Six rivals were entered Wednesday to take on California Chrome in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II San Diego Handicap.

 

With the draw for post positions scheduled early Wednesday afternoon,  Del Mar racing office stakes coordinator Chris Merz listed the following horses (in alphabetical order) as having entered:

 

California Chrome, Crittenden, Dortmund, Follow Me Crev, Hard Aces, Soi Phet  and Win The Space.

 

Hard Aces and Soi Phet are nominated for Sunday’s $100,000 Grade III Cougar II Handicap should their connections choose to exercise that option.  John Sadler, trainer of Hard Aces, said Wednesday that he is “leaning more towards Saturday (San Diego Handicap) right now.”

 

A quick look at the possible Chrome challengers:

 

Crittenden, a 4-year-old Distorted Humor gelding owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Eoin Harty, enters off a runner-up finish on the Northern California fair circuit. His career record of  15 4-2-1 with earnings of $183,340 includes a victory in the Let It Ride stakes here last October.

 

Dortmund has been off since winning the Grade III Native Diver here last November 28. The 4-year-old Big Brown colt owned by Kaleem Shah and trained by Bob Baffert won the Santa Anita Derby and was third to stablemate American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby in compiling earnings of more than $1.3 million as a 3-year-old en route to his current $1,712,480.

 

Follow Me Crev, a 4-year-old Quality Road gelding trained by Vladimir Cerin for Holly and David Wilson, had a four-race winning streak – started here last fall – snapped with a fifth-place finish in the Grade II Californian on May 22 at Santa Anita.

 

Hard Aces, a 6-year-old son of Hard Spun,  is winless since the 2015 Gold Cup at Santa Anita but comes in off a runner-up to Second Summer in the Californian and third behind Melatonin in the Gold Cup title defense on June 25. Trained by John Sadler for Hronis Racing LLC, Hard Aces is slightly more than $60,000 away from becoming a $1 million earner.

 

Soi Phet, an 8-year-old Tizbud gelding trained and partly owned by Leonard Powell, comes in off a victory in the McCann’s Mojave Stakes at Santa Anita on June 26 and has three wins in seven career starts at Del Mar.

 

Win the Space, a 4-year-old Pulpit colt trained by George Papaprodromou for Kretz Racing LLC, was second in the Gold Cup  following an allowance level victory in his 2016 debut.  Win the Space broke his maiden here in his sixth career start in August of last year.

 

California Chrome continued his training routine Wednesday morning, “schooling” in the paddock and standing in the gate before his morning jog around the track.

 

 

 

Defending TVG Pacific Classic Champion Beholder continued a series of what trainer Richard Mandella described as “good gallops” Wednesday in continuing training for the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on July 30.

 

Champion filly Songbird made her final routine workout here Wednesday morning and was scheduled to be flown later in the day to Saratoga where she’ll run in the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks on Sunday. Songbird worked a bullet six furlongs in 1:11.40 here on Sunday.

 

Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist galloped on the main track for the second day in a row after working five furlongs in 1:02 on Sunday. Nyquist will have one more work here on Sunday, then ship east for the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey on July 31. Trainer Doug O’Neill was, as usual, enthusiastic about the condition of the Eclipse Award 2-year-old champion whose only loss in nine career starts came in the Preakness last May.

 

O’Neill said there were discussions about having Nyquist make his comeback in the San Diego. “The two issues were running against older horses for less money at home or having to ship for a race for more money in his age group.

 

“Putting him on a plane to run against 3-year-olds is what we decided was in Nyquist’s best interest and that’s always what comes first,” O’Neill said.

  

 

 

Unbeaten (2-for-2) Enola Gray drew the outside post in a field of seven and was made the 4-5 morning line favorite by track oddsmaker Russ Hudak for Friday’s $150,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for California-bred fillies at seven furlongs.

 

Enola Gray, a 3-year-old daughter of Grazen trained by Phil D’Amato for owner Nick Alexander, won her first career start, April 10 at Santa Anita, by 16 ¼ lengths and came back to take the Melair Stakes on May 28 by 2 ¼ lengths, both under Tyler Baze.

 

The Fleet Treat field from the rail out: Roo’s Valentine (Martin Pedroza, 12-1), Allsquare (Joe Talamo, 6-1), The Spiral Jetter (Santiago Gonzalez, 20-1), Be a Lady (Gary Stevens, 20-1),  Run for Retts (Flavien Prat, 6-1), Fantasy of Luck (Rafael Bejarano, 3-1) and Enola Gray (Tyler Baze, 4-5).

 

 

 

Chasing Aces, who  broke a 52-year-old track record for five furlongs by covering the distance in 56.21 on Sunday, came out of the race well and could come back in the  Grade II $200,000  Best Pal Stakes on August 13, trainer Peter Miller said Wednesday.

