Ransom the Moon © Benoit Photo

DAY 28

PAT O’BRIEN FIELD IN FLUX WITH STAR SCRATCHES CONTEMPLATED

Reigning Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion Roy H and Ransom the Moon, winner of the 2017 and 2018 Bing Crosby Stakes, are potential scratches from Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes, their trainers said Friday morning.

If so – and notifications aren’t required until close to post time – the seven-furlong event will lose considerable star power from what gave it “race of the meeting” potential when entries were taken and post positions drawn on Wednesday.

Catalina Cruiser, the unbeaten (3-for-3) impressive winner of the San Diego Handicap, and defending Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile champion Battle of Midway, are still set to run. They will be heavily favored to reap the benefits of a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile even though four other horses of lesser accomplishment are also entered.

Trainers Peter Miller and Phil D’Amato, who respectively map the campaigns of Roy H and Ransom the Moon, cited long-term goals for Breeders’ Cup races in November at Churchill Downs as the reasons for pulling out of the O’Brien.

“Ransom the Moon is not going to run,” D’Amato said. “We’re going to look at either the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (Saturday, October 6) or the DeFrancis Dash (mid-September at Laurel Park in Maryland). I really just want to run him in one (Breeders’ Cup) prep. If I run him now, it’s sitting on him for 10 weeks before the Breeders’ Cup and that’s a long time for the horse.

“The spacing is just so much better for those other races to have him ready to give 100 percent against the best horses in the world.”

Miller cited similar concerns regarding Roy H, runner-up to Ransom the Moon in the Bing Crosby and a career earner of more than $1.7 million. More than $1.2 million of that was produced in a 2017 campaign of five wins in six starts – a mark marred only by a second to Ransom the Moon in the Crosby – that culminated with a one-length victory in the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint here last November.

“The horse is doing fine, I think he’d win the race,” Miller said. “But winnng (this) race is not the end game. If it’s going to cost me winning the Breeders’ Cup, that’s not a good trade off. So, I think we’re going to be prudent.

“I’m not afraid of any of those horses. We don’t duck anybody. But seven-eighths of a mile could knock him for a loop, and two months in front of the Breeders’ Cup, I don’t think that’s very smart.”

Via text later Friday morning, Miller said: “The only caveat to all of that is if the race fell apart and tons of scratches.”

The field, currently, from the rail out: Catalina Cruiser (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-5), Vorticity (Tiago Pereira, 20-1), Threefiveindia (Joe Talamo, 15-1), Roy H (Paco Lopez, 3-1), Ransom the Moon (Flavien Prat, 5-2), Horse Greedy (Stewart Elliott, 20-1), St. Joe Bay (Tyler Baze, 10-1) and Battle of Midway (Mario  Gutierrez, 8-1).

WORLD TRAVELER YULONG WARRIOR SET FOR U.S. DEBUT

Yulong Warrior, a Florida-bred son of Street Cry, returns to his home country for Saturday’s $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes and to resume a career that has thus far taken him to Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.

Purchased for $180,000 at the Keeneland September sale in 2016 by the China-based Yulong Stable, Yulong Warrior made four starts as a two-year-old in 2017 on

turf courses in Ireland and was second or third each time in fields that numbered from five to 13 runners.

Shipped to Dubai and switched to dirt for his three-year-old campaign, he won two of three starts from January to early March, both wins coming from front-running efforts. Entered in the $2 million UAE Derby, Yulong Warrior proved no match for Mendelssohn – neither did any of the seven other rivals in an 18 ½-length romp – and finished seventh of nine.

Soon thereafter, trainer Doug O’Neill got a call from bloodstock agent Mick Donohoe, asking if O’Neill had room for a good three-year-old in his stable. O’Neill said yes, and Yulong Warrior has put in a string of works, at Santa Anita and here, for the one-mile Shared Belief for three-year-olds on dirt.

“He’s a good-sized horse and he has some speed,” O’Neill said. “We just don’t know if it’s the kind of speed we’re used to over here. This was an opportunity to test him against his own age group, so we’ll see what happens.”

