Leucothea © Del Mar Photo

EIGHT FILLIES ENTERED FOR SATURDAY’S GRADE I DEBUTANTE

A field of eight, among them the supplement of Peter Miller-trained Leucothea, was entered Wednesday for Saturday’s $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Debutante.

A daughter of Midshipman, Leucothea was a romping 14 ½-length winner in a  5 ½-furlong maiden claimer here on August 15 and was supplemented to the prestigious seven-furlong Debutante, which determines the 2-year-old filly champion of the meeting, for $10,000.

The supplement counteracts the absence of Immediate Impact, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Into Mischief owned by Clearview Stables and trained by Bob Baffert, who was a 6 ¾-length winner debuting at 5 ½ furlongs under Drayden Van Dyke on July 28. Immediate Impact worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 on August 19 but Baffert said “We’ve had to back off on her a little bit” since.

Baffert still plans to have two runners in the Debutante, a race he has won seven times, the last coming with Executiveprivilege in 2012; Bast, runner-up to Inspiressa, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, on August 11, and Stellar Sound, a recent winner at Del Mar.

Simon Callaghan, aiming for a third straight Debutante victory, which would place him with Baffert (1997-99) and D. Wayne Lukas (1987-89) as the third to accomplish the feat, entered Shedaresthedevil. That filly will also be given strong consideration for the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Monday, the closing day of the meeting.

The field from the rail: Lazy Daisy (Rafael Bejarano), Comical (Norberto Arroyo, Jr.), Pure Xena (Aaron Gryder), Leucothea (Abel Cedillo), Bast (Drayden Van Dyke), Powerfulattraction (Joe Talamo), Inspiressa (Victor Espinoza) and Stellar Sound (Mike Smith).

FIELD OF 10 ENTERED FOR SATURDAY’S JOHN C. MABEE

A field of 10, topped by defending race champion Vasilika, was entered Wednesday for Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Vasilika has won eight of her last 10 starts, all but one in graded stakes, while building career earnings of more than $1.3 million. Vasilika was ridden by Julien Leparoux to a third-place finish in the Yellow Ribbon on August 19 while regular jockey Flavien Prat was at Saratoga to ride Bellafina. Prat will be back in the irons Saturday.

Trainer Richard Baltas will saddle both Elysea’s World and Quebec.

Elysea’s World has four Grade III stakes wins in the last 18 months but hasn’t hit the board in three tries at the Grade II or Grade I level. Most recently the 6-year-old Irish-bred mare was fifth, beaten 2 ½ lengths by Beau Recall, in the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon here on August 3.

“Elysea’s World is doing really well,” Baltas said. “The (Yellow Ribbon) was a little short for her, she needs longer, but she came out of it well.”

Quebec, a 5-year-old daughter of Into Mischief, was the runner-up to Mabee rival Toinette in a mile allowance on August 7, beaten 1 ½ lengths.

The field from the rail: Vasilika (Flavien Prat), Paved (Victor Espinoza), La Force (Mike Smith), Toinette (Rafael Bejarano), Ahimsa (Brice Blanc), Ippodamia’s Girl (Ruben Fuentes), Juliet Foxtrot (Drayden Van Dyke), Quebec (Norberto Arroyo, Jr.), Elysea’s World (Joe Talamo) and Meal Ticket (Kent Desormeaux).

O’NEILL TABBED FAVORITE IN A TIGHT RACE FOR TRAINING TITLE

Doug O’Neill, a four-time Del Mar summer training champion, whose last title came in 2010, enters the final, six-day week of the meeting with an 18-16 lead in wins over Peter Miller and Richard Baltas.

So Miller, Baltas and O’Neill’s No. 1 assistant, Leandro Mora, were asked to do some odds-making regarding the race.

“I’d make O’Neill 1-to-5 and Baltas and me are 2-1,” said Miller, the defending summer champion and a winner of two other, solo or shared, titles. “Doug’s not done winning and we’d have to have a hot closing week. But anything’s possible.

“I’m just happy we’ve had a good meet and hope to finish strong.”

Informed of Miller’s line, Mora said Team O’Neill’s odds should be “more like 5-2,” while expressing confidence. “We need to win a few more but we’ll have our chances,” Mora said. “I think we’ll run about 15 more horses (in the last week).