 

“He’s always trained like a good horse,” Miller said. “But you never expect anything like a track record.”

 

Chasing Aces, a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Flatter owned by Rockingham Ranch set the record in only his second lifetime start. In his career debut on June 25 at Santa Anita, Chasing Aces was runner-up, 1 ¼ lengths behind Silver Assault in a five-furlong event won in :57.20.

 

Chasing Aces eclipsed the mark of : 56 2/5 by 3-year-old filly Soldier Girl in 1964, which equaled the world record at the time.

 

It was one of four starts at the 1964 Del Mar meeting, all wire-to-wire wins, for Soldier Girl, a daughter of Guerrero owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Tusquellas, trained by Charlie Comiskey and ridden by John Longden.

 

On August 1, Soldier Girl won the second division of the Oceanside Stakes against colts by three lengths in 1:08 4/5 for six furlongs. Twelve days later was the track record for five furlongs, again against colts. Nine days later, in the Big Crosby Handicap, she bested boys  again winning by 2 ½ lengths in 1:09 2/5.

 

Given what for her must have seemed a lengthy 18-day respite, Soldier Girl prevailed against older females in the Palomar Handicap by two lengths in 1:09 2/5.

 

 

CLOSERS – Shh She’s Ours  puts a four-race winning streak on the line in Wednesday’s featured $75,000 CERF Stakes. The most recent, all under Victor Espinoza for the Jim Cassidy trainee, came in the Desert Stormer on June 26 at Santa Anita. The field from the rail out: Enchanting Lady (Rafael Bejarano, 5-2), Pretty N Cool (Mike Smith, 3-1), Everqueen (Mario Gutierrez, 10-1), Dr. Fager’s Girl (Martin Garcia, 5-1), Lucky Folie (Flavien Prat, 10-1) and Shh She’s Ours (Victor Espinoza, 8-5) … Defending Bing Crosby Stakes winner Wild Dude has been sold to Irish interests to stand stud on the Emerald Isle, trainer and co-owner Jerry Hollendorfer said … Selected workouts from 302 officially timed over the last three mornings: Monday – Follow Me Crev (4f, :48.00), Lord Nelson (5f, 1:00.80), Hoppertunity (6f, 1:12.00), Om (6f, 1:15.20); Tuesday – Dream Team (5f, :1:02.40), Jade Princess (5f, 1:02.40); Wednesday – Majestic Heat (4f, :50.40), American Freedom (6f, 1:12.20), Drefong (6f, 1:13.00).   

 

 

 

(Current Through Sunday, July 17, 2016 Inclusive)

Jockey	Mts	1st	2nd	3rd	Win%	In-money%	Money Won
Santiago Gonzalez	18	4	2	3	22%	50%	$124,759
Kent Desormeaux	17	3	3	1	18%	41%	$170,330
Tyler Baze	21	3	2	4	14%	43%	$194,304
Flavien Prat	22	3	1	2	14%	27%	$155,568
Victor Espinoza	7	2	4	0	29%	86%	$170,216
Gary Stevens	8	2	2	0	25%	50%	$177,335
Rafael Bejarano	9	2	1	1	22%	44%	$203,516
Mario Gutierrez	11	2	1	1	18%	36%	$123,682
Stewart Elliott	14	2	0	1	14%	21%	$38,785
Agapito Delgadillo	5	1	2	0	20%	60%	$75,510

 

 

(Current Through Sunday, July 17, 2016 Inclusive)

Trainer	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Win%	In-money%	Money Won
John W. Sadler	7	3	1	2	43%	86%	$159,105
Doug F. O'Neill	15	3	1	1	20%	33%	$104,655
Philip D'Amato	7	3	1	0	43%	57%	$243,636
Peter Miller	12	2	0	2	17%	33%	$140,555
Neil D. Drysdale	4	2	0	0	50%	50%	$84,819
Gary Sherlock	4	2	0	0	50%	50%	$52,725
Victor Fernandez	4	1	2	0	25%	75%	$32,945
Brian J. Koriner	5	1	2	0	20%	60%	$36,890
Robertino Diodoro	4	1	1	1	25%	75%	$29,025
Mike Puype	8	1	1	1	13%	38%	$37,280

 

 

(Current Through Sunday, July 17, 2016 Inclusive) 

Winning favorites -- 11 out of 30 -- 36.67%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 6 out of 19 -- 31.58%

Winning favorites on turf -- 5 out of 11 -- 45.45%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 1 -- 100.00%

In-the-Money favorites -- 24 out of 30 -- 80.00%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 1 -- 100.00%

 

 

Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793