R Heisman © Benoit Photo
TWO-YEAR-OLDS GET TESTED IN GRADUATION STAKES FRIDAY
This is the time of year when a lot of the hard work that goes into preparing a young thoroughbred for the races is finally put to the test. The breaking, the schooling and the training all lead to this shining moment on the racetrack. Some will fail, others will catch on and succeed. A few will go on to exceed their connection’s wildest dreams.
Two-year-olds are in the spotlight of this week’s stakes action at Del Mar beginning with Friday’s $100,000 Graduation Stakes for Cal-breds.
Nine colts and geldings are set to line-up for the 5 ½ furlong sprint on the main track. Three hail from the Peter Miller barn. The veteran trainer brings R Heisman, fresh off a trip to Northern California; Case Hit, a first out maiden winner at Santa Anita, and Last Call Zondio, a debut maiden winner at Los Alamitos.
“I think they’re three nice Cal-breds,” Miller says. “A little different styles. Case Hit is very, very fast. He’s really quick. The other two not as quick. As Charles Whittingham used to say, ‘We got ‘em surrounded’.”
Beginning with the most experienced of the trio - R Heisman. He was runner up in his debut but rebounded with a winning effort four weeks later, posting a 4 ½ length margin of victory. Miller then shipped the colt up to Pleasanton and he finished second in the $75,000 Everett Nevin.
“I think with a clean trip it might have been a different story,” Miller says. “He checked pretty hard about a sixteenth of a mile out of the gate and it took him out of position. But he never quit and came back on running so we were pleased with the effort.”
Despite the shipping, R Heisman is no worse for wear.
“He handled it very well,” Miller notes of the trip to Northern California and back. “He’s a very professional colt. He’s really trained well here. So I expect him to run big.”
Timty also made the trip up to Pleasanton in July for trainer Doug O’Neill and finished third in the Everett Nevin, 9 ¼ lengths behind R Heisman. In May, he broke his maiden first out by a nose.
While R. Heisman and Timty were taking the 500-mile jaunt up the five freeway to the Bay Area, Bodacious was flying cross country to Kentucky for his most recent race. The son of Smokem beat R Heisman by 5 ¾ lengths in his debut in May. He was then loaded on a plane and trekked to Churchill Downs for the Bashford Manor Stakes. That didn’t go so well.
“He looked a little tired,” trainer Jorge Periban says. “I don’t know if it was the shipping. But he’s looking a lot better, like when he won the first time. He’s in good shape and I like my chances.”
Bodacious finished sixth of 12 horses in the Bashford Manor, 15 ¾ lengths behind the winner Politicallycorrect. Periban has also entered his colt in Sunday’s G3 Best Pal.
I’m a Bad Boy missed breaking his maiden by a nose opening weekend at Del Mar. It was his second try in the maiden ranks.
The 73rd running of the Graduation will go off as race seven Friday with a probable post time of 7 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Nap (Mario Gutierrez, 10-1); The Gypsy Cowboy (Tiago Pereira, 20-1); R Heisman (Juan Hernandez, 6/5); Bodacious (Victor Espinoza, 6-1); Timty (Edwin Maldonado,12-1); Case Hit (Reylu Gutierrez, 10-1); I’m a Bad Boy (Ricky Gonzalez, 4-1); Infamous Angel (Kazushi Kimura,15-1), and Last Call Zondio (Diego Herrera, 10-1).
HERNANDEZ, SADLER SIT ATOP THE DEL MAR STANDINGS AFTER 10 DAYS
While Juan Hernandez is once again taking hold of the jockey standings at Del Mar, Phil D’Amato has his hands full with John Sadler as he defends is title in the trainer standings after 10 days of racing at the seaside oval.
Hernandez racked-up seven victories last week, three coming on Thursday and two each on Saturday and Sunday, including the featured stakes race of the week, the G1 Clement Hirsch aboard Adare Manor.
Hernandez now has 15 total, four better than Umberto Rispoli. He’s following the same pattern he’s used to capture the last four riding titles at Del Mar (summer and fall). He inches away from the competition about this time of the meet, consistently putting up winners until, by Pacific Classic Day, he owns a sizable lead and his fellow competitors would “have to sprout wings” to catch him.
“Juan’s a great rider,” trainer Peter Miller says. “He’s riding well and anytime you can get Juan you gotta be happy.”
In addition to his wins, Hernandez has 10 seconds and 11 thirds out 60 mounts for a 60% in the money success rate. He also leads in earnings with $1.1 million, the only jockey at Del Mar to have reached seven figures so far this year.
Rispoli will most likely cross into seven figures sometime this week. He has enjoyed most of his success on the grass and of his 11 wins, four have come in stakes races. He goes into week four of the summer meet with $945,600 in earnings.
