Masochistic © Zoe Metz for Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
COULD VYJACK ‘HYJACK’ O’BRIEN FROM MASOCHISTIC?
Masochistic, the 4-5 morning line favorite, is clearly the horse to beat in Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes. And Vyjack, a million-plus earning invader from the East, is clearly a horse that might do it.
“He had a nice (6 furlong, 1:10.80) work (August 16) with Flavien (Prat) aboard and it was a really solid breeze,” trainer Phil D’Amato said. “It looks like Masochistic is the only speed in the race, so we’ll see what happens but my horse couldn’t be coming into the race any better.”
Vyjack, 6-year-old son Kentucky-bred son of Into Mischief who was sent West to D’Amato’s care before the start of the meeting, has seven wins in 25 career starts and earnings of $1,161,900.
Vyjack has raced twice in 2016 for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The first was an allowance victory at Keeneland in April, ending a nine-race losing streak that dated to a win in the Grade II Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park in September of 2014. The second was a runner-up effort, beaten a neck by Middleburg, in the Grade III Red Bank Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on June 5.
Owner David Wilkenfeld (Pick Six Racing) sent Vyjack to D’Amato with the intention of preparing for a start in a Breeders’ Cup race when the event returns to Santa Anita on November 4th and 5th. The seven-furlong Pat O’Brien, is a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $1 million Dirt Mile on November 4.
“He got sick at the beginning of the meet, so we didn’t get a chance to run here early on, but this race has always been the ultimate goal of the meet,” D’Amato said. “He’s kind of a jack-of-all trades horse. He’s run well on the turf or the dirt. We want to see with this race whether the Dirt Mile or the Sprint (on dirt) would be best, or if maybe we should go back to the grass with him.”
Vyjack won the Jerome and Gotham Stakes in New York in 2013 en route to the Kentucky Derby, but drew the outside post and finished next-to-last of 19 behind Orb.
SMITH, HOLLENDORFER DON’T BUNGLE IN ‘THE JUNGLE’
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer provided insight and emotion on the subject of Shared Belief as guests of syndicated sports talk radio host Jim Rome on a live broadcast of his program, known to many as “The Jungle,” from Del Mar Friday morning. An estimated 100 spectators in the Plaza de Mexico area behind the grandstand watched the three-hour show which touched on several sports topics.
Rome was a part-owner of Shared Belief, who was trained by Hollendorfer and ridden by Smith, in a 10-win, 12-race career that featured victories in five Grade I stakes, among them the 2014 Pacific Classic, with earnings of $2,932,200.
Rome and Smith both got emotional when relating the story of learning of Shared Belief’s passing due to colic last December.
Rome received word, from Jungle Racing LLC manager Alex Solis, Jr., just before going on the air, that the horse had a severe intestinal problem. He learned during the broadcast that it had been fatal.
“The rule is you don’t cry at work,” Rome said. “I did the rest of the show, then I went back to my office and was balling my eyes out, and the first call I get was from (Mike Smith) and he was crying too.
“I was,” Smith said, his voice cracking. “It’s like you’ve lost a member of the family and it affects you, you get emotional. You remember the great times, but it hurts.”
The happier memories are of a seven-race winning streak to start his career and a victory over California Chrome in the San Antonio Invitational at Santa Anita in February of 2015.
Rome recalled how California Chrome, the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, had a one length lead turning into the stretch and a reputation for not being passed late. He asked Smith what his thoughts were at that time.
“I knew what I had underneath me, and I knew in my heart I was going to catch him,” Smith said. Shared Belief prevailed by 1 ½ lengths.
Hollendorfer related how he discovered Shared Belief in the gelded son of Candy Ride’s first start, October 19, 2013 at Golden Gate Fields in Albany.
“I had a horse in the same race that I thought was very good and (Shared Belief) ran off and won by 7 ½ lengths,” Hollendorfer recalled. He met with Shared Belief’s breeder/owner, Marty Wygod, and negotiated the purchase of the horse.
“We miss him a lot, his name comes up a lot, we remember him and we always will,” Hollendorfer said.
Del Mar officials renamed Friday’s featured race, formerly the El Cajon Stakes, as the Shared Belief. “I think Shared Belief is deserving to have a race named after him, and we’re very honored,” Hollendorfer said.
Hollendorfer has two entrants in the $100,000 main track mile event, morning line 3-1 favorite Who’s Out, ridden by Smith, and 4-1 Taman Guard, owned by a partnership including Rome.
SOI PHET KEEPS ROLLING ALONG FOR TRAINER LEONARD POWELL
The victory by Soi Phet in a division of the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes on Wednesday was the tenth in 47 career starts for the eight-year-old, California-bred gelded son of Tizbud.
All but one of the wins and 32 of the starts have been since trainer Leonard Powell claimed Soi Phet more than three years ago for $16,000 from a race at Hollywood Park. The $61,260 winner’s share of Wednesday’s purse boosted Soi Phet’s winnings to $705,096 and Leonard estimates $650,000-$675,000 of that accrues to an ownership group that includes himself, the Benewitz Family Trust and others.
“He’s been a blessing,” Powell said. “Last year wasn’t that good. We took him to Japan (in December of 2014) and he really didn’t handle the trip. But this year we’ve targeted really good days for him and he has run very well.”