The field from the rail: Cool Bobby (Mario Gutierrez, 5-2), Afleet Ascent (Kent Desormeaux, 3-1), Yulong Warrior (Evin Roman, 6-1), Shivermetimbers (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1) and Tatters to Riches (Tyler Baze, 2-1).

The Shared Belief will go as the third on a 10-race program.

JUST GRAZED ME FAVORED IN FIELD OF 11 FOR SUNDAY’S TORREY PINES

Undefeated (2-for-2) Just Grazed Me will break from post position No. 9 in a field of 11 and was established as the 5-2 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Sunday’s Grade III $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes.

The daughter of Grazen, a homebred of owner Nick Alexander trained by Phil D’Amato, took command turning for home and prevailed by 3 ½ lengths in the seven furlong Fleet Treat Stakes on July 29 and will be stretching out to a mile on the main track against fellow three-year-olds.

“She came out of the (Fleet Treat) in really good shape and has been training super,” D’Amato said. Just Grazed Me has had two works since the Fleet Treat, the second, on Friday, August 17, was five furlongs in a minute flat, the best of 63 at the distance that morning.

“She’s gotten stronger and to me she’s got the demeanor of a filly that won’t be bothered going two turns,” D’Amato said. “I’m looking forward to running her on Sunday.”

The field from the rail: Royal Descendent (Tiago Pereira, 12-1), Thirteen Squared (Joe Talamo, 3-1), Spring Lily (Gary Stevens, 8-1), Lemoona (Flavien Prat, 7-2), Well Hello (Mike Smith, 10-1), Zusha (Stewart Elliott, 15-1), Aunt Lubie (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Wicked Storm (Geovanni Franco, 20-1), Just Grazed Me (Tyler Baze, 5-2), Broome (Evin Roman, 20-1) and True Royalty (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1).

DEBUTANTE CANDIDATES PUT IN IMPRESSIVE WORKOUTS

With the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante only eight days away, three of the major candidates put in workouts Friday morning.

Trainer Bob Baffert, a seven-time Debutante winner, the last in 2012, had Chasing Yesterday, a half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, and Der Lu, a $900,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton sale in March, work in company from the gate.

Both fillies, debut winners here in the past month, were timed in 1:13.00 for six furlongs. Baffert has four of nine prime candidates for the 2-year-old filly championship event of the meeting on a preliminary list by the Del Mar racing office.

Bellafina, winner of the Grade II $200,000 Sorrento Stakes on August 5, worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 with owner Kaleem Shah and trainer Simon Callaghan paying full attention from vantage points. The $800,000 purchase at the March Fasig-Tipton sale went the fastest of 61 timed at the distance.

AUTHOR BONNET TO SIGN HER BOOK SATURDAY AT DEL MAR

Author Celou Bonnet will be signing copies of her book --   “Listening to Horses” – at the entranceway to Del Mar’s Turf Club/Clubhouse Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.

In her book, Bonnet, who grew up in France, tells stories about her interactions with Thoroughbreds from Provence in her native country to her years working as an exercise rider in California for the legendary trainer Charlie Whittingham.

The book sells for $30 (soft cover) or $40 (hard cover).

CLOSERS – Bob Baffert was in Louisville, Ky., earlier this week for his induction into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Also among the inductees: Kentucky-born former USD basketball and NBA head coach Bernie Bickerstaff … Baffert will be at Saratoga, N.Y., for Travers Stakes Day. He saddles Abel Tasman in the Personal Ensign and Marley’s Freedom in the Ballerina on the Travers undercard. Both will be ridden by Mike Smith…Good Magic is the 2-1 morning line favorite for the Travers, which is race No. 11 of 13 on the program … McKinzie, Baffert’s top Triple Crown hope before Justify’s rocket took off, worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 toward a comeback from injury.

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Thursday, August 23, 2018 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Thursday, August 23, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Thursday, August 23, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 78 out of 235 -- 33.19%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 55 out of 145 -- 37.93%

Winning favorites on turf -- 23 out of 90 -- 25.56%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 23 out of 35 -- 65.71%

In-the-Money favorites -- 166 out of 235 -- 70.64%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 34 out of 35 -- 97.14%