By Hank Wesch

FLAMBOYANT COULD BE AN ENTERPRISING SPOILER IN DERBY

Glen Hill Farm’s Enterprising, with victories notched in the Oceanside Stakes and the La Jolla Handicap, could become the fourth horse in Del Mar history to sweep the summer meeting’s 3-year-old stakes series with a win in Sunday’s $300,000 Grade II Del Mar Derby.

But to join Lightning Mandate (1974), Ladies Din (1998) and Blackdoun (2004) to complete the triple, the Tom Proctor-trained son of Elusive Quality will have to overcome seven rivals and prevail at a 1 1/8-mile distance at which his record is 0-2.

Chief among the rivals, in the estimation of track oddsmaker Russ Hudak, is Flamboyant, the 5-2 second choice to Enterprising’s 9-5 on the morning line.

The French-bred Flamboyant, trained by Patrick Gallagher, won the La Puente Stakes in April at Santa Anita in his U.S. debut after winning twice and never being worse than third in six starts in France. Taken to Belmont Park in New York, Flamboyant kept his on-the-board record clean with a second to Gala Award in the Pennington Ridge and third behind Mr Speaker in the Belmont Derby.

Toast of New York, who would subsequently finish second in last Sunday’s $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, was sixth in the Belmont Derby.

“He ran well in both races in New York and he’s been training well since he’s been back here,” Gallagher said. Flamboyant has one work on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, venue for the Derby, and four on the Polytrack main surface. The latest was six furlongs in 1:12.80 a week ago (Saturday, Aug. 23), best of 13 at the distance.

New York-based Joel Rosario will make the cross-country trip to ride Flamboyant.

“(Rosario) said after the races in New York that he wanted to stick with (Flamboyant),” Gallagher said. “That was back then and you never know how things are going to work out. But he (Rosario) is coming out to ride him.”

Flamboyant is co-owned by California Horse Racing Board Chairman Chuck Winner, who is committed to getting an in-person look at every horse he buys and, when time allows, travels the world to do so.

“He’s always been good to train for and we’ve been fairly lucky together,” Gallagher said. “I’ve known him a long time. He had horses with my old boss Bill  Shoemaker before me.”

The field for the Del Mar Derby, which goes as the ninth on an 11-race card,  from the rail out is: Home Run Kitten (Joe Talamo, 6-1), Sawyer’s Hill (Martin Garcia, 8-1), Midnight Storm (Tyler Baze, 12-1), Talco (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Enterprising (Mike Smith, 9-5), Aventador (Elvis Trujillo, 8-1), Flamboyant (Joel Rosario, 5-2) and Sammy Mandeville (Rafael Bejarano, 10-1).

CONQUEST ECLIPSE LATEST OF CASSE’S PROMISING JUVENILES

Trainer Mark Casse will send out Conquest Eclipse in Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante. And while the daughter of  Malibu Moon, who broke her maiden debuting June 29 at Churchill Downs, is 6-1 on the morning line, behind  5-2 Sunset Glow, there’s precedent at the meeting for a Casse juvenile doing well.

Skyway, winner of the Best Pal Stakes on August 3 is a major contender, and possible favorite, for the $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Wednesday, September 3. Casse-trained Conquest Panthera, a 2-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, kicked off Pacific Classic Day  last Sunday with an impressive debut win in the first race.

Now comes Conquest Eclipse with ownership, Conquest Stable LLC, the same as Conquest Panthera.

“She has trained really well,” Casse said. “We’ve kind of considered her top of the class. Her Churchill Downs race was good, even though I thought she’d run a little better than she did, and she’s come out here and trained extremely well. She got a low Beyer figure for the race at Churchill Downs, but a lot of my horses that have come from there have gotten much higher numbers for their races out here.

“I think she’s going to be very tough, and I don’t say that very often. We’re really excited about her.”

Casse brought around 20 2-year-olds out for his first summer at Del Mar. A few were sidelined when a sickness went through the barn and plans to run here had to be scuttled. “That’s disappointing, but not unusual when you ship,” Casse said.  “We’ve had the same thing happen when we ship to Saratoga.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME -- The Del Mar Debutante is the championship event of the meeting for 2-year-old fillies. It has been a stop on the path to Eclipse honors for seven winners since 1982, most recently She’s a Tiger in 2013.

BLUE TONE LOOKS TO HIT HIGH NOTE IN BRUBAKER

Blue Tone, a 5-year-old gelded son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone, makes his stakes debut as the 9-5 favorite in a field of six for Saturday’s $90,000 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes, which goes as the third on an 11-race card.

Two of Blue Tone’s three career wins in eight starts have come on Del Mar’s Polytrack, the latest being August 3 in an optional claimer over the one mile distance of the Brubaker. It was one of  10 wins for the jockey/trainer combination of Kent Desormeaux and R.B. Hess, Jr.

“He’s a big, good-looking horse with a lot of character and class,” Hess said. “He’s had some minor issues before, but he’s healthy now, feeling good and really doing well.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME -- The Harry F. Brubaker Stakes is named for “Bud” Brubaker, who worked for Del Mar for 50 years, the last 25 as Director of Operations, before his passing in 1995. He was also a National Football League official from 1950-1970 and officiated the 1968 championship game.

STAKES TRIPLE HEADER SET FOR LABOR DAY

Graduation Stakes winner Wake Up Nick comes back in the I’m Smokin. Great Friends Stable goes for a second straight Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf victory with its latest Irish import, She’s Complete. Wishing Gate, Cozze Up Lady and Stormy Lucy, the 2-3-4 finishers behind Moulin de Mougin in the John C. Mabee, meet again in the Yellow Ribbon Handicap.

