DAY 6

JUSTIFY RETIRED; WILL PARADE FOR FANS HERE SATURDAY

Bob Baffert was by himself in a second-floor grandstand box when approached by two writers around 7:30 Wednesday morning. Naturally, the first subject was Justify.

“We’ve been doing therapy on him, and he’s responding, but not quickly enough,” Baffert said. “He looks great and he’s acting great. He looks like I could run him right out of the stall. But the inflammation is not completely out.

Baffert went on to say he would be involved in a teleconference with Elliott Walden, managing partner of the ownership group (Winstar Farm and China Horse Club) of Justify, and others at noon eastern time.

At a little after 2 p.m. in the east, the announcement came. The undefeated Triple Crown champion will be retired, with stud plans to be announced at a future date. The magnificent chestnut son of Scat Daddy retires with a perfect six-for-six record and earnings of $3,798,000.

“We all wanted to see Justify run again,” Baffert was quoted in the Thoroughbred Daily News.” But ultimately it is my responsibility to make sure he is perfect. Without 60-90 days, I can’t be definite.”

“The timing is bad for another start in 2018, and therefore, we have to retire him,” said Walden. “Like American Pharoah, we can’t take the risk of running Justify as a four-year-old. We all wanted him to finish his career in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), but it was not meant to be. As has been reported, there is a possible sale to Coolmore in place, but that won’t be finalized until a later date. We are excited to share him with our fans starting the middle of August after he gets acclimated.”

Winstar Farm’s Kenny Trout said: “He is an incredible horse and we are very disappointed he can’t run again. All things happen for a reason and we are blessed to have raced him to be the 13^th Triple Crown winner in history.”

Justify exhibited swelling in his left front ankle soon after completing the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. The swelling subsided, but reappeared after a workout a month or so ago, and Justify arrived at Del Mar on July 13 for observation and treatment.

Tuesday afternoon it was announced that Del Mar fans will get an opportunity to see Justify up close for the last time.

On Saturday, the majestic chestnut will be walked around the paddock area several times and then paraded on the track before the crowd after the fourth race (approximately 3:45).

VAN DYKE GRABS WINS, STAKES, TOP SPOT IN JOCKEY STANDINGS

With four wins on the weekend, two of them in stakes races, Drayden Van Dyke ended the first week of the meeting atop the rider standings for both overall wins (6) and stakes (20).

Van Dyke’s scores for trainer John Sadler aboard Catalina Cruiser ($4.60) in the San Diego Handicap and Catapult ($44.00) in the Eddie Read Stakes garnered national attention and Van Dyke was named the Jockeys’ Guild Foundation Detox Jockey of the Week.

Van Dyke came into the 2017 Del Mar meeting not long recovered from a broken right arm and used the summer to rebuild business while finishing sixth with 21 wins from 127 mounts. He bagged six wins from 19 mounts in the first five days of the 36-day meeting to lead defending champion Flavien Prat by one with veteran Mario Gutierrez and apprentice Asa Espinoza tied for third with four wins each.

“I was pretty excited coming into the meeting because I’ve got some two-year-olds that I have high expectations for and I’m looking forward to when they’re going to run,” Van Dyke said Wednesday morning.

While waiting for the babies, he did some very good work aboard four-year-old Catalina Cruiser and five-year-old Catapult in two of the six stakes of the first week.

“Catalina Cruiser is a very good horse and there were a lot of scratches in that race, so it was pretty simple. Get him to the lead and get him to relax. He did the rest.

“Catapult was keen with me in the first turn the first time I rode him at Santa Ania but I learned a lot about the horse in that race. I was surprised he was like the longest shot on the board.

“He ran the way John said he was going to run.”

Van Dyke rides Stormy Liberal, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint here last November, in today’s fourth race. An opportunity at another stakes win in the $100,000 Grade III Cougar II Handicap three races later went by the board when 20-1 shot Deal With It Dude was scratched.

