morning.
Shades of trainer Chip Wooley hauling Mine That Bird from New Mexico to Churchill Downs to pull off a 50-1 upset victory in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Except that, unlike Wooley, Hall isn’t on crutches with a broken leg and he writes the journey off as rather routine.
“Driving time? Like 26 hours,” Hall said. “Went kind of near the Redding fire, there for a bit, but other than that...”
It will all be worth it if Summerland, a Kentucky-bred daughter of He’s Tops, performs well in Sunday’s Grade II $200,000 Sorrento Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies that is a stepping stone to the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on Saturday, September 1.
Summerland is 2-for-2 while taking on males in both starts at Hastings Park in a career begun in April and continued in May. The maiden win was by 9 ¼ lengths at 3 ½ furlongs in track record time. Stepped up to a stakes in the $50,000 Spaghetti Mouse (named for a local favorite runner), the winning margin was 7 ½ lengths over six furlongs in 1:10.82.
“There was an allowance race up there for her Monday, but I didn’t know if it was going to go. I didn’t know if there would be enough entered against her,” Hall said. “I had two fillies for that race, so I figured this (the Sorrento) would be a good test for her.”
It will be the first starter in California for Hall, even though his family holds a special place in California racing history. Phil’s father, Robert W. Hall, was co-owner and an early trainer of George Royal, a horse enshrined in the Canadian Hall of Fame and remembered in Southern California for carrying legendary jockey John Longden to victory in the 1966 San Juan Capistrano Handicap at Santa Anita. The win was in the race promoted as “Longden’s Last Ride,” and it provided the man known as “The Pumper,” with a career-ending victory No. 6,032.
Four years later, on Labor Day 1970, Bill Shoemaker guided Dares J to victory No. 6,033 here at Del Mar, surpassing Longden for the all-time wins record.
The George Royal events occurred before Phil Hall was born. But he’s heard all the stories. “My dad tells the stories pretty good,” Hall said. “For Longden’s Last Ride there were around 80,000 people at Santa Anita and he won by a nose. Pretty exciting.”
Summerland is part of a field of 10 entered Thursday morning for the Sorrento, which goes as the eighth on a 10-race card.
The field from the rail: Madison’s Quarters (Mike Smith), Dragic (Rafael Bejarano), Bellafina (Flavien Prat), Lady Lucy (Martin Garcia), Dichotomy (Mario Gutierrez), Summerland (Tyler Baze), Stirred (Drayden Van Dyke), Reflect (Kent Desormeaux), Boujie Girl (Geovanni Franco) and Del Mar May (Corey Nakatani).
CAMBODIA FAVORED OF 12 IN SATURDAY’S YELLOW RIBBON HANDICAP
Tom Proctor-trained Cambodia will break from the No. 11 post in a field of 12 and was established as the 7-2 morning line favorite for her title defense in Saturday’s 65th running of the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon.
Cambodia, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of War Front, won both the Yellow Ribbon and John C. Mabee Stakes during the 2017 summer meeting as part of a nine-race campaign for the year that earned $572,500 for owner Don Robinson’s Winter Quarter Farm. A third-place finish in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and fourth in the Grade I Matriarch – both in November over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course – made strong contributions to the yearly earnings total.
Cambodia has failed to hit the board in two 2018 starts in Grade I events at Keeneland and Belmont Park but has worked well three times on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course since arriving following a seventh-place finish in the Just A Game on Belmont Stakes Day, June 9.
Among the rivals to Cambodia is Jim Cassidy-trained Sophi P. A winner by a very short nose of the Grade I Gamely at Santa Anita on May 26 in her second start since being purchased at the Tattersalls Sale in England and imported, Sophie P regressed to sixth of nine in the Grade III Wilshire on June 24.
“She came up to the (Gamely) really good,” Cassidy said. “But there was a big gap between that race and coming here for the Yellow Ribbon. So we thought we’d try her in the Wilshire, but the mile was a little too short of a race for her.
“We’re hoping that being back at a little more distance, she’ll do better this time. She’s training fine.”
The field from the rail: Beau Recall (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Sassy Little Lila (Tyler Baze, 15-1), Midnight Crossing (Tiago Pereira, 20-1), Hallie Belle (Joe Bravo, 10-1), Tisbutadream (Tyler Conner, 20-1), Storm the Hill (Rafael Bejarano, 9-2), Madame Stripes (Geovanni Franco, 8-1), Sophie P (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1), Ancient Secret (Mike Smith, 8-1), Fahan Mura (Edwin Maldonado, 5-1), Cambodia (Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2), and Pantsonfire (Alonso Quinonez, 20-1).
OUR SILVER OAK FAVORED IN CONTENTIOUS GRADUATION SATURDAY
Our Silver Oak, a sparkling winner debuting for trainer William Morey at Los Alamitos on the Fourth of July, drew the No. 5 post in a field of seven and was tabbed the 2-1 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Saturday’s 67th running of the Graduation Stakes for California-bred two-year-olds.
