Team Merchants © Benoit Photo

O’NEILL HAS A PAIR TO FACE THE ACES IN SOUPED UP SHARED BELIEF

Who knew that Bob Baffert was going to supplement disputed Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit to run in Sunday’s $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes?

“I knew it weeks ago,” said John Sadler, who switched targets with Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World from the Del Mar Derby to the Shared Belief and beat Baffert to the announcement by a few days. “It was the worst kept secret in the stable area.”

Without benefit of the grapevine, trainer Doug O’Neill figured out the Medina Spirit entry a couple of weeks ago. It was the Rock Your World commitment that came as something of a surprise to O’Neill.

“When Medina Spirit worked 1:11 and change (6f, 1:11.80 on August 12), I assumed that’s where he was headed,” O’Neill said Friday morning. “I didn’t know about Rock Your World.”

The developments were of great interest, of course, since O’Neill had two of his own charges set for the one-mile main track test for 3-year-olds.

“What a tough spot with the Kentucky Derby winner and the Santa Anita Derby winner,” O’Neill conceded.

O’Neill’s entrants are Team Merchants, J. Paul Reddam homebred son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and The Great One, another son of Nyquist owned by Erik Johnson, a defenseman with National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, and partners.

Team Merchants posted a half-length victory at 6 ½ furlongs on the opening day of the meeting, July 16, that was his second win in four career starts. The Great One opened his 3-year-old campaign with a 14-length maiden-race victory at Santa Anita in January, but was overmatched and overwhelmed in both the Grade II San Felipe and Grade I Santa Anita Derby.

“Team Merchants we’re looking to stretch his ability out to two turns – win, lose or draw,” O’Neill said. “The Great One just needs a place to run. He’s ready to get back to the races and we’ve been targeting this one for awhile. It’s a good place to start for steps down the road.”

The Great One was beaten 16 ¾ lengths by Life Is Good and eight by Medina Spirit in the San Felipe. The margins were 20 ½ behind Rock Your World and 15 ¾ by Medina Spirit in the Santa Anita Derby.

“It was all mental, physically he was OK,” O’Neill said. “One of the owners has a beautiful place in Ocala, FL, so we sent him down there for about six weeks to freshen him up. He’s been back and is training good and looking good. Whether he’s good enough to beat these guys is a real question, but we’re excited to have him back at the races.”

The field for the Shared Belief Stakes from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Willy The Cobbler (Victor Espinoza, 20-1); Medina Spirit (John Velazquez, 7/5); Rock Your World (Umberto Rispoli, 8/5); Team Merchants (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1); The Great One (Flavien Prat, 6-1), and Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1).

While post position isn’t likely to prove crucial, Rock Your World’s trainer John Sadler said he was glad to be outside Medina Spirit as the marquee runners drew side-by-side posts.

“It will give us options,” Sadler said.

SPEAKING OF KENTUCKY DERBY WINNERS AT DEL MAR …

It’s not unprecedented to have a Kentucky Derby winner race at the Del Mar summer meeting. And Medina Spirit is actually the third to run here in the months after a triumph in the Run for the Roses following fellow Bob Baffert trainee War Emblem and Art Sherman-trained California Chrome.

A list of the Kentucky Derby winners to compete at Del Mar compiled with considerable assistance from retired Del Mar senior media director Dan Smith:

Gato Del Sol (1982 Kentucky Derby winner) – Won the 1983 Cabrillo Handicap.

Ferdinand (1986) – Won the 1987 Cabrillo Handicap.

Unbridled (1990) – Finished third in the inaugural 1991 Pacific Classic, beaten 3 ¾ lengths by Best Pal.

Silver Charm (1997) – Finished fifth, beaten 27 lengths by Mud Route, in the 1998 San Diego Handicap.

War Emblem (2002) – Finished sixth, beaten four lengths by Came Home, in the 2002 Pacific Classic.

Giacomo (2005) – Won the 2006 San Diego Handicap.

California Chrome (2014) – Won the 2014 Hollywood Derby, 2016 San Diego Handicap and 2016 Pacific Classic.

BRAVOS FOR BRAVO AND PYFER ON FRIDAY TRIPLE AND DOUBLE

Veteran Joe Bravo and apprentice Jessica Pyfer combined to win five of the eight races on Friday’s program. Bravo scored with Kuora (1^st, $27.80) for Richard Baltas, Gregory’s Pride (7^th, $5.80) for Phil D’Amato, and Doncic (9^th, $8.20) for John Sadler; Pyfer’s wins came aboard Illapawnie (2^nd, $27.40) for Jonathan Wong and House Limit (3^rd, $6.00) for Mark Glatt.