Baltas said “I ought to be around 10-1,” because he figures to have fewer horses to run than his rivals.

The numbers of entries leading up to Labor Day weekend favor O’Neill. He has five horses entered Wednesday and three Thursday. Miller has two Wednesday and two Friday, Baltas one Wednesday and two Friday.

Wednesday’s lineups: O’Neill – Juggles (1^st, 5-1), Of Good Report (1^st, 2-1), So Gucci (5^th, 12-1), Vegan (7^th, 20-1); Baltas - Morse Code (3^rd, 5-1); Miller (6^th, Dean Martini, 3-1),  Bulletproof One (7^th, 4-5).

WELL AHEAD IN JOCKEY STANDINGS, PRAT CAMP WARY OF VAN DYKE

With a 10-win lead (34-24) over Drayden Van Dyke with six racing days remaining, one would expect security to be the feeling shared by jockey Flavien Prat and his agent, Derek Lawson.

But the memory of a turnaround a year ago, in which Van Dyke rallied from six behind with 11 days remaining to a five-win victory margin, has not faded away.

“I’m one of those Yogi Berra guys, ‘It ain’t over until it’s over,’” Lawson said Wednesday morning. “We’re confident. It has been a great meet, especially winning the Pacific Classic. But Drayden could still get hot.”

A statistic from Jeremy Plonk of horseplayernow.com: Prat is 12 for 22 (55%) on 2-year-olds at the meeting with eight of the group being first-time starters. The wins have come from nine different trainers.

PHANTOM BOSS FAVORED OF 11 IN FRIDAY’S I’M SMOKIN

Jorge Periban-trained Phantom Boss was tabbed the 3-1 favorite in a field of 11 on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Friday’s $100,000, six-furlong I’m Smokin Stakes for 2-year-old California breds.

Owned by Bada Beng Racing and partners, Phantom Boss, a son of Shackleford, comes in off a Grade III stakes win in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs.

Peter Miller will saddle Bluegrass Faith, fourth in the Graduation, and El Tigre Terrible, who broke his maiden here on July 19 and was third in an optional claimer, both at 5 ½-furlongs on August 10.

“They’re both nice Cal-breds,” Miller said. “We were a little disappointed in El Tigre’s last race but he should run better and Bluegrass has done well. It looks like a wide-open race to me.”

The field from the rail: Shady Empire (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1), Bluegrass Faith (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Phantom Boss (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Riding With Dino (Martin Pedroza, 8-1), Pas de Panique (Abel Cedillo, 12-1), Club Aspen (Jorge Velez, 20-1), Drippin Sauce (Mike Smith, 5-1), El Tigre Terrible (Joe Talamo, 20-1), Big Returns (Ruben Fuentes, 5-1), Tap Back (Victor Espinoza, 6-1) and Square Deal (Flavien Prat, 7-2).

CLOSERS – Selected works from 235 officially timed over the last three days: Monday – Just Grazed Me (3f, :L36.60), Cezanne (4f, :49.40), McKinzie (4f, :48.40), Core Beliefs (5f, 1:01.20), Inspiressa (5f, 1:01.00), Kingly (5f, 1:02.60), Nolo Contesto (5f, 1:00.00), Extra Hope (6f, 1:13.40); Tuesday – Billy Batts (4f, :50.00), Ginobili (4f, :49.20), Smokey Image (4f, :48.40); Wednesday – Jamming Eddy (3f, :35.80), Dueling (4f, :48.80), Istain Man (4f, :46.80), Maxim Rate (4f, :50.20), Eight Rings (5f, :1:00.80), Big Score (6f, 1:13.40) and Garth (6f, 1:13.60)… In light of Tuesday’s work, trainer Richard Baltas said Ginobili has gone from 80/20 likely for Monday’s Del Mar Futurity to 100 percent.

DEL MAR STATISTICS 

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 25, 2019 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 25, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Sunday, August 25, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 93 out of 244 -- 38.11%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 57 out of 144 -- 39.58%

Winning favorites on turf -- 36 out of 100 -- 36.00%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 25 out of 49 -- 51.02%

In-the-Money favorites -- 173 out of 244 -- 70.90%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 42 out of 49 -- 85.71%