Hector Berrios is next in the jockey standings with 10 wins followed by Antonio Fresu and Kyle Frey with eight each and Reylu Gutierrez with seven. Abel Cedillo, Kazushi Kimura, Edwin Maldonado and Armando Ayuso round out the Top Ten with five victories each.
The trainers race is a lot tighter. Through Sunday’s racing, John Sadler leads the way with eight wins out of just 25 starts, a 32% clip. Four of those trips to the winners circle came last week.
D’Amato is right behind Sadler with seven victories. He’s in search of his third straight summer meet training title and leads all trainers in earnings with $749,148 and apparently the best is yet to come.
“Usually my 2-year-olds need a race so we give them a run early on in the meet,” D’Amato explains. “Then the second time out they’re cranked and ready to run their best. We’ve had a lot of them debut forwardly first time out and I think the money run will be at the end of the meet.”
Following D’Amato are Mark Glatt, Michael McCarthy and Bob Baffert with six wins each. Doug O’Neill has five and Tim Yakteen four. Peter Miller, Steve Knapp and Antonio Garcia, who captured his first stakes win ever at Del Mar last week with Curlin’s Kaos in the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes, complete the Top Ten with three victories a piece.
Field sizes continue to make for good, competitive racing at Del Mar. After 10 days and 98 races the average field size is 9.01. It’s even better on the turf at 9.64 after 47 races. The average field size in the stakes races, which are always the hardest to fill, is still one of the best in the nation at 8.47.
BACKSTRETCH WORKERS ENJOY ANOTHER SUMMER OF HEARTY MEALS
For the second year now, Del Mar is providing meals to the people who work on the backside. The grooms, the hot walkers, assistant trainers and exercise riders. Anyone who handles the horses. Well over 300 meals are served each day to the folks that are often first to the barn in the morning and the last to leave. They are provided five days a week.
Groupo Cayenne prepares and serves the meals. Sue Walls coordinates the effort.
“Things are going real smooth,” Walls says. “I think it’s well received again. People are coming in and sitting and having a meal after a long day.”
They serve about 350-to-400 people nightly.
“They have to have their CHRB license,” Walls says. “Everybody that cares for the horses all have the CHRB license and their number has been registered. They get their badge scanned and they go in and get their food.”
Del Mar is the only track in the country that provides this service to its backstretch workers on a regular basis.
“They (Groupo Cayenne) talks to the folks to see what everybody’s interest in,” Walls notes. “They haven’t changed the menu that much though it is geared a little more Hispanic this year than last year. They do chicken tinga, which is a marinated cooked chicken, with beans and rice and tortillas. Some nights they make Pozole, a great big hearty soup. They do fish once a week.”
Many working the backstretch are so busy, they have to take the food to go. But at least they’re getting a solid meal.
“A lot of people can’t get something healthy to eat,” Walls contends. “It’s more like chips or whatever they can run across the street and get at the Speedway. We do run a van for those on the backside three days a week that will take them to the nearby Vons which is not walking distance.”
The backside meals are the brain child of track president Josh Rubinstein and executive vice president of racing Tom Robbins, who put their heads together and figured out a way to make it work. It’s Del Mar’s way of showing appreciation for what the backside workers do, many of whom are far from home and family.
“We do burgers on Wednesday,” Walls adds. “We call it ‘Welcome Back Wednesday’. It’s for everybody coming back down from home up in LA or out east.”
The meals are served for about three hours in the backstretch kitchen and dining room beginning at 4 o’clock (except on Fridays when the first post is a little later) until about 45 minutes after the last race.
This year, a kiosk has been opened outside barn ‘Y’ near the grandstand. It’s for those who work the barns on the southeast portion of the grounds, a healthy walking distance from the Backside Kitchen.
“It’s called ‘Omar’s Oasis’,” Walls says. “Omar Vergara is one of the brothers that runs the (Backside) meals. They can take their vouchers and get coffee or lunch in the mornings. So we’re expanding.”
COOLING OUT: Both of the winning horses in last Sunday’s stakes came out of their races in good order. Stay Hot, winner of the La Jolla Handicap, is in “good shape” according to trainer Peter Eurton and heading to the G2, $300,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby on September 1. In the Air Tonight is doing fine following her win in the C.T.B.A Stakes. Trainer Steve Knapp says she will be pointed to the $100,000 Generous Portion on September 2…Notable works this week, all on the dirt: Monday – Speed Boat Beach (4f, :48.20); Prince of Monaco (5f, 1:00.20) and Stronghold (5f, 1:02.60). Tuesday – Big City Lights (5f, :59.20). Thursday – Pushiness (4f, :49.40); Senor Buscador (4f, 47.20); and Linda’s Gift (6f, 1:12.80).