Medoro © Benoit Photo
MEDORO LOOKS TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED IN G2 SAN CLEMENTE
The traditional opening day feature, the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes, usually has the day all to itself. But due to the Saturday start to the 2024 Del Mar summer meet, it will share top billing with the G2 San Clemente Handicap this year.
A dozen 3-year old fillies will go to the gate for the San Clemente, a one mile grass event that serves as the local prep for next month’s G1 Del Mar Oaks. C R K Stable’s Medoro is the filly to beat. She’s undefeated after four starts and has already won on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course, breaking her maiden here last December.
Trainer Peter Eurton knows he has a good one in this daughter of Honor Code.
“She hasn’t done anything wrong that’s for sure,” Eurton says. “Hopefully she continues that.”
She doesn’t win by much, but she wins. In her four races Medoro’s margins of victory have been a head in her maiden win, a neck in the $100,000 Blue Norther and a nose last out in the G3 Providencia in April. Her decisive win came in the China Doll in March when she won by two and a quarter lengths.
“We’ve kind of freshened her up since her last,” Eurton notes. “She went the mile and an eighth (in the Providencia) and it was time for a break. She was a bit overly aggressive.”
Medoro is one of two entries in the San Clemente for Eurton. He also brings Flattery, who will start alongside her stablemate.
“She (Flattery) loves this racetrack,” Eurton points out. “She’s two-for-two. The draw’s not the best (post #11), but hopefully he (jockey Reylu Gutierrez) can maneuver his way over and save some ground and make that run that she likes to do.”
Flattery broke her maiden at Del Mar during last year’s summer meet then followed with a win in the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf on closing weekend. She made a run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies but could only finish 12th. In her only start this year she was eighth in the G3 Senorita at Santa Anita.
Trainer Phil D’Amato brings his usually impressive arsenal to the San Clemente with no less than three entries. Iscreamuscream is undefeated after two starts; Loterie just broke her maiden and Zona Verde was last fall’s G3 Jimmy Durante winner at Del Mar.
Trainer Richard Mandella will counter with two of his fillies. Rascality finished second in the G3 Senorita, then came back and was runner-up to Iscreamuscream in an entry level allowance. He also saddles Alluring, a daughter of Ghostzapper, who missed by a nose in the $100,000 Angel’s Flight at Santa Anita in April before a seventh in the G3 Senorita. Both will be stretching out around two turns for the first time.
The 57th running of the G2 San Clemente is race #9 on Saturday’s 11 race card. Probable post is 6 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Loterie (Kazushi Kimura, 10-1); Sea Dancer (Mike Smith, 15-1); Sakura Blossom (Armando Ayuso, 20-1); Rascality (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Invincible Molly (Edwin Maldonado, 15-1); Iscreamuscream (Hector Berrios, 3-1); Antifona (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Omaha Girl (Geovanni Franco, 30-1); Zona Verde (Juan Hernandez, 8-1); Medoro (Antonio Fresu, 8/5); Flattery (15-1) and Alluring (scratched).
OCEANSIDE STAKES DRAWS 11 FOR OPENING DAY
The entry box for opening day at Del Mar was filled to the brim when entries were pulled Wednesday for Saturday’s card. Over a hundred horses were entered for the 11 race card (119 to be exact) and the interest was never more evident than in the two stakes races slated for Opening Day.
The traditional Opening Day feature, the $100,000 Caesars Sportsbook Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf, drew 11 horses, three from the barn of trainer Michael McCarthy
Formidable Man ships back to Southern California from Churchill Downs where he ran an impressive second to Trikari in the G2 American Turf on Kentucky Oaks Day.
“Very good run at Churchill,” McCarthy says. “A little rain a day or two before and the turf course seemed conducive to his style.”
But in his next race Formidable Man ran a disappointing sixth in the $275,000 Audubon.
“Ran him there again a month later (but he) just didn’t seem to handle it, didn’t like it. We gave him a little freshening. He likes it down here, he’s one-for-one.”
Formidable Man, a son of City of Light, broke his maiden on the turf course going a mile on closing day at Del Mar last September.
