Thousand Words © Benoit Photo

THOUSAND WORDS A BIG SURPRISE TO MOST; TO BAFFERT, NOT SO MUCH

Approaching the track to greet his returning Shared Belief Stakes winner, Thousand Words, Bob Baffert couldn’t help but smile and say, “We don’t need Uncle Chuck.”

Then, with his next breath: “That was weird. That was a weird run race.”

Statements that fairly well summed up the Shared Belief, a Kentucky Derby prep race for the first, and let us pray last, time ever. The COVID-19-necessitated move of the Run for the Roses to September 5 put the Shared Belief in line as a prelim for West Coast-based Derby hopes and made it a spot for Baffert to choose from his array of 3-year-old standouts and John Shirreffs to run Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P.

Baffert entered three – undefeated (2-for-2) Uncle Chuck and Cezanne plus Thousand Words, whose Derby stock had dipped with three straight defeats. He worked Uncle Chuck on Saturday morning in preparation for the $1 million Travers Stakes next Saturday at Saratoga and scratched him from the Shared Belief.

The race then unfolded strangely with 1-5 favorite Honor A.P. getting bumped at the start, moving up to press the pace set by Thousand Words on the backstretch before dropping a length behind, going three paths wide turning into the stretch and surging too late to catch the wire-to-wire leader and losing by a half length.

“You wouldn’t think a Baffert horse is gonna pay $20 (actually $20.40) in a four-horse field,” Baffert said with a wry grin. His assessment: something about Del Mar had brought out the best in Thousand Words.

“I thought he had a chance to win today,” Baffert said. “I could tell he was a different horse down here. His whole mind changed. His color changed. He had soured out on me, but we got him going the right way. I think he earned his way to the Derby.”

The 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points from the Shared Belief increased Thousand Words’ total to 83 and vaulted him to No. 7 on the list. The opportunity is there should the owners – Albaugh Family Stables of Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loustch, and B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthirft Farm – choose. It appears to be a logical path toward recouping more of the $1 million spent on the colt at the Keeneland September sale in 2018.

Thousand Words was accorded a Beyer Speed Figure of 104, which was 13 points higher than the son of Pioneerof the Nile’s previous best in the Los Alamitos Futurity last December. Honor A.P. received a Beyer of 102, identical to his number in the Santa Anita Derby victory.

Honor A.P.’s 140 Derby points is third behind Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law (272) and Baffert’s recent Haskell Invitational champ Authentic (200).

“If you liked Honor A.P. as your Derby horse before, it (Shared Belief) didn’t change anything,” Daily Racing Form correspondent Brad Free said Sunday morning.

Mike Smith, aboard for all five of Honor A.P.’s starts, was quick to point out one change in the routine leading up to the race. Due to Covid protocols, jockeys are prohibited from access to the stable area in the mornings and cannot ride workouts. Trainer John Shirreffs tried unsuccessfully to get an exemption so Smith could be aboard for the colt’s final work a week before the race.

“I haven’t been able to get on him in the mornings and I think that’s made a difference,” Smith said. “He’s just been going along there not doing much in the mornings.  I need to be on him.  But that’s the way it is now; just the way it is.”

Shirreffs’ comment, provided by text: “Horses know the difference between an exercise rider and a jockey so they respond differently in their work. Jockeys also have the acute awareness of the horses’ effort. Trainers prepare horses by increasing workloads. The riders have to communicate to the horses in subtle situations of asking for a little more or saying that’s enough for today.

“Why take the best we have and not allow them to help horses?”

Thousand Words and Honor A.P. both came out of the race well, their trainers said. Cezanne was “a little tired” after losing stamina in the 1 1/16^th-mile race.

‘CANDY’ SONS PROVIDE SWEET INITIAL TASTE OF GRADE I  FOR GLATT

Collusion Illusion and Law Abidin Citizen, the first-and third-place finishers in Saturday’s Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes, are both sons of Twirling Candy that trainer Mark Glatt picked out for clients at sales.

It’s not a coincidence.

“I was stabled next to John Sadler when Twirling Candy was running and just thought he was an amazing looking animal and certainly a very good racehorse,” Glatt said. “I thought that when he goes to stud maybe I’ll have an opportunity to pick up one or two of (Twirling Candy’s progeny).”

He picked both Law Abidin Citizen and Collusion Illusion for a group based in his native state of Washington - Dan Agnew, Jerry Schneider, John Xitco and Dr. Rodney Orr.

Six-year-old Law Abidin Citizen didn’t wilt after being close to a fast early pace and held on to secure a third-place award of $30,000 and go over the $500,000 mark in career earnings. Three-year-old Collusion Illusion, given a heady ride by leading jockey Flavien Prat, rallied along the rail in the final furlong to edge Lexitonian on the wire.

It was Collusion Illusion’s fifth win in six lifetime starts. The $150,000 winner’s share of the purse increased his career earnings to $398,751.

