Juan Hernandez © Benoit Photo
HERNANDEZ EYES THIRD STRAIGHT SUMMER RIDING TITLE AT DEL MAR
Jockey Juan Hernandez is looking forward to another summer meet at Del Mar and why wouldn’t he. He’s in search of his fifth riding title at Del Mar and if it weren’t for arch-nemesis Flavien Prat he would have more. Hernandez won both titles last year (summer and fall). He won the summer title in 2022 and the fall in 2021 while Prat came out on top in the fall of 2022 and the summer of 2021.
Prat will not be riding at Del Mar this summer. He rides fulltime at Saratoga. There’s always the possibility he’ll make a cameo appearance at the seaside oval toward the end of the meet like he did last year when he came west to ride (and win with) Arabian Knight in the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic. That leaves Hernandez to grapple with riders Umberto Rispoli, Antonio Fresu, Hector Berrios and Kyle Frey, the recently concluded Los Alamitos meet riding champion. There are also veteran riders Edwin Maldonado, Geovanni Franco and Mike Smith.
“I like the competition,” Hernandez says. “I’ve always thought the competition makes you better. We have two or three new guys. Good quality. I like it. I’m really excited to start the meet. I’m going to keep working hard in the mornings and afternoons and hopefully we can get a good start.”
Then there are the newcomers Kazushi Kimura and Jeremy Laprida and the return of Joe Talamo and Abel Cedillo, winner of the Del Mar fall meets in 2019 and 2020, who is fully recovered from the neck injury he suffered at the beginning of last year’s summer meet.
Hernandez is the one to beat, though. He racked-up three wins on opening day to assume his place back on top of the jockey standings. His dominance is a direct result of hard work and the guidance of agent Craig O’Bryan.
“He’s helped me a lot from day one,” Hernandez says. “He’s introduced me to a lot of people and finds me good horses. He also gives me some good tips like how to talk to the trainers and owners and how to ride better.”
The two have a perfect working relationship.
“He does his job and I do my job,” Hernandez states. “He pretty much picks all the horses I ride. Then on race day, after the races, we’ll sit down and go over the horses that I ride. He’ll ask what I think of the horse, do I like to ride him or not. If the horse wins, he’ll tell me what’s the next step, what’s the next race coming up.”
It also helps to be one of the first to get a call from top trainers like Bob Baffert. Last summer, Hernandez won the Wickerr Stakes with Du Jour, the G1 Clement Hirsch on board Adare Manor, the G3 Rancho Bernardo with Eda and the Shared Belief with Mr. Fisk, all Baffert trainees.
“He rides with a lot of confidence,” Baffert says. “He’s a pretty chill kind of guy. Very cool and calm. It’s like he really appreciates his situation, the position he’s in. He doesn’t take it for granted. Loves what he does and worked hard all his life to get to this position.”
Hernandez made 39 trips to the winner’s circle at Del Mar last summer, eight were stakes victories. Of course, with success comes opportunity and Hernandez has found himself branching outside of California more and more these days, riding for Baffert at Oaklawn Park earlier this year. He won the G1 Arkansas Derby aboard Muth and the G1 Apple Blossom on Adare Manor.
“Traveling is nice but it’s nicer when you win,” Hernandez says with a smile. “It’s hard when you go somewhere and finish second. Winning the big races put you on the map with the other big trainers.”
Hernandez has plans to do more riding outside of California but says this is his home and this is where he will remain fulltime.
“I love Del Mar, this is a really nice place,” Hernandez says. “We have everything here. We have the racing four days a week, we have good food and good weather. I think everybody loves Del Mar like me.”
DEL MAR DERBY WINNER CONCLUDE RETURNS IN WICKERR SUNDAY
The opening weekend stakes action wraps up Sunday afternoon with the $100,000 Wickerr Stakes. Named after the 1981 and ’82 Eddie Read Handicap winner, the race was won last year by Bob Baffert’s outstanding miler Du Jour.
Baffert doesn’t have an entry in this year’s edition but trainer Phil D’Amato has brought two horses to the dance including last year’s Oceanside Stakes and G2 Del Mar Derby winner Conclude. The son of Collected has only run once as a 4-year old this year, a 10th-place finish out of 11 horses in the G1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on Memorial Day.
“That wasn’t probably one of my greatest ideas to run him off of a long layoff in a Grade I,” D’Amato admits. “But he’s doing really good. He’s come back with some really dazzling works.”
D’Amato’s other entry in the Wickerr is Almendares, who has also made only one start this year, a third-place finish in the G3 Daytona at Santa Anita. That was down the hillside turf course so D’Amato has him back to routing.
“He’s more effective around two turns,” D’Amato says. “We just sprinted him last time because that was our only option off the bench to have him fine-tuned and ready to go in the Wickerr.”
Almendares is the second favorite on Jeff Siegel’s morning line next to Rancho Temescal and Red Baron’s Barn’s First Peace. That 4-year old son of Funtastic has only finished out of the money twice in his 12 race career though he hasn’t won a stakes race since the 2023 John Shear at Santa Anita. First Peace has placed second twice this year, in the $100,000 Siren Lure and G3 Daytona.
Dandy Man Shines is worth a look. He won the $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes at Del Mar last fall and has finished in the money in nine of his last 10 races including a runner up finish in the G3 Thunder Road at Santa Anita. The Irish-bred gelding finished second in his last race, a second level allowance, runner-up to Flashiest, another entry in the one mile turf test.
