Adare Manor © Benoit Photo
SCRATCHED: ADARE MANOR NO LONGER A POSSIBILITY FOR CLASSIC
It started as a routine gallop. Get some air in her, get her legs under her. It ended in disappointment, for her owner Michael Lund Petersen, her trainer Bob Baffert and the entire barn and race fans across the country. Adare Manor has been scratched from the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic this Saturday at Del Mar.
“She tied up a little bit after a gallop yesterday (Thursday),” Baffert says. “Today we looked at her and she’s still a little tied. I don’t feel like she’s a hundred percent for tomorrow and she has to be on her game to run tomorrow so we’re just going to have to sit it out.”
Tying up is not uncommon behavior for horses. It’s nothing like colic. It’s something that happens when a horse gets nervous or uncomfortable. It’s painful, uncontrollable muscle contractions similar to a muscle cramp in humans. The cramping occurs in the large muscles of the back, the hindquarters and sometimes the shoulders during exercise. The remedy is to rub the horse, provide plenty of water and remove all grain and feed and provide only hay or grass.
“It’s disappointing but it’s part of horse racing,” Baffert notes. “We have to take care of our superstars.”
While her absence takes some of the luster out of the race, it certainly makes it an interesting race for the bettors. Now instead of having a solid favorite, the Pacific Classic becomes a wide-open affair as reflected by the new morning line odds (see tail end of following item).
FULL SERRANO, IL MIRACOLO HOPE TO CRASH PACIFIC CLASSIC PARTY
Only three foreign-bred horses have ever won the G1 Fan Duel Racing Pacific Classic. English-bred Missionary Ridge in the second running in 1992; Argentine-bred Gentlemen in 1997, and the popular Candy Ride, who also was bred in Argentina. Saturday Full Serrano will attempt to be the fourth foreign-bred to win Del Mar’s marquee race and the third from Argentina.
The 5-year-old ran his first 14 races at various tracks around his home country, breaking his maiden on his fifth try, winning a couple of allowance races and then a stakes race before he was purchased by Hronis Racing and sent to the John Sadler barn earlier this year.
“He was a private purchase this winter from Argentina,” Sadler states. “They approached me about the horse. I looked at his form and it looked good. I like horses that can run a long distance on the dirt, which is kind of one of my specialties it seems like lately. So we thought he’d be a good fit.”
Full Serrano’s U.S. debut was very impressive. Against entry-level allowance runners at Del Mar on August 3, he lost the lead briefly on the backstretch, got it back by the turn, opened up and never stopped, covering the one mile in 1:37.60. Afterward, many suggested to Sadler he should give the Pacific Classic a try with the horse.
“When you look at something like that you’re looking at a pretty steep class jump,” Sadler says. “We thought it (the Classic) wasn’t coming up with ‘monsters’ per se. But the horse had to train very well for us to take a chance. He’s done that.”
Sadler says he likes his post position. Full Serrano will break from post #7.
The lone invader in this year’s Pacific Classic is Il Miracolo, who hails from the Antonio Sano barn. Sano, who trained multiple-stakes winner Gunnevera, is based in Florida but Il Miracolo has run from Kentucky to New York and many tracks in between. This is his first trip out west.
“The goal of course is to get him out here for the Breeders’ Cup,” states Mauricio Sano, Antonio’s son. “So we brought him out here to see how he handled the flight and made the trip. When he arrived it was like nothing. It was a morning trip with a two hour drive and the way he came we decided ‘Let’s enter him (in the Pacific Classic).’”
Il Miracolo’s last race was a runner-up finish to Subsanador in the G3 Iselin at Monmouth Park.
“The last race, the way he ran, the way he came back, it was spectacular,” Sano says. “It was like a morning workout. We thought it would be a good turn around so we made the trip.”
Before running in New Jersey, the son of Gun Runner ran third in the G2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs and before that he had spent the winter at Gulfstream Park where he won the G3 Ghostzapper.
“He’s used to traveling,” Sano notes. “He’s a big horse. We’re really happy with how he’s been doing so far. He loves the track. He loves the environment. We’re happy with the post position. We have Mike Smith, you couldn’t have anyone better.”
Trainer Doug O’Neill brings two horses to the Pacific Classic, Katonah, runner-up to Dr. Venkman in the G2 San Diego Handicap, and Mixto.
“Both are coming into it in good shape,” O’Neill says. “Both have different running styles so that’s good. Mixto will be forwardly placed and Katonah comes from out of it.”
They both come from different backgrounds. Katonah was claimed for $50,000 back in 2021. Mixto is a homebred of Calumet Farm. O’Neill says he had no idea he’d have two Pacific Classic runners in his barn when they first arrived at Del Mar in July.
There Goes Harvard was supplemented to the Pacific Classic.
“The horse was purchased privately by Eclipse (Thoroughbred Partners),” trainer Michael McCarthy states. “They weighed some of the options and thought it might not be a bad idea give the spot a try knowing he’s won going a mile and a quarter on the dirt before.”
That was the 2022 G1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita. He’s run five times since without a visit to the winners circle.
“He’s a bigger, more mature horse now,” McCarthy says. “He’s had some time off. He’s a little bit easier to deal with now.”
None Above the Law, the 2021 Del Mar Derby winner, is a Cal-bred taking a shot at the big money.
“If you never try you never know,” trainer Jorge Periban explains. “We have nothing to lose and a lot to win.”
