Inspiressa © Benoit Photo

INSPIRESSA FAVORED IN FIELD OF EIGHT IN GRADE I DEBUTANTE

John Sadler-trained Inspiressa was tabbed the 5-2 favorite in a field of eight on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante.

Inspiressa, a daughter of The Big Beast, was an $850,000 purchase by Hronis Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds at a Florida sale in March. She has a string of impressive Del Mar workouts on either side of a 1 ¼-length racing debut win at 5 ½ furlongs on August 11.

The Debutante, which determines the juvenile filly division champion of the meeting, is a seven-furlong sprint. 

Leucothea, trained by Peter Miller for Altamira Racing Stable and partners, was a supplemental nomination at a cost of $10,000. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Midshipman, the 2008 Del Mar Futurity winner, recorded a maiden victory by 14 ½ lengths here two weeks ago in her second career start. The 91 Beyer speed figure achieved in that effort is by far the highest of any filly in the race.

Miller had also considered a stakes at Saratoga, but opted to stay for the Grade I opportunity.

“This made sense,” Miller said. “And with (Sorrento winner) Amalfi Sunrise out and Immediate Impact out, it made even more sense. We know she likes this track and we didn’t have to travel.”

The field from the rail: Lazy Daisy (Rafael Bejarano, 20-1), Comical (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 12-1), Pure Xena (Aaron Gryder, 6-1), Leucothea (Abel Cedillo, 3-1), Bast (Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2), Powerfulattraction (Joe Talamo, 8-1), Inspiressa (Victor Espinoza, 5-2) and Stellar Sound (Mike Smith, 6-1).

VASILIKA OPENS AS 9-5 FAVORITE IN JOHN C. MABEE TITLE DEFENSE

Vasilika, third as the 4-5 choice in the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon on August 3, will try to make amends as the 9-5 morning line choice in Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes.

The Yellow Ribbon, in which Vasilika finished a half-length behind victorious Beau Recall, who nosed out Storm the Hill, was at a mile and a sixteenth. The Mabee is 1 1/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Vasilika, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, has career earnings of more than $1.3 million. The 1 ½-length victory by Vasilika in the 2018 John C. Mabee was part of a string of six straight wins. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Skipshot had won 10 of 11 before being upset in the Yellow Ribbon.

The field from the rail: Vasilika (Flavien Prat, 9-5), Paved (Victor Espinoza, 12-1), La Force (Mike Smith, 12-1), Toinette (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Ahimsa (Brice Blanc, 8-1), Ippodamia’s Girl (Ruben Fuentes, 30-1), Juliet Foxtrot (Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2), Quebec (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 15-1), Elysea’s World (Joe Talamo, 12-1) and Meal Ticket (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1).

TEN TO GO IN SUNDAY’S GRADE II $250,000 DEL MAR DERBY

La Jolla Handicap winner Kingly drew the outside, No. 10 post for Sunday’s Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Derby, the climax of the summer meeting’s turf stakes series for 3-year-olds.

The Derby, at 1 1/8 miles, follows the opening-day Oceanside Stakes, won by Jasikan, and the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla on August 4.

A newcomer to the series is John Sadler-trained Nolo Contesto, a Kentucky Derby prospect early in the year who will be making his second start on turf.

“He’s a funny horse,” Sadler said Thursday morning. “We think he outran himself the second time out when he beat Omaha Beach and it has taken a while to come back around. He didn’t like the track at Churchill Downs (last of seven in the Grade III Matt Winn). We’ve been pleased with him since he’s been here.”

The son of Pioneerof the Nile was a fast-finishing second, beaten a head by Carnivorous in a mile allowance on August 11 in his first start on turf. He worked five furlongs in one minute flat on Monday, the fastest of 54 horses clocked at the distance that day.

“He’s got a ton of ability, it’s a question of putting it together,” Sadler said.

The field from the rail: Walker Stalker (Ruben Fuentes), Hackberry (Martin Garcia), Nolde (Victor Espinoza), Originaire (Mike Smith), Neptune’s Storm (Florent Geroux), Visitant (Geovanni Franco), Parsimony (Abel Cedillo), Moody Jim (Drayden Van Dyke), Nolo Contesto (Flavien Prat) and Kingly (Martin Garcia).

SUNDAY RACE NAMED FOR CHABAD OF POWAY HERO LORI GILBERT-KAYE

Nearly every race, every day at Del Mar is named for a person, an organization a business.

It’s there at the top of the program in small, bold-faced type just below the race number, little noted except by those directly involved.

On Sunday, however, the name for the fifth race deserves special attention, and possibly reflection, by all.

The name is Lori Gilbert-Kaye.

On April 27 at the Chabad of Poway synagogue,  Gilbert-Kaye, 60, a wife and mother of a daughter, stepped in front of bullets aimed at her longtime friend and rabbi as he raced to evacuate children, becoming the only person killed in the attack.

The race dedication is at the request of her father, Dr. Richard Gilbert, and the rest of the family.