The Wickerr is race #9 on Sunday’s 11-race card. Probable post time is 6 p.m.
Here is the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Noble Reflection (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1); Cabo Spirit (Kyle Frey, 15-1); Almandares (Antonio Fresu, 7/2); First Peace (Mike Smith, 5/2); Ah Jeez (Geovanni Franco, 15-1); Air Force Red (Edwin Maldonado, 10-1); Flashiest (Juan Hernandez, 12-1); Conclude (Hector Berrios, 6-1); Dandy Man Shines (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1); Irideo (Jeremy Laprida, (10-1) and Astronomer (Kazushi Kimura, 12-1).
LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS LINE UP IN G3 COUGAR II THURSDAY
There’s nothing like a little graded stakes action to kick off the new week. Racing resumes at Del Mar on Thursday with the longest stakes race of the meet, the G3 Cougar II. It’s a mile and a half on the dirt for 3-year-olds and up.
Last year’s winner was Order & Law and trainer Bob Hess is taking a swing at winning the Cougar II in back-to-back years with Dual Threat, a 5-year-old gelding by Into Mischief. Unlike Order & Law, he’s never gone the marathon distance and his best showing was his last, a victory in a $50,000 starter/optional claimer at Santa Anita.
“He’s kind of a lazy horse so I think the added ground will help,” Hess says. “Order & Law is probably a better horse but this horse (Duel Threat) has never gone a mile and a half so we’re hoping he’ll relish the distance.”
Even if he gets the distance he’ll still have to deal with Reincarnate from the Bob Baffert barn. A Derby horse in 2023, the son of Good Magic has been tested by some of the best in several graded stakes races. He’s run up against the likes of Sudi Crown, Silver Knott, Newgate, and Skippylongstocking.
“I really think he’s going to like that distance,” Baffert says. “He needs a mile and a quarter, a mile and a half. It’ll probably be a springboard for the Pacific Classic.”
Following his run in the Kentucky Derby, when he finished 13th, Reincarnate returned to the west coast and won the Los Alamitos Derby but then he jumped in deep waters, running sixth in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby before testing the turf and running ninth in the G2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Breeders’ Cup weekend.
He’s shown flashes of brilliance this year, running third in the Santa Anita Handicap, fourth of 11 in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap and then a runner-up finish to stablemate Mr. Fisk in the G2 Hollywood Gold Cup last out. Baffert believes with the experience under his belt, the stretch out may be just what the doctor ordered for Reincarnate.
“He’s maturing,” Baffert notes, “He’s a really good horse.”
Salesman is the morning line favorite. The Richard Mandella trainee is the only one in the field to have run the distance. In fact, he went even farther, covering a mile and five-eighths in his win on Breeders’ Cup day in the G2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Santa Anita. He’s only run once since, a last place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap.
“He’s had a few issues,” Mandella says, “no big deals. He is in good shape right now. He’s always shown endurance in his workouts. He can go forever.
Calm Sea is riding a two-race win streak, climbing the condition ladder with victories in an entry level allowance and then a second level allowance his last time out. They’ve all come on the turf but trainer George Papaprodromou isn’t concerned with the surface switch.
“Just trying something different,” he says. “He’s been training good on the dirt. He’s been running long, a mile and a quarter several times, so I don’t think the distance should be an issue. It’s a mile and a half. It should be okay.”
A six horse field will line up for the Cougar II, named after the Hall of Fame horse from the 1970’s. It’s the seventh race on the eight race card. Probable post is 5 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with their jockeys: Calm Sea (Kyle Frey); Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso); Reincarnate (Juan Hernandez); Salesman (Kazushi Kimura); Dual Threat (Edwin Maldonado) and Clooney (Tiago Pereira).
COOLING OUT: Both of the Opening Day stakes winners came back in good order. Trainer Michael McCarthy says Formidable Man, winner of the Caesars Sportsbook Oceanside Stakes, came out of his race “good” and will be considered for the Del Mar Derby next month. Iscreamuscream, winner of the G2 San Clemente, “ate up all her feed last night” according to assistant trainer Rudy Cruz “and is ready for the next one.” D’Amato said she will be considered for the G1 Del Mar Oaks August 17…Muth worked six furlongs in 1:11.00 at Del Mar Sunday. Baffert says he’s not sure where he will next run the Arkansas Derby winner. The $2 million purchase by Zedan Racing has fully recovered from the fever that caused him to be scratched from the Preakness. “He was going to go in the Haskell,” Baffert says, “but he got really sick and set us back. If the Haskell was next week, I could have had him in there.”…One ticket hit the Pick 6 Saturday and paid $254,450.80…A very busy morning of training on both the dirt and turf courses. 362 official works were recorded, 37 on the grass. It’s one of the highest numbers of workouts in recent memory. Notable works Saturday: Dirt – Anisette (4f, 48.20); The Chosen Vron (4f, 47.20); Anarchist (5f, :59.80); Du Jour (5f, :59.80); Express Train (5f, 1:00.80); Salesman (5f, 1:02.60); National Treasure (6f, 1:10.00) and Parenting (6f, 1:13.00). Turf – Johnny Podres (4f, :52.20); Motorious (4f, 49.80); Balnikhov (5f, 1:01.60); Gold Phoenix (5f, 1:02.40) and Planetario (5f, 1:02.60).