THE TURF MEETS THE SURF ONCE AGAIN AT DEL MAR
We’ve gone from counting down the days to counting down the hours to Opening Day of the summer meet at Del Mar. The giant grandstand, which towers over the finely manicured racetrack, is empty for now except for the occasional sound of a maintenance worker putting the finishing touches on preparations for the big day.
Come Friday, the gates will open to the house that Bing built and for the 83rd summer the world renowned racing facility will be filled with fans making their migration to the seaside oval fondly referred to as the place “where the turf meets the surf.” For trainer Jonathan Wong, it has been a rite of passage for several years now…
“It’s always been a bucket list of mine to win a race at Del Mar on Opening Day,” Wong says. He has entries in four races Friday.
Over the span of the 31-day meet that runs through September 11 fans will witness some of the finest Thoroughbreds in the west representing some of the biggest barns in the horse racing industry. Trainer John Shirreffs says he can’t remember a summer not being at Del Mar…
“Historically the sea air is great for everybody and the horses,” Shirreffs says. “The relaxed atmosphere near the coast, it’s such a nice change from Arcadia. The horses love the change, they love to come someplace new, it gets their adrenaline going…as we are, to go someplace new, it’s sometimes like a vacation.”
The leading trainer from the recently concluded Santa Anita meet, Phil D’Amato, has a string of 50 horses at Del Mar, a portion of the 1,800-plus horses expected to stable here this summer. The former assistant to legendary trainer Mike Mitchell has been coming to Del Mar for over 20-years…
“You just love the crowds that come down here,” D’Amato says. “They just really pump up your excitement and enthusiasm for horse racing. I love to see that. And, you just can’t beat the beautiful weather and great surroundings.”
D’Amato and others will compete for a portion of the over $8.2 million in purse money up for grabs in the 39-race stakes schedule, the highlight of which remains the $1-million, G1 TVG Pacific Classic, which will be run over the Labor Day weekend on Saturday, September 3.
Opening Day sold out weeks after management decided to limit the number of tickets sold to a little more than 21,000. The idea to put a cap on attendance came from the positive feedback track officials received from last year’s experiment on Opening Day, and the implementation of a cap for the two Breeders’ Cups that were held at Del Mar in 2017 and 2021. Easier access to betting windows and concession stands and just plain getting around the grandstand makes for a better experience for those who have tickets.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we did a story on Opening Day at Del Mar and did not mention the hats…a tradition for the last quarter century that has been as much a part of Del Mar as the horses. It spawned the idea for a hat contest which is held every year and rewards creative horse racing fans with prize money for the best racing theme, the most glamorous hat, the best fascinator and the best flowers. It’s just another component that makes Opening Day standout from all the rest.
DOUG O’NEILL BRINGS MACKINNON BACK FOR THE OCEANSIDE
This year’s Opening Day crowd at Del Mar can only hope for the same wild finish witnessed in last year’s $100,000 Oceanside Stakes. No less than four horses hit the wire together in the one mile turf race with Flashiest getting his nose down on the wire first.
This year has the potential for an exciting finish as well as a full field of 14 evenly matched 3-year olds go to the post in the traditional opening grass feature. ERJ Racing, et al will send out their son of American Pharoah, Mackinnon. The chestnut colt out of the Scat Daddy mare Scat Means has raced eight times and finished in the money six times.
He rattled-off three wins in a row as a 2-year old in 2021, breaking his maiden on his third try here at Del Mar followed by scores in the $125,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf in September and the $200,000 Zuma Beach up at Santa Anita in October. He was going so well trainer Doug O’Neill gave him a shot in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar where he finished a respectable third behind Modern Games and Tiz the Bomb.
The impressive performances gave his connections visions of roses coming into 2022. But the attempt to run Mackinnon on the dirt ended with a fourth-place finish in a five horse field in the G3 Sham at Santa Anita Park. They shipped their colt up to Golden Gate Fields where he just missed to Blackadder in the $100,000 El Camino Real on the tapeta surface.
Mackinnon returns to the turf Friday following a five-month layoff. He’ll be ridden by Del Mar fall meet and Santa Anita winter/spring meet riding champion Juan Hernandez.
One of his rivals will be Hronis Racing’s Sydney Street, a first-time starter in the U.S. who is coming off back-to-back wins in Great Britain. He’s saddled by John Sadler and will be ridden by Florent Geroux. Also, Little Red Feather Racing, et al’s Balnikhov brings some impressive credentials to the Oceanside for trainer Phil D’Amato.
The field for the Oceanside from the rail with the jockeys: Mackinnon (J.J. Hernandez); Anmer Hall (Ramon Vasquez); St Anthony (Ryan Curatolo); Boise (Branyan Pena); Brit’s Wit (Declan Cannon); Castle Leoch (Mike Smith); Barsabas (Diego Herrera); Balnikhov (Umberto Rispoli); Dandy Warhol (Tyler Baze); Nero Tulip (Abel Cedillo); Royal ‘n Rando (Frank Alvarado); As Amatter of Fact (Evin Roman); Heaven Street (Drayden Van Dyke) and Sydney Street (Florent Geroux)
WHERE ARE THEY NOW: AN UPDATE ON LAST YEAR’S DIVISION WINNERS
Before we kick off another summer meet at Del Mar, let’s take a look at where last year’s top horses are…one year later.