The 34th running of the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic is the 10th race on the 11-race card Saturday. Probable post is 6 p.m. It’s a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run at Del Mar on November 2.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the new morning line odds: Il Miracola (3-1); There Goes Harvard (Hector I. Berrios, 10-1); Dr. Venkman (Antonio Fresu, 8/5); Reincarnate (Kazushi Kimura, 5-1); Katonah (Tiago Pereira, 6-1); Full Serrano (Reylu Gutierrez, 8-1); Adare Manor (scratched); None Above the Law (Jeremy Laprida, 20-1) and Mixto (Kyle Frey, 15-1).
GOLD PHOENIX SHOOTS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT DEL MAR HANDICAP WIN
It takes a special horse to go out and win a race three years in a row, let alone win three consecutive runnings of a graded stakes race. On Saturday, Gold Phoenix will try to win the G2 Del Mar Handicap for a third straight time, something not lost on trainer Phil D’Amato.
“It means a lot especially doing it with the same horse,” D’Amato says. “For a horse to do that potentially three years in a row is quite a feat.”
Gold Phoenix won last year’s Del Mar Handicap by a length and a quarter, then went on a three-race losing streak, including a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He won the G2 Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita in May then got bounced in the mile and an eighth G2 Eddie Read at Del Mar last month.
“Kind of typical for him at that distance,” D’Amato says of the Eddie Read effort. “He got trapped on the inside and was never able to stretch his legs but I think going a mile and three-eighths he’ll be a lot closer to the pace which is where he likes to be.”
As is typical with every major turf race at Del Mar, D’Amato has multiple entries in the Handicap. He also sends out Balnikhov, a hard-knocking, 5-year-old gelding who finished third in the Eddie Read, and Rockemperor, who spent much of the first two years of his career running overseas and then most the last four years running back east.
“They thought he’d like the firmer turf course in California so they brought him over here,” D’Amato claims. “He’s run two good races for me. Just an old veteran and real nice horse to train. Hopefully he can run his race and if he does he’s a fit in there.”
A couple of seasoned veterans will try to spoil Gold Phoenix’s hat trick. Master Piece returned to the west coast last month and ran fourth in the Eddie Read. The 8-year-old gelding is trained by Richard Dutrow and already has a pair of Grade 2 victories on his resume.
Dicey Mo Chara was runner-up to Johannes in the Eddie Read after running second to Gold Phoenix in his prior two races.
“It was a prep for the Del Mar Handicap so to come in second in that race was a cherry on top,” trainer Leonard Powell says. “He came out of the race good and is coming into this race good.”
The other entries include Balladeer, who won the G2 John Henry Turf Classic at Santa Anita last October but hasn’t visited the winners circle since. He’s trained by George Papaprodromou. El Encinal is an Argentine-bred who will be racing in the U.S. for the first time Saturday.
The 85th running of the G2 Del Mar Handicap will go off as Race 5 on Saturday’s 11-race program. Probable post time is 3:30 p.m.
Here is the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Balnikhov (Kazushi Kimura, 3-1); Dicey Mo Chara (Hector I. Berrios, 8-1); Balladeer (Abel Cedillo, 20-1); There Goes Harvard (scratched); Rockemperor (Antonio Fresu, 7/2); Master Piece (Juan Hernandez, 3-1); Gold Phoenix (Kyle Frey, 5/2), and El Encinal (Armando Ayuso, 10-1).
HANDICAPPING SEMINARS THIS WEEKEND AT DEL MAR
Del Mar offers a series of handicapping seminars this weekend. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer meet, top handicappers will offer their expertise prior to the races. The sessions are free on the patio of the Hacienda Room alongside the Plaza de Mexico behind the grandstand, west of the paddock.
On Saturday, host Frank Scatoni will have Ciaran Thornton, the man behind CaliforniaPick4.com as his guest. On Sunday, Dan Smith and jockey agent Tom Knust will lend their insights into the races. Then on a special Labor Day edition Monday, Dan Smith will host with racetracker John Bucalo as his guest. The seminars start at 12:30 p.m. and last 30-to-35 minutes.
MANDELLA TO RECEIVE PINCAY AWARD IN SATURDAY CEREMONY
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella will receive yet another honor Saturday when he becomes the 20th recipient of the Pincay Award, a prestigious tribute that goes to those who have served the sport of racing “with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction.”
The conditioner will be given the award and its unique statue just prior to Race 4 in winners circle ceremonies led by the man the award is named for – Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr.
Mandella, 74, has saddled more than 2,300 winners and banked more than $157 million in purses since he began his career in 1976. Pincay, 77, rode 39 seasons, including 27 summers at Del Mar, where he is still the leading rider for victories with 1,013. He led America in earnings on seven different occasions. He retired in 2003 as racing’s winningest jockey with 9,530 tallies.
COOLING OUT: Jockey Emily Ellingwood scored her first victory of the Del Mar summer meet Thursday when she guided Battle Call to victory in Race 5…Jockey Juan Hernandez rode the winners in the last three races Thursday to increase his lead in the jockey standings. His 35 victories give him 12 more than the next closest rivals, Antonio Fresu and Umberto Rispoli…Stronghold, trainer Philip D’Amato’s first Kentucky Derby horse, will head back east for his next race, the G1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx September 21…Sweet Azteca came out of her win in last Sunday’s G3 Rancho Bernardo in good order. Trainer Michael McCarthy says for her next race they’re going to “play it by ear. We have a couple of options at Santa Anita or we can go straight to the Breeders’ Cup.” He added the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint is the spot they are pointing for…Another reminder that starting Saturday, first post will be moved up to 1:30 on all race days but Friday…Notable works for Friday: Dirt – Cornell (4f, :47.60); Moment’s Pleasure (4f, 49.40); Sugar Fish (5f, 1:01.00), and Speed Boat Beach (6f, 1:11.40).