But, more importantly, as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, it secured entry fees and travel expenses for the shortest and fastest of the events at the championships at Keeneland in November.

It also was the first Grade I stakes victory for Glatt, 47, who obtained his training license after graduation from Western Washington in 1994 and made a gradual southward move that brought him to Southern California in 2000.

“We’re going to enjoy the win,” Glatt said.  “November is a long time away in this game, but I’m sure we’ll figure out a way to get him there one way or another.”

NO MASKING BERNARD’S JOY OF FIRST DEL MAR AND STAKES WIN

Trainer Lisa Bernard’s enthusiasm for the victory by Governor Goteven in Saturday’s $100,000 CTBA Stakes was so great that she reached the top of the tunnel between the saddling paddock and the track and headed down the incline bare faced.

A security guard pointed out the error of her ways. She secured a face covering from a bystander and made it to the track in time to greet the 2-year-old filly and jockey Tiago Pereira.

“I got so excited, I forgot,” said Bernard, the borrowed mask covering her smile, but not her smiling eyes. “I’m not used to these kinds of things. Hopefully I can return it (the mask) to the person who gave it to me if I can find him.”

It was the first victory at Del Mar, and the first stakes victory anywhere for Bernard, who trains out of San Luis Rey Downs and took over the stock of Walther Solis when the former Golden Eagle Farms manager retired last fall.

“Pretty wonderful, I feel fantastic,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it was happening. I'm just very grateful for her and the owners and my mentor.”

It was the third win from 25 starters in 2020 for Bernard, 37, a native of New Hampshire who has been in California for 3 ½ years.

Governor Goteven is now 2-for-2 and a strong possibility to run here again in the Generous Portion on August 30.

EIGHT TO GO IN NEXT SATURDAY’S YELLOW RIBBON

Tommy Town Thoroughbred’s Keeper Ofthe Stars, winner of the Grade I Gamely on May 25, tops a field of eight entered Sunday for next Saturday’s Grade II, $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap.

Also entered and set to ship in for the 1 1/16-mile turf event is defending race champion Beau Recall, who has been training at Churchill Downs for Brad Cox.

Keeper Ofthe Stars, a 4-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute trained by Jonathan Wong, has seven wins in 16 career starts and earnings of $503,931. Beau Recall is no stranger to shuttling from the Midwest to the West Coast or vice versa. The 6-year-old daughter of Sir Prancelot owned by Slam Dunk or Medallion racing, has raced four times at Del Mar with the 2019 Yellow Ribbon her one win.

The field from the rail: Summering (Drayden Van Dyke); Bodhicitta (Flavien Prat); Tonahutu (Victor Espinoza); Lady Prancelot (Juan Hernandez); Harmless (Ricardo Gonzalez); Keeper Ofthe Stars (Abel Cedillo); Beau Recall (Umberto Rispoli), and Jolie Olimpica (Mike Smith).

O’NEILL, MILLER ENTER TWO EACH IN SATURDAY’S BEST PAL

Peter Miller and Doug O’Neill, two of Del Mar’s highest-volume trainers, accounted for more than half the entries as seven were named for next Saturday’s Grade II, $150,000 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds.

Miller, the current meet leader with nine victories from 35 starters – a four-win margin over Bob Baffert and Richard Baltas – will be represented by Girther and Herd Immunity. Both seek second career wins. Girther makes his stakes debut, while Herd Immunity comes in off a third in the Grade III Bashford Manner in June at Churchill Downs.

O’Neill’s duo are Ambivalent and Sonic Brees. Ambivalent was runner-up to Best Pal rival Weston in the debut for both on June 21 at Santa Anita. Sonic Brees comes in off a July 4 victory at Los Alamitos.

The field from the rail: Sonic Brees (Umberto Rispoli); Ambivalent (Mario Gutierrez); Schnell (Ruben Fuentes); Roderick (Flavien Prat); Herd Immunity (Abel Cedillo); Weston (Drayden Van Dyke), and Girther (Ricardo Gonzalez).

CLOSERS – Selected works from 192 on the dirt and 31 on turf officially timed this morning: Dirt – Bellafina (4f, :47.60); Devil Made Me Do It (5f, 1:00.60);  Storm Court (5f, :59.80); Gamine (6f, 1:12.80). Clocker Toby Turrell had Gamine, Bob Baffert’s potential superstar 3-year-old filly, with interim splits of :22.80, :34.80 and 1:00.20.     

Del Mar Statistics

Presented by Torrey Hollistics

Jockey Standings

(Current Through August 1, 2020 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through August 1, 2020 Inclusive) 

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through August 1, 2020 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 32 out of 95 -- 33.68%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 19 out of 52 -- 36.54%
Winning favorites on turf -- 13 out of 43 -- 30.23%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 4 out of 8 -- 50.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 64 out of 95 -- 67.37%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 8 out of 8 -- 100.00%