By Jim Charvat
The Chosen Vron © Benoit Photo
BING CROSBY, SAN DIEGO WINNERS CONTEMPLATE THE FUTURE
A couple of happy campers out on the backside this morning in trainers Todd Fincher and Eric Kruljac got back to work after big victories in Saturday’s stakes action at Del Mar. Fincher’s Senor Buscador won the G2 San Diego Handicap, while Kruljac’s Cal-bred The Chosen Vron made off with the G1 Bing Crosby.
“He’s perfect this morning,” Kruljac says of his horse. “He’s a survivor. He had a lot left at the wire. He could have gone another quarter I think. Watching the replays he looked the strongest. I think he could be a miler.”
In addition to a bit of celebrating last night, Kruljac also had some serious discussions with partners about The Chosen Vron’s future and whether he would go in the Breeders’ Cup. The Bing Crosby was a ‘Win & You’re In’ for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint which means a free entry into the race for the winner. But the horse has to be Breeders’ Cup nominated and The Chosen Vron is not. So the owners will have to pay a $100,000 supplement to get him in.
Kruljac is one of four partners who own The Chosen Vron. John Sonderecker owns 40% of the horse, the other three own 20%.
“We definitely are going to supplement for the Sprint,” Kruljac says. ”Especially since it’s at Santa Anita this year. We’ll possibly look for a prep. Long range you look at your options but with horses it’s a day-to-day thing with their health and such.”
The traditional Breeders’ Cup Sprint prep has been the G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in the fall, about a month before the Breeders’ Cup.
As for Senor Buscador, his future is still up in the air
“He’s tired,” Fincher says of his horse. “He ran hard.”
For Fincher it was his first stakes victory at Del Mar.
“It’s great,” Fincher says. “I mean to win a Grade 2 at Del Mar is pretty high on your list. It’s nice.”
Fincher was non-committal about whether or not he was going to run in the G1 FanDuel Pacific Classic on September 2. In the past it’s been a logical next step for the San Diego winner.
“We don’t know,” Fincher says. “We’ll either go seven furlongs or the mile and a quarter; we just haven’t decided.”
RIDER COREY NAKATANI: HALL OF FAME BOUND
It has been a long time in coming. After several years of falling short in the voting, Corey Nakatani finally got the call this year that he’s been voted into the racing’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremonies are next Friday at Saratoga Springs.
“I just think it’s amazing,” Nakatani says. “Where I started, the guys I learned to ride from, the guys I was competing against. As you know they’re all Hall of Famers. To do as well as I did, obviously you have to put in the three ‘D’s’; determination, desire and don’t take no for an answer.”
Nakatani was one of 10 children in his family growing up in Southern California. His father, Roy, was born during World War II in a Japanese internment camp at Santa Anita. Corey was a champion high school wrestler and, in a strange way, that led him to racing.
“When I was 15-years-old I broke my nose in a wrestling tournament and went to the hospital at Arcadia Methodist (across from Santa Anita racetrack),” Nakatani says. “After they fixed my nose, my dad went to Santa Anita and bet on the horses.”
While dad was playing the ponies, Nakatani wandered out on the track apron and started asking questions.
“I was like, ‘Do those guys make any money?’ and, (trainer) Jack Van Berg was standing nearby,” Nakatani says. “He said, ‘That guy right there is Bill Shoemaker and he’s standing with Charlie Whittingham. They both make about a million dollars a year.’ So that summer I went to the World Jockey Association and learned about horses. Then at the end of the summer I went to work at Tony Matos’ farm, a Thoroughbred breeding farm where they broke babies and stuff.”
Nakatani worked at the farm for about three months and then went to work at Galway Downs in Temecula for Bob and Cecil Hundley.
This may be a good time to note that Nakatani had never ridden a horse in his life. He was a quick learner and by 1988 he was picking up mounts. One of the first races he ever rode was at Del Mar. He went to Tijuana and rode his first winner that year and by the spring of 1989 Nakatani was riding at Santa Anita.
30-years later, Nakatani had won 3,909 races, 341 graded stakes, 120 Grade I’s and over $234 million in purse money, 12th best among riders at the time of his retirement. He notched 10 Breeders’ Cup wins and his most memorable was, of course, his first.
“I was on Itsallgreektome in New York,” Nakatani recalls. “I got beat by Lester Piggott. When I first started riding Laffitt Pincay was my idol. He, at the time, had the most Breeders’ Cup wins. That was my focus, winning stakes races and getting the young 2-year-olds to get better.”
