Flavien Prat © Benoit Photo

PRAT TO RIDE FLIGHTLINE IN TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC NEXT WEEKEND

Trainer John Sadler has confirmed that jockey Flavien Prat will return to Del Mar next weekend to ride Flightline in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic. Prat has been the regular rider for the undefeated Tapit colt’s first four career starts, but has been based on the east coast this year and has yet to make the trek west to Del Mar this summer.

“That’s been the plan all long,” Sadler said of Prat retaining the mount on Flightline. 

Prat was a leading rider in Southern California until April when he announced he was moving his tack to Keeneland and then to New York. He did come out and ride at Santa Anita on Memorial Day but otherwise he’s stayed east of the Mississippi since making the move.

He first rode Flightline in the colt’s debut, a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita in April of 2021. They won by 13 ¼ lengths. Prat hopped back on Flightline in an entry level allowance at Del Mar in September of 2021 and they won by 12 ¾ lengths. When Flightline moved up to Graded Stakes company, Prat went along and they crushed the field in the G1 Malibu at Santa Anita in December by 11 lengths. Flightline followed Prat back to New York in June and the two romped in the G1 Met Mile at Belmont Park, a race they won by “only” six lengths.

Flightline, who sold for $1 million as a yearling, is the prohibitive favorite for this year’s TVG Pacific Classic, which will be run September 3. The post position draw will be held this Tuesday around 4 p.m. at the nearby Brigantine restaurant.

BAFFERT MAPS PATH TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP FOR LAUREL RIVER

“That was exciting,” trainer Bob Baffert exclaimed soon after Laurel River ran off with a 3 ¾ length victory in the G2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar Saturday. Baffert said Sunday the 4-year-old son of Into Mischief came out of the race in good order and will be pointed to G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita October 1.

“I was honestly thinking about running him in the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said, “but I would only do it if Flightline wasn’t in the race.”

Laurel River came into the race off of a solid allowance win on July 31 at Del Mar. Before that, he had not run since the end of last summer’s meet at Del Mar.

“I gotta give a lot of credit to the Juddmonte family and Garrett O’Rourke for letting me keep this horse during all the turmoil we went through. I think he’s a really good horse. He needed the extra time, we gave him the extra time, then we got that race into him.”

With the win in yesterday’s Pat O’Brien, Laurel River secures a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on November 5, which Baffert believes is right in the horse’s wheelhouse.

“He’s going to be much more effective going two turns,” Baffert said.

The O’Brien favorite, Speaker’s Corner, looked the part through much of the race. He broke well and had a good position, setting a forced pace. But when confronted by Laurel River at the top of the lane, he had no answer and eventually faded to fourth. Amy Mullin, assistant trainer to Bill Mott, says they have no excuses.

“I’m not sure, he was really relaxed in the post parade,” Mullin said, “but it seemed like once he got to the gate he got real tense and difficult in the gate and that might of taken off the edge that he needed and didn’t have.”

Speaker’s Corner shipped in from the east coast for the O’Brien but Mullin doesn’t think the travel had anything to do with the performance.

“He was training well and behaving good,” Mullin said.

She says Speaker’s Corner came out of the race good. They’ll fly back to New York on Tuesday and the Mott team will then sit down and decide what to do next with the 4-year-old son of Street Sense.

The runner-up in the Pat O’Brien, American Theorem, also came out of the race   no worse for wear.

“He ran huge, we just got beat,” trainer George Papaprodromou said. “He (Laurel River) got the jump on us. He went through the rail, we had to go a little wider but my horse ran his race. I’m happy with it and most important he came back good.”

Papaprodromou says he will train American Theorem up to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which he earned a spot in with his victory in the G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar on opening weekend.

RECORD SETTING STAKES SCHEDULE SET FOR DEL MAR’S FALL MEET

Del Mar has released its stakes schedule for the upcoming Bing Crosby Fall meet. The 15-race schedule includes nine graded stakes and two overnights. The $2,450,000 price tag is a record for the meet which enters its ninth year on November 11.

The stakes lineup is highlighted by the Thanksgiving weekend, with Graded stakes scheduled for every day of the four-day holiday beginning with the 57^th running of the G3 Red Carpet on Thanksgiving Day. The race, known for many years as the Beverly Hills Handicap, is for fillies and mares and is run at a 1 3/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

The day after Thanksgiving is the 41^st running of the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup, another marathon (1 ½ miles) on the grass for 3-year-olds and up. Saturday of the holiday weekend features the 46^th running of the G2 Seabiscuit Handicap, formerly known as the Citation. It’s run at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf.

Del Mar closes out the Thanksgiving weekend with the 45^th running of the G3 Native Diver Stakes on Sunday, November 27.

