DEL MAR IS BACK WITH ANOTHER FULL HOUSE ON THE BACKSIDE
Every year at this time the horse trailers begin arriving at Del Mar, filled with some of the most beautiful and expensive racehorses the world has to offer. This year they began rolling off the I-5 onto Jimmy Durante Blvd and into the stable area Thursday and there’s been a steady flow every day since as Del Mar prepares for its 84th summer of racing.
When it’s all said and done, racing officials expect there to be about 1,950 horses on the grounds during the duration of the meet which begins Friday and continues to September 10. That’s about the same number as last year which set new high water marks for field sizes.
“Seems like you always get some cancelations,” racing secretary David Jerkens says, “or someone doesn’t bring as many horses as they were assigned but I think we’ll be right around that number.”
In 2021 there were 1,980 horses on the grounds at this time and in 2020, the year of COVID, there were 1,810. Jerkens says they like to keep the number at around 2,000.
Glen Hill Farm returns to Del Mar with a string of horses this summer. They raced in Southern California for many years before moving operations back east to Florida. This year they return with what Jerkens calls some serious runners.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of options around the country,” Jerkens says, “and we’re glad they chose us. Last couple years we’ve made an effort to get our stakes schedule and our purse structure out by early March, so we’re thrilled to have Glen Hill back.”
Jerkens also credits the “Ship & Win” program for luring new barns to Del Mar. New trainers at the seaside oval this year include Rohan Crichton from Gulfstream Park and east coast-based Jonathan Thomas. Meanwhile, many trainers, who were new to Del Mar last year, are returning this summer. Todd Fincher, Robertino Diodoro, Jeff Engler and Patrick Biancone return along with the several trainers who send a string of horses down from Northern California.
Del Mar’s average field size was 9.14 in 2022 and, while no official record has been kept over the years, most of the veterans at the track don’t ever remember seeing a number that high. It’s something that Jerkens would love to repeat but he’s looking for something more in 2023.
“It’s more than just field size,” Jerkens says, “it’s quality of stakes races. Last year we saw a bump in field size in stakes races and given the market and what you see around the country, I thought that was pretty remarkable. We had only one day where we had under eight runners a race. It was the Friday after Labor Day, we were off the turf so we had a plethora of scratches.”
Jerkens doesn’t want to tempt fate when talking about last year’s numbers. He realizes it was a special meet.
“When you look into the numbers from last year, everything just kind of fell into place,” Jerkens notes. “That being said, last year is last year. Every meet is different. You have a game plan before the meet. There are just a lot of things that went right last year from a ‘filling races’ standpoint.”
D’AMATO LOOKS TO REPEAT IN OPENING DAY FEATURE
Del Mar’s multi-million dollar stakes schedule starts off with a bang this Friday, with the 77th running of the $100,000 Caesars Sportsbook Oceanside Stakes, the traditional opening day feature at the seaside oval.
A full field of 14 3-year olds will line-up for the one mile test on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course led by a pair of runners from the Phil D’Amato barn. Del Mar’s leading trainer in 2022 won last year’s Oceanside with Balnikhov.
Classical Cat broke his maiden here at Del Mar last summer and then went on to victories in an entry level allowance at Santa Anita in October and two months later in the $100,000 Eddie Logan. Both races were at the Oceanside distance. The Mendelssohn colt had a freshening since that stakes victory in December and has drawn the inside post for Friday’s race.
D’Amato’s other hopeful is Conclude, a son of 2017 Pacific Classic winner Collected, who won the $100,000 Desert Code on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in May. He nosed out First Peace for his second victory in four lifetime starts for Little Feather Racing, Madaket Stables or Jones. Conclude will break from the #9 post.
The D’Amato pair could have their hands full with Escape Artist, who missed by just a half a length to Mi Hermano Ramon and Wizard of Westwood in the $100,000 Singletary at Santa Anita in May. The Michael McCarthy trainee came back a month later and cleaned-up in an entry level allowance, winning by four lengths.
“I’ve always been very high on him,” McCarthy says of Escape Artist. “I expected him to win last time. The horse has come back and trained well. We’ll get a good idea of where we’re at on Friday. I expect a solid effort.”
Bob Baffert will take a crack at the Oceanside with Mr. Fisk, runner-up to Geaux Rocket Ride in the G3 Affirmed at Santa Anita in June. The son of Arrogate will be trying turf for the first time. He’s coming into the race off of a pair of bullet works last month.