Next up for Soi Phet, possibly, is the E.B. Johnston Stakes at Los Alamitos, a race in which he ran second in 2015. If all goes well, Soi Phet could be running again next year at age nine.
“That will be only 17 days after the Brubaker,” Powell said. “He’s eight years old and he tells me, I don’t tell him, what is next. If that comes up too quick, we’ll look for another race. From the I first got him and I rode him to exercise him, he has been a very classy horse. We have taken good care of him and he has taken really good care of us.
“He’s a big horse, a good 17 hands. We don’t train him hard in the mornings, and if he’s sound and happy, he could still be running next year.”
JOCKEY NEWS: FOUR TO SARATOGA FOR TRAVERS DAY
Four Del Mar-based jockeys are headed for Saratoga with mounts in the four major stakes on the Travers Day card at the upstate New York track. The lineup:
Rafael Bejarano – Jazzy Times for trainer Bob Baffert in the King’s Bishop, Schivarelli for Eddie Kenneally in the Forego and American Freedom for Baffert in the Travers.
Mike Smith – Drefong for Baffert in the King’s Bishop, Tamar Kuz for Kieran McLaughlin in the Forego and Arrogate for Baffert in the Travers.
Kent Desormeaux – Exaggerator for Keith Desormeaux in the Travers.
Drayden Van Dyke – Miss Temple City for H. Graham Motion in the Ballston Spa.
ENOLA GRAY FAVORED IN FIELD OF EIGHT FOR TORREY PINES
Nick Alexander bred-and-owned Enola Gray, trained by Phil D’Amato, will be sent out seeking a fourth straight victory to start her career and a second stakes trimph during the meeting in Sunday’s Grade III $100,000 Torrey Pines for three-year-old fillies.
The California-bred daughter of Grazen has notched three wins by a combined 26 ¼ lengths, the most recent a 7 ¾-length romp in the Fleet Treat Stakes here on July 22. Tyler Baze, aboard for all her starts, has been named again for the one-mile Torrey Pines, which is one furlong more than the Fleet Treat.
The field from the rail: Enola Gray (Tyler Baze, 4-5), Uptown Twirl (Victor Espinoza, 15-1), Kay Kay (Alonso Quinonez, 8-1), Nine Point Nine (Fernando Perez, 20-1), She’s a Warrior (Mario Gutierrez, 6-1), Dreamarcher (Santiago Gonzalez, 15-1), Bellamentary (Martin Garcia, 4-1) and Belvoir Bay (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 10-1)
CLOSERS – The Del Mar summer season will start one week later in 2017 than it did this year. The summer season dates, approved by the California Horse Racing Board at its regular meeting here Thursday, set opening day for Wednesday, July 19, 2017 and closing for Labor Day Monday, September 4. There will be 36 racing days compared to 39 this season. A similar time slot was acknowledged for the 2018 and 2019 meetings.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 25, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
155 |
29 |
22 |
16 |
19% |
43% |
$1,814,655 |
|
Rafael Bejarano |
130 |
27 |
28 |
20 |
21% |
58% |
$1,853,917 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
167 |
25 |
27 |
19 |
15% |
43% |
$1,231,186 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
113 |
19 |
19 |
15 |
17% |
47% |
$1,200,398 |
|
Tyler Baze |
143 |
17 |
19 |
26 |
12% |
43% |
$1,014,293 |
|
Victor Espinoza |
55 |
14 |
9 |
8 |
25% |
56% |
$1,524,833 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
78 |
12 |
7 |
7 |
15% |
33% |
$439,460 |
|
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. |
80 |
10 |
11 |
9 |
13% |
38% |
$499,657 |
|
Tiago Pereira |
82 |
10 |
10 |
5 |
12% |
30% |
$439,265 |
|
Mario Gutierrez |
80 |
10 |
9 |
11 |
13% |
38% |
$686,723 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 25, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Philip D'Amato |
73 |
16 |
8 |
9 |
22% |
45% |
$1,095,912 |
|
Richard Baltas |
62 |
13 |
12 |
7 |
21% |
52% |
$764,041 |
|
Bob Baffert |
51 |
12 |
10 |
6 |
24% |
55% |
$1,133,320 |
|
Peter Miller |
77 |
11 |
14 |
10 |
14% |
45% |
$661,075 |
|
Mark Glatt |
41 |
9 |
8 |
9 |
22% |
63% |
$360,359 |
|
John W. Sadler |
46 |
9 |
6 |
9 |
20% |
52% |
$660,495 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
98 |
8 |
12 |
14 |
8% |
35% |
$562,010 |
|
James M. Cassidy |
37 |
8 |
3 |
6 |
22% |
46% |
$415,062 |
|
Michael Machowsky |
19 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
42% |
47% |
$238,577 |
|
Richard E. Mandella |
25 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
24% |
44% |
$624,262 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, August 25, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 93 out of 264 -- 35.23%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 65 out of 171 -- 38.01%
Winning favorites on turf -- 28 out of 93 -- 30.11%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 17 out of 36 -- 47.22%
In-the-Money favorites -- 186 out of 264 -- 70.45%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 28 out of 36 -- 77.78%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793