TRIPOLI was named the Horse of the Meet and Top Older Horse by way of his victory in the G1 TVG Pacific Classic. Prior to his breakout win, the son of the late Kitten’s Joy posted a runner-up finish to Express Train in the G2 San Diego. He failed to finish in the money in his two subsequent starts, a fourth-place finish in the G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita and a seventh- place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar. He came out of that race with a bone chip in his knee and was given some time off to recover. He made his 2022 debut in the G3 American at Santa Anita in June and finished fourth. He’s being pointed to the G2 San Diego at Del Mar July 30.
SHEDARESTHEDEVIL picked up top Older Filly or Mare honors after her victory in the G1 Clement Hirsch. The daughter of Daredevil returned to the midwest and won the G3 Locust Grove at Churchill Downs in September before returning to Del Mar and running sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She went on to sell for $5-million at the Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale at Keeneland, purchased by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. They brought the 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner back to the races in 2022 where she was third in her 5-year old debut…the G2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park behind Eclipse Award winner Ce Ce. She followed that race with a game second to Pauline’s Pearl in the G1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs on Oaks Day and finally got back to the winner’s circle with a wire-to-wire score in the G2 Fleur De Lis.
SCHIVEL sped-off with Del Mar’s Top Sprinter award due to his victory in the G1 Bing Crosby. He went on to win the G1 Sprint Championship Stakes at Santa Anita, despite running half of the race with a broken rein. Then it was ‘Heartbreak City’ for the son of Violence and his connections when he was nailed on the wire by a flying Aloha West, losing by a nostril in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The partnership led by Red Baron’s Barn brought him back on opening day at Santa Anita but he ran a lackluster seventh and last in the G1 Malibu. Not to be deterred, they took him overseas, to Dubai where he ran 3rd in the Golden Shaheen on the Dubai World Cup undercard. He has not raced since, trainer Mark Glatt saying he hasn’t like the way Dr. Schivel has responded since returning from the Middle East.
UNITED was the top grass horse at Del Mar last summer. He won the G2 Eddie Read on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, then ran a hard luck fourth in the G2 Del Mar Handicap. He rebounded with a win in the John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita in October, setting-up the son of Giant’s Causeway for his third appearance in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. But a swollen ligament knocked him out days before the race and after months of consideration, LNJ Foxwoods decided to retire United and make him a riding horse on their Kentucky farm.
NONE ABOVE THE LAW took home the honors for top 3-year old. He ran three times at the summer meet, beginning with a disappointing ninth-place finish in the Oceanside Stakes on opening day. But the son of Karakontie followed that with a win in the Real Good Deal Stakes and then another victory in the G2 Del Mar Derby five weeks later. The Cal-bred ran three more times in 2021 but failed to get back to the winner’s circle and has not run in 2022, though he’s been on a steady worktab since the end of June at San Luis Rey Downs for trainer Peter Miller.
GOING GLOBAL was the top 3-year old filly at Del Mar last summer. She finished second to Madone in the G2 San Clemente then ran off with a popular win in the G1 Del Mar Oaks. She skipped the Breeders’ Cup, the partnership that includes owner Michael Dubb choosing instead to run her in the G2 Goldikova at Del Mar on the Breeders’ Cup undercard. It proved a wise choice as she won handily. With visions of a possible Eclipse Award, they brought her back for the G1 American Oaks on opening day at Santa Anita but she ran sixth. The daughter of Mehmas made her 2022 debut in April at Santa Anita, notching another graded stakes win, this time in the G2 Royal Heroine, followed up by a third-place finish behind Ocean Road and Going to Vegas in the G1 Gamely on Memorial Day. She may run next in the G2 Yellow Ribbon here August 13.
GRACE ADLER was named top 2-year old filly during the 2021 summer meet. She won twice, breaking her maiden in July and then capturing the G1 Del Mar Debutante on closing day. However she ran out-of-the-money in two subsequent starts, a fifth place finish in the G2 Chandelier at Santa Anita in October and a sixth-and last-place finish in the G1 Starlet at Los Alamitos in December. After some time off, the daughter of Curlin returned to the worktab in mid-April.
PINEHURST was the top 2-year old at Del Mar last summer after winning his first two career starts at the seaside oval. He broke his maiden on August 1 and then won the G1 Del Mar Futurity by four lengths. He would go on to run fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Despite winning the G2 San Vicente in his 3-year old debut, the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables decided to pass on the Kentucky Derby and instead took their colt overseas where he promptly won the Saudi Derby on the Saudi Cup undercard. Misfortune reared its ugly head in Dubai, though, when a dirt clod struck Pinehurst in the eye and he faded to last in the UAE Derby on the Dubai World Cup undercard. The son of Twirling Candy has returned to the states and resumed works at Santa Anita in mid-May.
COOLING OUT: Full fields are in play for Opening Day of the Del Mar summer meet. 124 horses have been entered for the 10 races on the card. All but one race will have 10 or more runners…The line wrapped around the block, or in this case…the barn Wednesday afternoon as over a dozen horses waited outside of the Receiving Barn in the stable area for their turn to go to morning paddock where another dozen or so were already schooling. An estimated 65 horses eventually made their way around the ring… Selected works on Thursday: Dirt -- None Above the Law, (6f, 1:14.60); Astronaut, last year’s Del Mar Handicap winner, (4f, :48.00); multiple-stakes winner, Midcourt, (4f, :50.40).