Happy Jack © Benoit Photo

CHALLENGERS LINE UP TO FACE THE CHOSEN VRON IN BING CROSBY

While most eyes will be on The Chosen Vron today in the G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar, there are six other upset-minded entrants who would like nothing more than to spoil ‘Vron’s’ attempt to repeat as winner of the meet’s first Grade 1 race this summer.

Beginning with Happy Jack, last month’s G2 Triple Bend winner at Santa Anita. He gave The Chosen Vron his stiffest challenge this year in the $100,000 Kona Gold in April, hooking California’s Horse of the Year at the top of the lane and menacingly sitting on his flank down the entire stretch only to lose by three quarters of a length in the end.

“He kind of surprised us a little bit when he became a sprinter,” says Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill. “He was always going long. He ran in the Kentucky Derby and finished mid-pack.”

Mora thinks Happy Jack can turn the tables in the Bing Crosby.

“What I see on him (The Chosen Vron) when the races are really tough he kind of unfolds a little,” Mora notes. “We’re looking forward to that so we can beat him. But that’s the one to beat. Definitely.”

Mora and O’Neill also bring Anarchist to the Bing Crosby. The son of Distorted Humor missed by a head to The Chosen Vron in last year’s ‘Crosby’ and then went on and won the G2 Pat O’Brien before undergoing minor surgery to remove a bone chip discovered during his works for the Breeders’ Cup. He returned from a 10-month layoff in the Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs last month and got beat by nine lengths.

“He was so fresh,” Mora says. “Usually he breaks and relaxes and goes with the other runners. But this time he tried to run off. That’s over and he’ll be better in this race.”

The horse that beat Anarchist that day, Closethegame Sugar, has followed him out west from Kentucky to also take a crack at The Chosen Vron and at the same time earn a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The Bing Crosby is a ‘Win and You’re In’ challenge race. The 4-year old gelded son of Girvin is coming off two solid wins in the $250,000 Aristides and the $235,000 Kelly’s Landing, both sprints on the dirt.

“We’re just trying something new, see what the horse likes,” trainer Adam Rice says about bringing his horse west to Del Mar. “See if we could possibly have a little ‘in’ if we decide to go to the Breeders’ Cup.”

“It’s going to be tough,” Rice continues. “Every race you run at this point is going to be tough. Every race he’s ran in this year has been tough. Even his three-other-than was saltier than I wanted. He’s been a great horse.”

Closethegame Sugar, named for New York Mets closer, Edwin “Sugar” Diaz, who is part owner of the horse, has raced eight times and finished in the money in seven of those, with five trips to the winners circle.

“He handled the shipping great,” Rice says. “He flew out here a couple of days ago and I galloped him yesterday and this morning (Friday) and he’s doing great.”

Things got a little bit easier for The Chosen Vron when Straight No Chaser, another one shipping into Del Mar with upset on his mind, was scratched this morning.

The 79th running of the G1 Bing Crosby will go off as race #10 on today’s 11-race card. Probable post time is 6:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Anarchist (Kazushi Kimura, 10-1); See Through It (Tiago Pereira, 30-1); Straight No Chaser (scratched); Giant Game (Joe Talamo, 20-1); Roll On Big Joe (scratched); Closethegame Sugar (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1); Happy Jack (Edwin Maldonado, 3-1); The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, 6/5) and Jackstown (Juan Hernandez, 15-1).

TALENT PACKED G2 EDDIE READ HIGHLIGHTS SUNDAY’S DEL MAR CARD

Some of the best turf horses on the grounds will line up in the G2 Eddie Read at Del Mar Sunday. An evenly matched group of nine veteran campaigners, all graded stakes winners, will go a mile and an eighth on the Jimmy Durante turf course. It’s a virtual nightmare for handicappers, many of which will be up late Saturday night trying to figure this one out.