Also in the Cougar II, apprentice Asa Espinoza rides his first turf stakes on Little Scotty (6-1) for Vladimir Cerin. Apprentice allowances do not apply in stakes, and Little Scotty is assigned 116 pounds.

SMILING ANGELO FAVORED IN FRIDAY’S REAL GOOD DEAL

Smiling Angelo, an undefeated (2-for-2) three-year-old son of Smiling Tiger, will break from post position No.4 and was established as the 8-5 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Friday’s $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at seven furlongs on the main track.

Smiling Angelo broke his maiden in April and took a first condition allowance in May at Santa Anita by a combined 6 ¾ lengths under Joe Talamo for trainer Phil D’Amato. Mike Smith will be in the irons on Friday while Talamo opts for another of his regular mounts, the more seasoned  (3-for-8, $$255,681 earnings) Take the One O One for Jay Em Ess Stable and trainer Brian Koriner. Talamo his been up for every start.

“He’s real versatile,” Talamo said. “He can run on turf or dirt. He can win on the lead or coming from behind.

“It’s going to be interesting because we drew inside Smiling Angelo, who’s a very good horse with a lot of speed. We’re going to have to play the break and go from there.”

The field from the rail: Fashionably Fast (Tiago Pereira, 6-1), Take the One O One (Joe Talamo, 5-2), Psycho Dar (Evin Roman, 10-1), Smiling Angelo (Mike Smith, 8-5), Violent Ridge (Geovanni Franco, 6-1), Shaymin (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1), Daddysprize (Tyler Baze, 6-1), Isee It in Hiseyes (Franklin Ceballos, 20-1).

MARQUEE NAMES WILL COME OUT FOR GRADE I WEEKEND

The first Grade I stakes of the meeting, both of which are “Win And You’re In” qualifiers for Breeders’ Cup events, will be presented this weekend with the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes on Saturday and the  $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on Sunday.

Probables for the  Crosby, a 6-furlong event that often determines the meet sprint champion and a qualifier for the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint are: American Anthem, American Pastime, Edwards Going Left, defending race champion Ransom the Moon, Roy H and St. Joe Bay.

Probables for the Hirsch, a 1 1/16-mile main track test for fillies and mares that is a qualifier for the Longines Breedeers’ Cup Distaff are: Eclipse Champion Unique Bella, Vale Dori, Bernina Star, La Force and Yuvetsi.

Entries were to close and post positions drawn later today for the Bing Crosby , and for the Clement L. Hirsch on Thursday.

CLOSERS – Agent Brian Beach reported from Scripps La Jolla Hospital that  Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza, who has been listed as  in stable condition and is out of  intensive care, was  “feeling much better,” after a third night in the hospital. Espinoza incurred a fracture of the C-3 vertebra in his neck in a training accident Sunday and will be sidelined for the Del Mar meeting. There are still some nerve issues in his shoulder and arms, Beach said, but he is walking around and doing therapy. Expectations are that he will be hospitalized for another  day or two…Trainer John Sadler said he will take his time before naming a replacement for Espinoza on Accelerate for the Pacific Classic…Selected works from 125 officially timed Wednesday morning: Fight Night (4f, :47.80), Hootie (4f, :47.80), Abel Tasman (5f, 1:01.20), Conquest Flatterme (5f, :59.20), … The folks from nearby Gallery Bonuccelli will be Del Mar’s “Artists of the Week” from August 22 to 26 at the track. An advanced preview of their exceptional horse photos can be seen Thursday evening until 7 p.m. at its gallery (348 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach) as part of the “Thursday Night Art Walk on Cedros.”

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Sunday, July 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Sunday, July 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Sunday, July 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 21 out of 45 -- 46.67%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 17 out of 27 -- 62.96%

Winning favorites on turf -- 4 out of 18 -- 22.22%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 5 out of 6 -- 83.33%

In-the-Money favorites -- 26 out of 45 -- 57.78%