That’s the stakes situation for an 11-race card on Monday, the penultimate day of  the meeting and the third straight program of that length to conclude the Labor Day weekend.

The field for the $150,000 I’m Smokin, which goes as the fourth race, from the rail out: Cardiac (Alonso Quinonez, 8-1), Truly Quick (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Hot Lightning (Victor Espinoza, 10-1), Comanche Ruler (Kent Desormeaux, 5-1), Stormin Wild (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Colorado Strong (Tiago Pereira, 20-1), Wake Up Nick (Mario Gutierrez, 6-5) and Global Musician (Elvis Trujillo, 5-1).

The field for the $100,000 Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf, which goes as the sixth: Achiever’s Legacy (Kent Desormeaux, 7-2), Diva Express (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Heart of Paradise (Joe Talamo, 9-2), Quint (Alex Solis, 15-1), She’s Complete (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1), Sea Mona (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Bobbi Grace (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), C’Mon Sister (Tyler Baze, 20-1), Madam Aamoura (Martin Garcia, 8-1), Miss Mandate (Brice Blanc, 20-1) and Awesome Diamond (Mike Smith, 8-1).

The field for the $200,000 Grade II Yellow Ribbon, which goes as the ninth:  Stormy Lucy (Rafael Bejarano, 5-1), Need You Now (Corey Nakatani, 15-1), Bunairgead (Joe Talamo, 20-1), Heat Du Jour (Alex Solis, 12-1), Cozze Up Lady (Kent Desormeaux, 4-1), Wishing Gate (Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2), Parranda (Elvis Trujillo, 3-1), Winning Rhythm (Mike Smith, 12-1) and Miss Serendipity (Brice Blanc, 4-1).

NINE ENTERED FOR GRADE I FUTURITY ON CLOSING DAY

Best Pal Stakes winner Skyway tops a field of nine entered for the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday, the closing day of the meeting.

The Grade II Best Pal was the second win in three starts for Skyway, a son of Sky Mesa. Corey Nakatani will ride Skyway, replacing Stewart Elliott, who remains sidelined while recovering from broken ribs incurred when kicked by a horse here earlier this month.

From the rail out the field is: American Pharoah (Victor Espinoza), Oh Newman (Aaron Gryder), Inexcess Time (Joe Talamo), Calculator (Elvis Trujillo), Iron Fist (Mike Smith), Henry’s Holiday (Tyler Baze), Red Button (Rafael Bejarano), Holiday Camp (Martin Garcia) and Skyway (Corey Nakatani). 

‘OLD GUYS’ DON’T RULE, BUT THEY MANAGE JUST FINE AT DEL MAR

Forty seven riders have been given a leg up on horses through Friday’s 32nd day of racing at Del Mar’s 2014 summer season. Twenty eight of them have won at least one race.

If you draw a line at the age 40, a further cataloging of the jockeys at the session shows that 18 of those winning riders (or 64%) are under that marker, meaning 10 of them (or 36%) are above it.

All told so far there have been 283 races contested at the seaside stand. The “old guys,” those north of 40, have won 104 of them, or 37%. The crew south of 40 has combined to win 179 races, or 63%. In other words, nobody is outdoing anybody in the jocks room.

Here’s how the numbers specifically shake down for each rider:

The North of 40 Gang -- Blanc (1 win); Carr (1); Delgadillo (7); Desormeaux (27); Elliott (3); Espinoza (16); Gryder (2); Nakatani (13); Pedroza (8), and Smith (26).

The Under 40 Collection --  Antongeorgi (3); Arias (3); Baze (19); Bejarano (30); Couton (2); Garcia (12); Gutierrez (7); Hernandez (1); Maldonado (11); Orozco (2); Perez (16); Pereira (7); Quinonez (4); Stra (1); Sullivan (1); Talamo (17); Trujillo (26), and Van Dyke (17).

CLOSERS – Trainer Craig Lewis said that Clubhouse Ride, last of 10 in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, came out of the race fine. “Joe (Talamo) said he just didn’t handle the track,” Lewis said. Clubhouse Ride’s probable next start will be in the $200,000 Los Alamitos Mile on September 6. Among the expected rivals that day, two-time Del Mar winner Masochistic … Ship And Win eligible horses on Saturday’s card are: Scatchmeifyoucan (1^st, Vladimir Cerin, trainer), Calm Pacific (3^rd, David Hofmans, no bonus, stakes), Knock Em Flat (4^th, Jeff Mullins), I’vegotafeelilng (4^th, Simon Callaghan), Royal Temptress (8^th, Mike Puype), Conquest Eclipse (9^th, Mark Casse, no bonus, stakes) … Selected works from 81 timed Saturday:  Den’s Legacy (5f, :59.40), Doinghardtimeagain (5f, :59.40), Sky Kingdom (6f, 1:12.80).

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 29, 2014 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Friday, August 29, 2014 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Friday, August 29, 2014 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 81 out of 282 -- 28.72%

Winning favorites on Polytrack -- 66 out of 223 -- 29.60%

Winning favorites on turf -- 15 out of 59 -- 25.42%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 9 out of 18 -- 50.00% 

In-the-Money favorites -- 177 out of 282 -- 62.77%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 13 out of 18 -- 72.22%

Saturday, August 30, 2014 Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793