Gold Phoenix is back to defend his title, having captured the 2023 version on his way to being named top grass horse of the Del Mar summer meet. Following his fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, trainer Phil D’Amato gave Gold Phoenix a five-month freshening. He returned to run up the track in the G3 American, but rebounded nicely to win the G2 Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita in May. He was closer to the pace in the Whittingham and D’Amato says that is the key to success for the Irish-bred.

“Kyle Frey does a great job with him,” D’Amato says, “making sure he doesn’t fall too far out of it. He gets disinterested, so hopefully being up a little bit closer to the pace will help get him to the winners circle.”

Gold Phoenix, a two time winner of the G2 Del Mar Handicap, is one of three D’Amato entries in the Eddie Read. He also starts Easter, a French-bred who won the G2 Seabiscuit during the fall meet at Del Mar last year and followed up with a win in the G2 San Gabriel on opening day at Santa Anita. He would run second to Du Jour in the G1 Kilroe Mile before finishing sixth in the G1 Shoemaker Mile last out.

“He didn’t break good,” D’Amato says. “He just gave them too many lengths. We’ve been working with him at the gate. Broke him out of the gate actually today (Thursday) so he won’t lose so much ground early on. I liked what I saw so hopefully that gets him more involved in the race.”

D’Amato’s third entry is Balnikhov, winner of the 2022 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar who shipped back east and won the G3 Dinner Party at Pimlico last out. The coast-to-coast flights don’t concern D’Amato.

“He likes his races spaced so it works out perfectly,” D’Amato says. “He’s fresh and happy. He had a nice work on the Del Mar turf course last Sunday and I’m happy to get him going in the ‘Read’.”

The talent runs deep in the Eddie Read. Du Jour, last year’s G2 Del Mar Mile winner, will start for Bob Baffert. He also won the G1 Kilroe Mile earlier this year and has run the one mile distance in his last 10 races. He’ll go an extra eighth of a mile in the Eddie Read but Baffert is not deterred. 

“He should be all right,” Baffert says. “He likes the course and when he’s ‘on’ he runs well. Turf racing is so difficult. The trip is so important. In dirt racing, the fastest horse wins. In turf racing you have to get the trip.”

Du Jour ran third in his last outing, the G1 Shoemaker Mile. The horse that beat him that day is also running in the Eddie Read. Johannes has won his last two races, the G3 American in April and the Shoemaker on Memorial Day. 

“This will be his third race off the layoff,” trainer Tim Yakteen says. “The spacing has been good and he enjoys the surface down here. We’re ready.” 

Also entered in the Eddie Read are 2022 G1 Gold Cup winner There Goes Harvard, last year’s G2 John Henry Turf Classic winner Balladeer and 2022 G2 San Gabriel winner Dicey Mo Chara.

If that’s not enough, 2022 G2 Del Mar Handicap winner Master Piece has shipped in from New York where the 8-year-old won the G2 Fort Marcy at Aqueduct last out. He’s now in trainer Richard Dutrow’s barn but while he’s at Del Mar he’s in the care of Bob Baffert’s assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes. Talented New York rider Dylan Davis is expected to fly out to ride Master Piece.

The 51st running of the G2 Eddie Read, named after William E. Read, the former publicity director at Del Mar, is Race #9 on Sunday’s 11-race card. Probable post is 6 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: There Goes Harvard (Reylu Gutierrez, 30-1); Master Piece (8-1); Gold Phoenix (6-1); Easter (Antonio Fresu, 4-1); Balnikhov (Kazushi Kimura, 12-1); Dicey Mo Chara (Jeremy Laprida, 20-1); Du Jour (Juan Hernandez, 5/2); Balladeer (Geovanni Franco, 20-1) and Johannes (Umberto Rispoli, 2-1).

UMBERTO RISPOLI MOVES TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS AT DEL MAR

When jockey Umberto Rispoli first came to Del Mar in the summer 2020 the world was in the grips of Covid and the native Italian was relatively new to the United States, having just completed his first winter/spring meet at Santa Anita after riding in France for several years. He was hungry for success and did what it took to get a foothold in American racing. Fast-forward four years later and Rispoli is considered one of the top riders at Del Mar. 