The Oceanside goes off as race eight on the 10-race card and is part of the guaranteed $1-million Pick Six at Del Mar on Opening Day. Here’s the field from the rail out with jockeys: Classical Cat (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1); Mas Rapido (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); Zalamo (Mike Smith, 8-1); El Oro (Kyle Frey, 30-1); Ah Jeez (Tiago Pereira, 30-1); Mr Fisk (Joe Bravo, 8-1); Agency (Abel Cedillo, 15-1); Kid Azteca (Ramon Vasquez, 12-1); Conclude (Hector Berrios, 6-1); Escape Artist (Kent Desormeaux, 7-2); Panic Alarm (Assael Espinoza, 5-1); Ever A Rebel (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Game Time (Armando Ayuso, 8-1) and Ze’bul (Diego Herrera, 30-1).
“SHIP & WIN” ATTRACTS MORE OUT-OF-STATE OWNERS AND TRAINERS
Most of the architects of the popular “Ship & Win” program at Del Mar refuse to take credit for saving horse racing in Southern California. Admittedly, the term ‘saving’ may be a bit of an overstatement but there’s no denying that the successful program has breathed new life into the region.
“Ship & Win” enters its 13th season at Del Mar in 2023. The program provides incentives for out-of-town trainers and owners to bring their horses to the seaside oval. If a horse has made their last start outside of the state, they get a bonus just for running, $5,000 for dirt runners, $4,000 for turf. Then on top of the bonus they get a purse supplement, 50% for dirt, 40% for turf.
Last year, over 200 horses qualified for the “Ship & Win” bonus and made over 300 starts at Del Mar. This year racing secretary David Jerkens believes the numbers will be similar.
““Ship & Win” was up 20-percent last year,” Jerkens says. “It was a big component of our success last summer. I don’t know if we’ll be at the level of last year but I think we’ll be in the ballpark.
“When you attract out-of-state barns that bring 20 head,” Jerkens says, “like last year we had Diodoro and Sisterson, that inflates the numbers. Typically most of the starts are from local trainers. 60-to-70 percent are local. Then you throw in out-of-state barns that are not just sending a stakes horse and you get that eight-horse field that might have been a six or that 10-horse field that might have been an eight. You just look at the card and you see how many extra horses are from the “Ship & Win” program.
Overall, an estimated 2,400 horses have participated in the “Ship & Win” program since it began in 2011. This has led to increased field sizes, not only at Del Mar but at other racetracks around the state.
“We opened it up for Santa Anita,” Jerkens says, “where an eligible horse can make two starts at Santa Anita in May and June and still be eligible for purse bonuses at Del Mar. And at the Santa Anita autumn meet, horses remain eligible as long as they’ve made one start at Del Mar.”
The ripple effect of these horses shipping-in to Del Mar is that many are staying and racing in Southern California.
“We’ve kept track of the horses,” Jerkens says, “and we’ve seen evidence that a majority of them remain on the circuit. Typically they’ll stay in the state and make another start of two.”
In addition to “Ship & Win” there’s the Maiden Incentive Program, a 25% purse supplement for owners and trainers who run their horses in Maiden Special Weight dirt races, MSW Cal-bred dirt races, and maiden claiming dirt races of $62,000 and above. That translates into big bucks for an owner who brings their horse from out-of-state and wins one of the qualifying maiden races.
The Del Mar summer meet begins Friday.
COOLING OUT: Horses worked on the grass for the first time Tuesday. In fact it’s the first opportunity in Southern California for horses to work on the turf since they left Del Mar following the 2022 fall meet. Santa Anita does not offer training on their turf course during their winter and spring meets… Trainer Mark Glatt says he is pointing Dr. Schivel to the G1 Bing Crosby July 29. The “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint is shaping up to be a good one with trainer George Papaprodromou also pointing his dynamic duo of American Theorem and Spirit of Makena to the Crosby…Notable Works for Tuesday: Dirt - Window Shopping (3f, :36.60). Turf - Offlee Naughty (3f, :41:00); Turnerloose (4f, :52:60); Twilight Gleaming (4f,:50.20) and Whatmakesammyrun (4f, :54:00). On Wednesday it was dirt training only. A total of 44 horses put in official works.