Bravo is fifth in the rider standings with 18 wins from 86 mounts and over $1 million in purse earnings. Pyfer is ninth with 9 wins from 88 mounts and purse earnings of $390,672.

Their situations are different but their smiles were similar in the stable area this morning.

Bravo, who will turn 50 on September 10, left Monmouth Park, where he was an institution referred to as “Jersey Joe,” for a summer at Del Mar. He was asked if he’s now “getting the hang” of the new place.

“Good horses make us all look good,” Bravo said. “I’m very happy to be out here riding good horses for really good trainers. I’m pleased with how they’ve accepted me and trying to do my best for them all.”

Equibase statistics show Bravo with 5,513 wins from 30,540 career mounts. He recently rented a place in Pasadena and intends to ride next winter and spring at Santa Anita. As for Del Mar in the summer of 2022?

“Does anybody know where there going to be a year from now?” he said. “But it’s a great place and I don’t see why not.”

Pyfer, 23, recorded 36 wins and finished sixth in the jockey standings for the long Santa Anita meeting. Through Friday, Equibase statistics show her with 64 wins from 536 mounts. She will maintain apprentice status into November with her mounts receiving a five-pound break in weight assignments. She is a prime candidate for an Eclipse Award in the apprentice jockey category.

“Santa Anita was a good meet for me but everybody knows Del Mar is a little bit tougher,” Pyfer said. “I kind of set in my mind a goal of finishing in the top 10 and hopefully I can keep it going and achieve that. I started off really well, then kind of layered out but I’m hoping to finish strong.”

The time when apprentice status ends and journeyman begins is a crossroads for any rider.

“I’m just going to keep doing as well as I can and hopefully the (owners and trainers) who have supported me will continue to stand by me. I think I’ve shown that I do really well on fillies, they respond really well to me and I believe that will help when the time comes.”

On Eclipse Award possibilities:

“That’s the dream, but I try not to think about it. I’m just trying to win as many as I can and hopefully it happens.”

CHALK ONE UP FOR DAVID (DESORMEAUX) OVER GOLIATH (BAFFERT)

Trainer J. Keith Desormeaux won Friday’s fourth race 2-year-old maiden special weight with Oviatt Class, a $65,000 purchase at the Ocala Sale in April.

The second, third and fourth-place finishers were all trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Runner-up Flying Drummer was an $850,000 purchase at the same Ocala sale, third-place Barossa went for $775,000 at Keeneland September of last year and Carbonite commanded $560,000 at the same Keeneland session.

Desormeaux isn’t exactly a stranger to success with bargain purchases.  Exaggerator, acquired for $110,000 as a yearling, won the 2016 Santa Anita Derby, was  second to Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby then won the Preakness en route to more than $3.5 million in career earnings. My Boy Jack, a $20,000 pick-up, has career earnings of $776,887.  He won the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park and the Lexington at Keeneland on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail then was fifth to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in the Run For The Roses.

Two-year-olds all develop at their own rate and the future for any one is unpredictable, things of which Desormeaux is well aware. But his consistently modest demeanor may have cracked a little when asked if he took a little extra pride in upsetting the trainer whose record with young horses is the best of all time.

“Doesn’t everybody?” he said.

CLOSERS – Jockey Flavien Prat went 0-for-4 in stakes races Friday at Saratoga. The best result for Del Mar’s meet-leading rider was a runner-up in the $250,000 Albany Stakes aboard Bobby Bo for trainer Bob Baffert … Today’s work tab was highlighted by a 1:00.80 five-furlong exercise by Pennsylvania Derby-bound Hot Rod Charlie for trainer Doug O’Neill, which was given a rare “breezing” rating by clockers. Hot Rod Charlie worked with stablemate Haskelled, who was given the same time but the more common “handily” tag … Other notable works from 164 officially timed, courtesy of clocker/handicapper Toby Turrell: Harvest Moon (4f, :48.40), Tapwater (4f, :47.00) and Maxim Rate (5f, :1:01.80).

Del Mar Statistics

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 27, 2021 Inclusive)    

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, August 27, 2021 Inclusive)   

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Sunday, August 27, 2021 Inclusive) 

Winning favorites -- 75 out of 222 -- 33.78%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 44 out of 124 -- 35.48%
Winning favorites on turf -- 31 out of 98 -- 31.63%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 20 out of 36 -- 55.56%
In-the-Money favorites -- 156 out of 222 -- 70.27%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 31 out of 36 -- 86.11%