The 35-year old jockey comes into this year’s Del Mar meet with a purpose. Like every rider he wants to ride as many winners as he can get his hands on. But there’s also the prospect of landing a horse for the Breeders’ Cup. As good as he rides, especially on the turf, coupled with the number of talented horses coming his way these days, it’s likely to happen.

“It’s always good to be back at Del Mar after having such a long season at Santa Anita,” Rispoli says. “I wish to ride good horses, that’s the key. I think it’s going to be tough like every year at Del Mar. It could be a great meet. Horses have to fall into the right spot.”

So far so good. Rispoli has jumped out to an excellent start, winning six races in the first four racing days and currently tied with Juan Hernandez as the meet’s top jock. He did something similar last year. But an untimely trip back to Japan to ride in an international jockey competition in mid-August and a nasty spill in the days leading up to the Labor Day weekend derailed Rispoli’s run for a riding title. He’s hoping for better luck in 2024.

“Hopefully doing better than last year,” Rispoli says. “My fall compromised the end of the meet being a couple of weeks on the bench but we’re back on spot and we have good horses and good expectations that everything will go well.”

His partnership with jockey agent Matt Nakatani, son of Hall of Fame rider Corey Nakatani, has resulted in a lot of success since they joined forces early last year. Rispoli’s ridden such standout horses as Smooth Like Strait, Closing Remarks, Going to Vegas and Going Global. He’s the regular rider on Anisette and Johannes, who races this Sunday in the G2 Eddie Read at Del Mar. This summer he’ll be pitted against one of the toughest jockey colonies in America, not that he’s at all phased by the prospect.

“It’s good, it raises the bar,” Rispoli says. “You have to be more focused and ready athletic wise and mentally. It’s always good to ride behind good riders around the track and the riders we had at Santa Anita are riding very well at the moment.”

As with every year, riders and their agents are in search of that prize ride. One that will get them a spot in the Breeders’ Cup and with the Thoroughbred Championships at Del Mar in 2024 the opportunities will be there. 

“Time for the Breeders’ Cup always for old horses and young horses,” Rispoli contends. “It is also the time of the year when you have a lot of babies, 2-year-olds coming in and running for the first time. Baffert is the one, he’s always very loaded with his monster 2-year-olds. I would like to be seated on one of those monsters.”

COOLING OUT:  Pushiness came out of her win in the $151,500 Fleet Treat Friday in good order. “She seems like she’s good today,” trainer Michael McCarthy says. “No complaints.” As for her future, it looks like Cal-bred sprints for 3-year-old fillies will be the target. “There’s a little bit of turf in her pedigree maybe some time down the road she can try grass but for right now in spots like this for straight 3-year-olds we’ll keep her doing this.”… Jockey Joe Talamo scored his first victory of the summer meet at Del Mar Friday and his first win at the seaside oval since the fall of 2019. He won the opener aboard Promise Me Kat for trainer Craig Dollase. Talamo first came to Del Mar in 2007 but left for a stint on the Midwest and Kentucky circuits four years ago before moving his tack back to the west coast earlier this year…Jockey Geovanni Franco will not ride today following a nasty fall during Race 5 Friday. His mount, Smooth Salute, appeared to get in tight on the far turn and hit the rail unseating Franco. After a quick trip to the hospital for precautionary x-rays, Franco was back at Del Mar this morning. “He says he’s feeling pretty good,” agent Jack Carava says. “He’s going to get in the hot water and Epsom salts and work on his legs a little bit.” But the extra effort wasn’t enough and Franco was declared off his mounts for the day…Notable works Saturday: Dirt – Sweet Azteca (4f, :46.80); Adare Manor (5f, :59.80); Desert Dawn (5f, :58.40); Nothing Like You (5f, 1:01.60); Shady Tiger (5f, :58.40) and Sugar Fish (5f, 1:01.60). A total of 199 horses put in official workouts this morning.