Dr. Gilbert, 90, an orthopedist, was for many years a part of the San Diego Chargers medical staff. He has been a racegoer for more than half a century, a Del Mar Turf Club member for several decades and an owner in partnerships with other physicians. A namesake horse, Dr. Gilbert, ran several times at Caliente.

It was at the Turf Club - where Gilbert entertained sports celebrities like Joe Torre, Don Zimmer and, once, George Steinbrenner – that Gilbert spent many enjoyable hours with his daughter.

“Lori liked to go to the track, she loved the environment,” said Gilbert to longtime friend and former Chargers and Denver Broncos publicist Rick Schloss. Her duties often included running bets for her father.

“I called her Miss 10 percent,” Gilbert said. “If she made the bet and it won, she got 10 percent.”  

SEVEN TO GO IN SUNDAY’S DEL MAR JUVENILE TURF

A field of seven was entered Thursday for Sunday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf.

The field from the rail: Encoder (Flavien Prat), Commander (Abel Cedillo), Hit the Road (Joe Talamo), Croughavouke (Mike Smith), Billy Batts (Drayden Van Dyke), Raging Whiskey (Rafael Bejarano) and Ardenlee Star (Florent Geroux).

I’M SMOKIN FAVORITE PHANTOM BOSS HAS FACE TO MATCH HIS NAME

Coming in off a graded stakes win at Churchill Downs, as he does, there’s reason to see why Phantom Boss is the 3-1 morning line favorite in a field of 11 for Friday’s $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes.

One look at the 2-year-old chestnut’s face and you understand how clever and appropriate is the colt’s name. The son of Shackleford out of the Street Boss mare Bossy Belle has a white blaze that wraps around his left eye and covers the entire left side of his face – just like the pale mask worn by the title character in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s play “Phantom of the Opera.”

Phantom Boss debuted with a runner-up finish at Santa Anita on May 19 and broke his maiden there on June 2. Shipped to Churchill Downs, he justified 3-2 favorite status with a three-quarter length victory in the six-furlong, Grade III Bashford Manor Stakes.

The I’m Smokin is six furlongs for California breds.

“Before his first race he showed a lot of talent and ability,” trainer Jorge Periban said Thursday morning. “I knew he could do much better than just being a Cal-bred.”

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).

TRACKING THE JOCKEY AND TRAINER RACES

A win in Wednesday’s first race for Flavien Prat aboard Of Good Report ($4.80) for Doug O’Neill provided all the nudging there was in the jockey and trainer standings to start the final week of the meeting.

It expanded Prat’s lead in the jockey standings to 11 over Drayden Van Dyke. But that lasted only until the third race when Van Dyke countered with a score on Ward ‘n Jerry ($16.00). Prat enters Thursday with a 35-25 lead in wins and five days remaining in the meet.

Of Good Report’s victory was No. 19 on the year for O’Neill and neither Richard Baltas nor Peter Miller, tied for second at 16, had an answer the rest of the afternoon.

The lineups for Thursday: After having two of his scheduled mounts scratched, Prat has Zeke (4^th, 3-1), Swing Thoughts (6^th, 5-1) and Wishful (7^th, 3-1) to ride; Van Dyke is scheduled aboard Gingham (2^nd, 3-1), Magic Musketier (4^th, 5-1) and Quit Kvetching (7^th, 9-2).

With one scratch, O’Neill will saddle Buckys Pick (1^st, 6-1) and Seeking Refuge (8^th, 5-2) while Baltas and Miller have no horses entered.

SOMETHING EXTRA IN STORE WITH WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS

An extra (final) day of racing on Labor Day Monday to complete the summer meeting means one more (final) handicapping seminar.

Ellis Davis of the Daily Racing Form, tournament player Tyler Hoffman and consummate man-about-racing John Bucalo will provide the selections and comments over the last three days of racing.

Davis, whose duties annually take him from Ferndale to Del Mar and tracks in between, will do the honors on Saturday. Hoffman, a young up-and-comer on the handicapping tournament circuit, who got his start winning Santa Anita’s Show-Vivor contest at age 21, will be Frank Scatoni’s guest on Sunday.

Bucalo, who has worked nearly every job a racetrack has to offer and also managed the Barona Casino racebook, puts a wrap on the program on Monday.

The seminars are held from 12:45-1:30 at the Seaside Terrace near the head of the stretch.

CLOSERS – Selected works from 72 officially timed Thursday morning: Dirt – Omaha Beach (4f, :47.80), Catapult (5f, 1:01.20), Magic On Tap (5f, :59.00); Turf – Bolo (4f, :49.20), Mucho Unusual (4f, :49.40).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 97 out of 252 -- 38.49%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 60 out of 149 -- 40.27%

Winning favorites on turf -- 37 out of 103 -- 35.92%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 26 out of 52 -- 50.00%

In-the-Money favorites -- 177 out of 252 -- 70.24%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 43 out of 52 -- 82.69%