The 5 ½-furlong sprint will go as the fourth on a 10-race card.
The field from the rail: Oliver (Martin Garcia, 7-2), Luck’s Royal Flush (Gary Stevens, 5-2), Grab the Munny (Tyler Baze, 8-1), Tap the Wire (Drayden Van Dyke, 4-1), Our Silver Oak (Stewart Elliott, 2-1), Carnivorous (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1) and Bea’s Boy (Heriberto Figueroa, 20-1).
RESTRAINEDVENGENCE MOVES FROM OCEANSIDE TO LA JOLLA
Val Brinkerhoff-trained Restrainedvengence, winner of the Oceanside Stakes on the opening day of the meeting, is targeted for the second leg of the turf series for three-year-olds, Sunday’s Grade III $150,000 La Jolla Handicap.
A field of six was entered Thursday for the 1 1/16-mile test over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The field from the rail: Move Over (Tyler Baze), River Boyne (Flavien Prat), Arawak (Rafael Bejarano), Restrainedvengence (Evin Roman), Calexman (Edwin Maldonado) and Inscom (Martin Garcia).
The La Jolla, 110-yards farther than the one-mile Oceanside, will go as the third race of 10 on the program.
SHUTTY, DINERMAN GUEST FOR WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS
Mike Shutty of the website Horse Racing Nation and rising young announcer Matt Dinerman will be the guests offering insights and selections at the upcoming weekend handicapping seminars.
Shutty, author of “The Kentucky Derby Super Screener” among other racing enterprises, will be in the spotlight on Saturday. Dinerman, a former Palomar College baseball pitcher who broke in as a race caller at Emerald Downs in Washington and is now the voice of Golden Gate Fields, will be Frank Scatoni’s guest on Sunday.
The seminars go from 12:45-1:30 pm at the Seaside Terrace near the head of the stretch.
CLOSERS – Selected works from 144 officially timed Thursday, 123 on dirt and 21 on turf: Dirt – Miss Sunset (3f, :38.80), Rubilinda (3f, :36.60), Dearborn (4f, :47.00), Just a Smidge (4f, :47.60), Music to My Ears (4f, :47.00), Vasilika (4f, :49.80); Turf – Surrender Now (3f, :37.80), Animosity (4f, :48.00), Barleysugar (4f, :49.00), Evo Campo (4f, :51.40), Insta Erma (4f, :47.40), Itsinthepost (4f, :50.00) and Flamboyant (5f, 1:01.00) …Curiously, through the first through the first 11 days of the meeting, favorites are winning at a very high rate on the main track (31 of 61, 50.82%) and an uncommonly low rate on the turf course (7 of 35, 20%). Go figure.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Wednesday, August 1, 2018 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
47 |
12 |
7 |
4 |
26% |
49% |
$762,980 |
|
Drayden Van Dyke |
41 |
10 |
3 |
5 |
24% |
44% |
$683,385 |
|
Tyler Baze |
54 |
7 |
8 |
5 |
13% |
37% |
$544,804 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
33 |
7 |
7 |
4 |
21% |
55% |
$378,085 |
|
Geovanni Franco |
47 |
7 |
3 |
8 |
15% |
38% |
$256,812 |
|
Heriberto Figueroa |
31 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
16% |
32% |
$131,545 |
|
Asa Espinoza |
31 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
16% |
35% |
$182,750 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
48 |
4 |
7 |
7 |
8% |
38% |
$309,958 |
|
Evin Roman |
39 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
10% |
28% |
$234,350 |
|
Mike Smith |
13 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
31% |
46% |
$349,280 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Wednesday, August 1, 2018 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Peter Miller |
39 |
11 |
3 |
2 |
28% |
41% |
$546,700 |
|
Jerry Hollendorfer |
37 |
10 |
8 |
1 |
27% |
51% |
$555,224 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
45 |
7 |
9 |
5 |
16% |
47% |
$371,050 |
|
Philip D'Amato |
39 |
6 |
4 |
4 |
15% |
36% |
$509,543 |
|
John W. Sadler |
23 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
22% |
30% |
$447,279 |
|
William E. Morey |
14 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
29% |
50% |
$163,665 |
|
Richard Baltas |
33 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
9% |
36% |
$238,220 |
|
Bob Baffert |
14 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
21% |
57% |
$219,470 |
|
Brian J. Koriner |
16 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
19% |
31% |
$192,915 |
|
Val Brinkerhoff |
9 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
33% |
33% |
$108,015 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Wednesday, August 1, 2018 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 38 out of 96 -- 39.58%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 31 out of 61 -- 50.82%
Winning favorites on turf -- 7 out of 35 -- 20.00%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 12 out of 16 -- 75.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 64 out of 96 -- 66.67%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 16 out of 16 -- 100.00%
A previous version of this story missidentified the horse as Three Graces