Closing weekend of the fall meet is also chock full of stakes races with three slated for Saturday including the 82^nd running of the G1 Hollywood Derby and a new race, the Stormy Liberal turf sprint, named after the Peter Miller trainee who won back-to-back Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprints in 2017, at Del Mar, and in 2018.

Sunday December 4 is closing day for the fall meet and is highlighted by the 42^nd running of the G1 Matriarch Stakes, a one mile test for fillies and mares on the turf.

The 2-year-olds get their chance to shine in several of the stakes races. There’s the Desi Arnaz Stakes for the fillies on November 19 and the G3 Bob Hope the next day. On closing weekend the G3 Jimmy Durante for the fillies will be run on Saturday December 3 and the G3 Cecil B. DeMille on Sunday. Both are contested at a mile on the turf.

The first post daily is 12:30 except on Thanksgiving Day, which has a special 11 a.m. start.

NEW MEXICO TRAINER UP TO THE TASK AT DEL MAR

It may not look like it on paper, but trainer Todd Fincher is pleased with how his summer has gone at Del Mar. Sometimes progress is not necessarily measured in victories. Going into Saturday’s racing, Fincher has one winner out of eleven starts with a second and two thirds.

“It’s been okay,” Fincher says. “My numbers aren’t the best but a lot of the horses have run good. We’ve brought some good horses and we’re not running in claiming races so we’re going up against the best. A couple have not run to expectations but we’re getting a feel for them.”

Not quite what he’s used to in New Mexico and in the midwest at Lone Star Park and Remington Park, where Fincher has made many a trip to the winner’s circle. He’s compiled over $1 million in earnings every year since 2009.

Fincher has brought six horses to Del Mar this year. Senor Buscador ran third in the G2 Pat O’Brien Saturday and Slammed won an allowance by five lengths at Del Mar last month. She’s running in today’s G3 Rancho Bernardo.

 “I’ve been coming (to Del Mar) for years,” Fincher says. “The first time I came here with horses was 2018 and I just didn’t bring the right type of horses. Live and learn through the years. Obviously, I wouldn’t come here unless I have the quality. We have a Grade 2 and Grade 3 (this weekend), hopefully they’ll run good because they’re very nice horses.”

Fincher is all too familiar with how to play the game. He grew up in the racing business.

“My dad was a jockey and he rode for 25-to-30 years,” Fincher says, “and my mom trained so I grew up in it. When I was 16, I was a jockey for 10 years. I won over 900 races on Quarterhorses and Thoroughbreds but I couldn’t keep my weight down anymore. I did it as long as I could and I was blessed to do it.”

He approaches the task of training the same way he did riding and the results have been encouraging.

“We’ve built our business from the ground up,” Fincher says. “We’re doing great in New Mexico and we’re expanding and getting better quality Kentucky breds. We’re going to Remington and Lone Star, Texas and Oklahoma.”

The New Mexico circuit has been very good to Fincher. He scored his first and only graded stakes race with Runaway Ghost in the 2018 Sunland Derby at Sunland Park. The son of Ghostzapper would win six of his eight races at Sunland, all stakes, and eventually compile $783,509 in earnings.

But with all of the success Fincher has enjoyed in New Mexico, Del Mar remains a summer destination.

“Obviously, if we got good enough horses we want to come here,” Fincher says. “Everybody loves it. The horses love it, I love it, the owners love it. If you got the quality you want to come out here and run against the best.“

COOLING OUT:  Royal Ship was the last of the TVG Pacific Classic nominees to put in his final work for the race, going four furlongs in :47.20 Sunday for trainer Richard Mandella at Del Mar...Emily Ellingwood won two more races Saturday, giving her six for the meet and 40 for her career, meaning she loses her apprenticeship status. Her six victories is easily the best among the apprentice jockeys at Del Mar…Beginning next Thursday, post time will be moved up to 1 o’clock. Friday’s post will remain at 3 P.M. but the new post time will apply to all of the remaining days of the summer meet, including Labor Day…Notable works for Sunday: Dirt – Newgrange (5f, :59.60); Tripoli (5f, 1:01.40); Under the Stars (5f, 1:01.20) and Soothsay (6f, 1:11.80). Turf – Going Global (4f, :50.20); Balnikhov (5f, 1:01.60); Cabo Spirit (5f, 1:02.20); Big City Lights (5f, 1:01.60); Going to Vegas (5f, 1:05.20); Master Piece (5f, 1:03.00), and Hong Kong Harry (5f, 1:02.40). A total of 206 horses put in official works on the dirt Sunday, 43 on the turf.

Del Mar Statistics

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Saturday, August 27, 2022 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Saturday, August 27, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Saturday, August 27, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 73 out of 206 -- 35.44%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 44 out of 115 -- 38.26%
Winning favorites on turf -- 29 out of 91 -- 31.87%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 14 out of 31   -- 45.16%
In-the-Money favorites -- 153 out of 206 -- 74.27%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 27 out of 31 -- 87.10%