Netptune's Storm

NEPTUNE’S STORM LOOMS OMINOUSLY OVER LA JOLLA

Whenever a three-race series, of which the Triple Crown is the most revered,  reaches its second leg, talk can turn to ‘new shooters’ jumping into the fray after skipping the opener.

So it is with Del Mar’s turf stakes trio for 3-year-olds which began with the Runhappy Oceanside on opening day of the meeting and continues Sunday with the Grade III $150,000 La Jolla Handicap.

Five of the eight entered in the 1 1/16-mile event competed in the Oceanside, among them the winner Jasikan and third-place finisher Rijeka. Of the three newcomers, the one that appears most dangerous – judging by oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line – is 2-1 favorite Neptune’s Storm.

There’s a reason why the gelded son of Stormy Atlantic, trained by Richard Baltas, wasn’t involved in the Runhappy Oceanside.

“He wasn’t eligible for the Oceanside because he had already won two stakes,” Baltas points out. “So we figured we’d run him here and then come back in the Del Mar Derby.”

Neptune’s Storm was among horses trained by William Morey dispersed by order of the California Horse Racing Board in March. His two starts for Baltas produced wins in the ungraded $100,000 Singletary in April and $150,000 Cinema in June at Santa Anita.

“He came in in pretty good shape but he was a little lazy when I first got him,” Baltas said. “He’s put on a few pounds and he’s pretty aggressive now, that’s why we put the blinkers on.”

Neptune’s Storm will break from the No. 1 post under Drayden Van Dyke, a starting point that Baltas doesn’t consider as daunting as it might be in other circumstances.

“You play the break and find a spot. He does have speed and there’s another horse in there, Doug O’Neill’s horse (Stubbins) that has speed,” Baltas said. “The rail is the rail. I wouldn’t like it if it was 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt, but going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf I don’t think it will make a difference.”

The field from the rail: Neptune’s Storm (Drayden Van Dyke, 2-1), Kingly (Mario Gutierrez, 6-1), Gregorian Chant (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 6-1), Golden Birthday (Joe Talamo, 12-1), Stubbins (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Jasikan (Flavien Prat, 5-2), King of Speed (Victor Espinoza, 20-1) and Rijeka (Ruben Fuentes, 12-1).

SCRATCHES REDUCE FIELD TO SIX FOR YELLOW RIBBON

Youngest Daughter and Toinette scratched from today’s Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Stakes in favor of a featured allowance level event on Wednesday, reducing the Yellow Ribbon field to six.

Wednesday’s fifth race is at a mile, compared to the mile and one-sixteenth of the Yellow Ribbon and while the purse is $130,000 less, the competition doesn’t include super mare Vasilika and others.

SADLER WORKS CATALINA CRUISER, CAMPAIGN, HIGHER POWER 

Trainer John Sadler sent out San Diego Handicap winner Catalina Cruiser, Cougar II Handicap victor Campaign and Wickerr Stakes runner-up Higher Power for separate half-mile workouts Saturday morning in preparation for upcoming major events.

“The times were all the same, forty-eight and galloping out to a minute and change, and they all worked really well,” Sadler said.

With assistant trainer Juan Leyva up, Catalina Cruiser officially went in :48.20. Del Mar clocker Dane Nelson had interim splits of :24.20 and :36.60. Independent observers said the Top Sprinter of the 2018 Del Mar meeting and winner of the True North Handicap at Belmont Park in his 2019 debut looked formidable throughout the effort.

“Very encouraging work but no decision yet on what race is next,” Sadler said.

Campaign, under exercise rider Adalberto Lopez, was officially timed in :48.80. “He’s a definite for the (TVG) Pacific Classic,” Sadler said.

Lopez was also up for the exercise, in :48.20, by Higher Power, a candidate for major turf stakes in the coming weeks.

BIG RETURNS RESTS WHILE TRAINER WORKS AFTER GRADUATION WIN

Big Returns was laying in his stall resting when trainer Luis Mendez returned from exercising another of his horses Saturday morning.

Mendez dismounted, came down the shedrow carrying his saddle, then stopped and smiled at the 2-year-old son of Mr. Big, who remained undefeated in two starts via his win by disqualification in Friday’s $100,000 Graduation Stakes.

“He’s a little tired, but that’s normal,” Mendez said. “He really ran hard yesterday.”

Big Returns provided Mendez, 35, with his fourth win in his second season at Del Mar. The Graduation score was the second by Big Returns, owned by William R. Peeples, of three this year and the first in a stakes for Mendez.

Mendez started working for John Brocklebank as a teenager and took out his trainer’s license a year ago. Mendez’s wife Norma works with him. The couple has three children, a daughter, 12, and sons eight and six.

Mendez has options regarding the next start for Big Returns, a $70,000 purchase at the Barrett’s Sale in March of 2018 who broke his maiden impressively in his racing debut here on July 20. Mendez said that the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on September 2 will be given serious consideration.

TWO WEEKS OUT: SOME ‘POSSIBLES’ FOR THE TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC

With the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, the signature event of the summer meeting, now just two weeks away, the racing office has compiled a list of “possible” entrants for the 29^th running of the richest thoroughbred race on the West Coast.

In no particular order, the horses, with trainers in parentheses, are: Seeking the Soul (Dallas Stewart), Catalina Cruiser (John Sadler), Campaign (John Sadler), War Story (Jorge Navarro), Mongolian Groom (Enebish Ganbat), Dark Vader (Peter Eurton), Draft Pick (Peter Eurton), Pavel (Doug O’Neill), Quip (Rodolphe Brisset) and For the Top (Bob Baffert).

There figure to be additions and subtractions between now and August 17, when the TVG Pacific Classic is one of five stakes run with purses totaling $1.75 million. But it’s a start.

CLOSERS – Selected works from 181 officially timed Saturday morning: Campaign (4f, :48.80), Catalina Cruiser (4f, :48.20), Convex (4f, :46.40), Anonymity (5f, 1:00.20), Giant Expectations (5f, :50.60), Keeper Ofthe Stars (5f, 1:01) and Pavel (5f, 1:00.20) … Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said Omaha Beach will work five furlongs Sunday or Monday as the Arkansas Derby winner continues preparations for a racing return in the Shared Belief Stakes on August 25 …Congratulations to apprentice J.C. Diaz, Jr., who notched his first Del Mar victory in Thursday’s last race aboard  Girl Can Partie ($14.60) for trainer Val Brinkerhoff … Priceless scene Saturday morning at the shady area outside the backside racing office: Jockey Joe Talamo and his wife Elizabeth with their sons Vincent, 2, and Dominic, 14 months – grandsons of trainer Ron Ellis – Dominic in a stroller. Tow-headed Vincent toddling toward jockey Drayden Van Dyke with his arms upraised and Van Dyke answering the unspoken “pick me up” call as easily and smoothly as he answers the “rider’s up” call several times a day.

DEL MAR STATISTICS 

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 2, 2019 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 2, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Friday, August 2, 2019 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 47 out of 104 -- 45.19%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 30 out of 62 -- 48.39%

Winning favorites on turf -- 17 out of 42 -- 40.48%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 12 out of 18 -- 66.67%

In-the-Money favorites -- 79 out of 104 -- 75.96%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 17 out of 18 -- 94.44%