McCarthy also brings Blue Eyed George, who ran second to Final Boss in the $100,000 Cinema at Santa Anita last out.
“Horse probably wants a little bit farther than a mile,” McCarthy says, “but it looks like on paper that there will be plenty of pace to run into.”
McCarthy’s third runner, We’re in Trouble, is undefeated after two starts.
Trainer Phil D’Amato brings King of Gosford to the Oceanside. The English-bred is undefeated in three races since coming over to the D’Amato barn. He’ll be trying two turns for the first time.
“He’s always trained like a horse with some talent,” D’Amato says. “We just tried to figure out whether to run him long or short and just by the way the races came up from month to month we kept him short. But now was a perfect time to stretch him out and we’re going to see what happens.”
King of Gosford won the $100,000 John Shear Memorial in April down the hill at Santa Anita, beating Raging Torrent who went on to win the $175,000 Maxfield Overnight at Churchill Downs. King of Gosford followed with another victory, this time in the $100,000 Desert Code in May, also on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.
Right behind ‘Gosford’ that day was All That Glory, one of two horses entered by trainer Tim Yakteen. The son of Goldencents stretched out to a mile in his next race and finished sixth in an entry level allowance at Santa Anita.
Yakteen’s other entry, Rothschild, hasn’t raced since missing by a neck in the G3 Cecil B. DeMille at Del Mar last fall.
Trainer John Sadler starts a pair of colts in the Oceanside. Scatify ran a distant second to Parenting in the $100,000 Affirmed at Santa Anita last month.
“A good second,” Sadler points out. “He was running against a horse that would have been two or three-to-one in the Haskell but he got sick and didn’t go. Nice thing about Scatify is that he’s shown himself to be very versatile.
The son of Justify has run second in his last three races but Sadler doesn’t buy into the ‘seconditis’ theory.
“No, the time he ran second on the grass he was a little unlucky,” Sadler says. “He should have won. He’s been running against good horses all along. This is a little class relief for him. He drew well and should be real competitive.”
Sadler’s other entry is Island Cruiser, who beat Scatify in a six furlong grass sprint at Santa Anita in May.
“There wasn’t a spot for him until we got here,” Sadler says of the son of Catalina Cruiser. “This fits him well. He’s an honest horse, right there every time. He’ll probably be up a little bit close to the pace.”
The 79th running of the Oceanside will go off as the seventh race on Saturday. Probable post is 5 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: All That Glory (Reylu Gutierrez, 10-1); Formidable Man (Umberto Rispoli, 9/2); King of Gosford (Antonio Fresu, 5/2); Guy Named Joe (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Island Cruiser (Edwin Maldonado, 15-1); We’re in Trouble (Abel Cedillo, 10-1); Blue Eyed George (Jeremy Laprida, 20-1); Scatify (Hector Berrios, 8-1); Charge for Gold (Kyle Frey, 15-1); Rothschild (Kazushi Kimura, 12-1), and Simplexity (Victor Espinoza, 30-1).
HANDICAPPING SEMINARS RETURN TO DEL MAR
Del Mar offers a series of handicapping seminars beginning this weekend. Every Saturday and Sunday during the summer meet, top handicappers will offer their expertise prior to the races. The sessions are free at the Plaza de Mexico behind the grandstand, west of the paddock. On Saturday, host Frank Scatoni will have racing blogger Peter Fortanale as his handicapping guest. On Sunday, Dan Smith and the Racing Form’s Steve Andersen will lend their insights into the races. The seminars start at 1 p.m. and last 30-to-45 minutes.
COOLING OUT: Another impressive showing at the entry box for day two of the Del Mar summer meet with 105 horses entered for Sunday’s 11 race card bringing the grand total for the opening weekend to 224 spread out over 22 races…Notable works Friday: Chromeflash (4f, :47.00); Danzing Forest (4f, :47.00); Emerald Bay (5f, :58.60) and Authentic Spirit (5f, :58.60). 103 horses put in official works on Friday, the largest number since the track opened for training on Wednesday.