Nakatani says he attributes his success to staying healthy and hard work.
“Working hard, getting on a lot of horses and helping the trainers put them in the right races,” Nakatani says. “It was an amazing ride, seems like it was just yesterday I was winning all of the major stakes races in California.”
Nakatani won three riding titles at Del Mar in 1994, 1998 and 2004. He ranks sixth all-time in wins at Del Mar with 705 and second in stakes victories with 108. He gives a lot of credit to his agents - Matos, Bob Meldahl and Nick Casado.
As for the best horse he ever rode…Lava Man is the first one he mentions.
“I used to ride a lot of nice horses,” Nakatani noted. “A lot of the time you’re riding against Hall of Famers so you don’t always get the best of the horses you want to ride. I was very fortunate and lucky to win a lot of races I shouldn’t have won.”
Nakatani’s racing career came to an abrupt end at Del Mar in 2018 when he was unseated during a race and suffered a broken neck. He announced his retirement in 2019.
“I had a lot of help along the way,” Nakatani says. “One trainer that comes to mind is Jenine Sahadi; people like that who had a lot of faith in me.”
G1 CLEMENT HIRSCH HIGHLIGHTS NEXT WEEK’S STAKES ACTION
Twelve of the top fillies and mares at Del Mar have been nominated for next week’s G1 Clement Hirsch, a “Win & You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff this November at Santa Anita Park. The $400,000 Clement Hirsch is one of five stakes races on the docket next week.
Trainer Bob Baffert has entered five of the top ladies in his barn: Adare Manor, Eda, Fun to Dream, Ganadora, and Lucky For You. Phil D’Amato has nominated Desert Dawn and Elm Drive and Richard Mandella may bring Window Shopping.
For the first time in a couple years, the Clement Hirsch is void of any big name eastern invader. Shedaresthedevil, the 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner conditioned by Brad Cox, was the horse to beat in the Clement Hirsch the past two years.
The 53rd running of the Hirsch, contested at a mile and a sixteenth on the main track, is slated for Saturday.
The stakes action at Del Mar begins on Friday with the 36th running of the Real Good Deal Stakes. It’s restricted to 3-year-old Cal-breds and is run at seven furlongs. Steve Knapp’s Bus Buzz, Peter Miller’s Giver Not A Taker and Tim Yakteen’s Kangaroo Court are all nominated for the race, part of the Golden State Series.
On the Clement Hirsch undercard on Saturday is another Cal-bred race, the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes run on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Nominated to the mile and a sixteenth contest are John Sadler’s Kings River Knight and Steve Miyadi’s Lovesick Blues. Fourteen horses, 3-year-olds and up, have been nominated for the Golden State Series race.
Sunday’s stakes twinbill features the first 2-year-old stakes race of the Del Mar summer season, the 70th running of the $125,000 CTBA Stakes. It’s restricted to Cal-bred fillies going five and a half furlongs on the main track. Ten have been nominated for the race, three by trainer Jeff Bonde.
Rounding out the stakes action Sunday will be the 83rd edition of the G3 La Jolla Handicap, a mile and a sixteenth turf test for 3-year-olds. Leonard Powell’s Maltese Falcon tops the list of 11 nominees.
BACKSTRETCH WORKERS ENJOY ADDED BONUS AT DEL MAR
Every once in a while an owner will pop for lunch for the entire crew in his trainer’s barn, or a racetrack will provide tacos on Taco Tuesday to all of the backstretch workers. But never has a racetrack offered a meal every race day of the meet to all of the hard working men and woman who help make the racetrack operate so smoothly. That is until Del Mar introduced its “Team Meals: Daily Dining for Backstretch Workers.”
It began on opening day and its popularity is picking up steam. Sue Walls, Del Mar’s v-p for facilities, is overseeing the operation. She says word-of-mouth is spreading the news about the program.
“The first night, on opening day, we did about 350 meals,” Walls says. “From there we went to 425 and last Sunday it was about 440. Thursday it was just shy of 500.”
She figures they’ll be close to 600 by the end of this weekend. There are approximately a thousand workers living on the backside.
“They’re using barcodes on the back of their badges,” Walls says. “Whoever is actually working with the horses, the hot walkers, the grooms, anybody who is working that lives in our living quarters back there, are the one’s eligible for the meal.”
The meals are served for about three-and-a-half hours in the backstretch kitchen and dining room, until about 45 minutes after the last race. Many get the tasty meal to go and the menu varies.
“They served Fish Veracruz with rice one day,” Walls says. “They did spaghetti; And chicken fajitas with rice and beans and tortillas. Someone proposed fried chicken and mash potatoes. A good, hearty, hot meal to fill you up.”
It’s the brain child of track president Josh Rubinstein and executive vice president of racing Tom Robbins, who put their heads together and figured out a way to make it work. It’s Del Mar’s way of showing appreciation for what the backside workers do, many of whom are far from home and family.
“We’re in Del Mar so we’re out of the footprint of where most people live,” Wall says. “It’s a big ask for people to come all the way down here. They have to travel far out of their regular world to be here at Del Mar.”
Walls background is in food and beverage. She worked for the food service company (Premiere) at Del Mar for 25 years. The organization and logistics that go into pulling off such an endeavor is daunting.
“Right now it’s incredibly difficult to find cooks,” she says. “I’m close to the executive chef for Premiere that works in the Turf Club and he says they have 14 chefs in his kitchen, but very few cooks. So that’s the most difficult part to get the cooks to come in and stay the four days. You have to find people who are pretty dedicated and willing to give up their summer.”
COOLING OUT: Jockey Juan Hernandez, currently tied with Umberto Rispoli and Hector Berrios atop the jockey standings at Del Mar, has been suspended for three days for causing interference in Friday’s running of the Daisycutter Handicap. He’ll be on holiday August 5, 6 and 10…Berrios scored a riding triple on Saturday’s card, including a victory on The Chosen Vron in the G1 Bing Crosby…Trainer Bob Baffert says Defunded (4th place) came out of the G2 San Diego in good order. “He was flat,” Baffert says. “Never looked like a winner.”…Trainer Mark Glatt says Dr. Schivel is fine after his close call in the G1 Bing Crosby (third, beaten two heads). He says he’s not sure what is next for the ‘Doctor’. “The year he went to the Breeders’ Cup (2021), we waited for the Santa Anita Sprint Championship,” Glatt says. “But he was already in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, so I don’t know.”…As part of the daylong fundraiser for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund at Del Mar yesterday, fans and staff alike gave $2,400 to the Fill the Jockey Boot Campaign…Notable works for Sunday: Dirt – Giver Not A Taker (3f, :38.00); Maltese Falcon (4f, :48.20); Silent Poet (4f, 47.20); Fun to Dream (5f, :58.00); Kings River Knight (5f, 1:00.60) and Reincarnate (5f, :58.00). Turf – Hong Kong Harry (3f, :38.00); Exaulted (4f, :50.00); Motorious (4f, :50.40) and Macadamia (5f, 1:02.60). A total of 223 horses put in official works on the main track; 30 on the turf.
Del Mar Statistics
Jockey Standings
(Current Through July 29, 2023 Inclusive)
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Umberto Rispoli | 40 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 20% | 70% | $724,868 |
| Hector Berrios | 39 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 21% | 36% | $657,680 |
| Juan Hernandez | 38 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 21% | 45% | $609,784 |
| Antonio Fresu | 32 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 16% | 44% | $350,300 |
| Edwin Maldonado | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 12% | 32% | $274,420 |
| Ramon Vazquez | 47 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6% | 28% | $393,410 |
| Tiago Pereira | 37 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8% | 32% | $296,164 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 10% | 23% | $231,920 |
| Joe Bravo | 29 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10% | 21% | $186,040 |
| Mike Smith | 16 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 19% | 38% | $168,100 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through July 29, 2023 Inclusive)
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Philip D'Amato | 40 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 15% | 48% | $489,884 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 36 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 17% | 47% | $523,660 |
| Bob Baffert | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 38% | 63% | $376,520 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20% | 33% | $135,800 |
| Leonard Powell | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23% | 23% | $234,040 |
| Peter Eurton | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 17% | 50% | $137,580 |
| Mark Glatt | 20 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10% | 45% | $224,360 |
| Ryan Hanson | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18% | 36% | $91,020 |
| Craig Anthony Lewis | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 29% | 57% | $172,000 |
| Steven Miyadi | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50% | 50% | $57,160 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through July 29, 2023 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 16 out of 59 -- 27.12%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 10 out of 34 -- 29.41%
Winning favorites on turf -- 6 out of 25 -- 24.00%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 6 -- 33.33%
In-the-Money favorites -- 37 out of 59 -- 62.71%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 4 out of 6 -- 66.67%