TOP STABLES DROP IN ON DEL MAR FOR THE BREEDERS’ CUP
It’s a who’s who of Thoroughbred racing on the backside of Del Mar this week. Everywhere you look, there’s a Hall of Fame trainer or one destined for enshrinement in the future. It might be Todd Pletcher standing outside of his temporary office overseeing his horses in the nearby walking ring, or Bill Mott holding court with his owners across the way.
There’s Brad Cox, Chad Brown and Bob Baffert preparing their horses for the big days while dealing with the hordes of media members roaming the stables.
“I don’t surf,” Mott jokes. “I’m here to do the job. That’s what it’s all about.”
“We’re not here to relax,” notes Pletcher. “Enjoy the time and the area but the main focus is on the horses.”
They all agree, if you’re going to pack up and be away from home for a week, Del Mar is the place to be.
“It’s beautiful. I like California,” Cox says, “whether it’s being here or at Santa Anita. It’s kind of like a working vacation as opposed to being back home when it’s at Keeneland or Churchill. I enjoy being out here.”
“I love it, it’s a great spot,” trainer Brendan Walsh adds. “You’re guaranteed the weather and it’s been beautiful this week. Nice cold mornings for training and nice afternoons. The horses really seem to thrive out here and do well.”
While they’re not everyday residents of the Del Mar backside like Phil D’Amato, John Sadler or Peter Miller, this isn’t the first time they’ve been to Del Mar.
“I spent some time on the West Coast when I was younger,” Pletcher points out. “My dad raced at Santa Anita for a while and spent a couple summers at Del Mar. It’s a great venue to have the event.”
“I think it’s a great place to have a Breeders’ Cup,” Mott contends. “The weather is good, the track is good, and the turf is good.”
The objective this week was simple: maintain the horses and keep them happy.
“We just cross our fingers and hope to get some exercise into them,” Mott says. “Hold them on the ground without doing something foolish or getting one hurt.”
“We’ve been doing some normal, routine galloping,” Pletcher reveals, “as well as some gate schooling and paddock schooling.”
Most say they’ll pack up after the Breeders’ Cup and head back home. But there is always has an open invitation for their return, most notably for the Turf Festival in the coming weeks.
“Maybe at the end of November we’ll have a look at a few of them races,” Walsh says. “We’ll see how things go between now and then but, yes, for sure, it’s always on our radar.”
GRADED STAKES TOP-TO-BOTTOM ON SATURDAY’S BREEDERS’ CUP CARD
Nine Breeders’ Cup races are slated for Saturday at Del Mar with three races on the undercard, two of them top-of-the-line affairs fitting for a Breeders’ Cup card. The first is the G3 Bayakoa which pits fillies and mares in a one mile test on the main track.
Trainer Bob Baffert brings two horses to the dance. One is the impressive winner of the G3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar this past summer. Hope Road defeated stablemate and Santa Anita Oaks winner Nothing Like You by five lengths on Pacific Classic Day. She hasn’t raced since but Baffert says she’s doing well.
“I was debating whether to run her in the Filly and Mare Sprint,” Baffert says. “She’s slowly developing and I’m pointing her for the La Brea in December. She ran well here last time.”
She’s a perfect three-for-three in 2024, breaking her maiden in June by 5 ½ lengths, winning an entry level allowance race in August by 5 ¼ lengths and then the Torrey Pines when Baffert stretched her out to a mile.
The ‘other Baffert horse’ is Show Card, winner of the $100,000 Tranquility Lake at Del Mar and the $125,000 Dark Mirage at Los Alamitos.
“She’s been running well but her numbers aren’t as good,” Baffert notes. “But she’s improving and she’s been winning easily so we’ll give her a chance.”
Show Card won the Tranquility Lake by 10 lengths.
The veteran mare Desert Dawn is entered in the Bayakoa in what might be her final race before she heads off to the breeding shed. She won the last time she ran in a Grade 3, taking the La Canada at Santa Anita in January.
“Looks like a race finally with some pace for her to set up for her late kick,” trainer Philip D’Amato says.
The G3 Bayakoa is the second race on the Saturday Breeders’ Cup card. The probable post time is 10:40 a.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Sun of Hill (Kazushi Kimura, 20-1); Desert Dawn (Umberto Rispoli, 10-1); Hope Road (Juan Hernandez, 6-5); Alpha Bella (Hector Berrios, 8-5); Saddle Up Jessie (15-1); Victorious (Manuel Franco, 12-1), and Show Card (Flavien Prat, 6-1).
The G3 Goldikova follows with 11 fillies and mares going one mile on the turf.
Seven of the entries have done most of their racing outside of California. Morning line favorite Kathmandu and Raqiya are European shippers; three came from the East Coast including Chad Brown’s Fluffy Socks who ran in the G1 Matriarch at Del Mar last year; Mouffy has divided time between Canada and Kentucky and Fuente Ovejuna has run at five different tracks this year including twice at Del Mar last summer.
“She seems to like it around here,” trainer Brendan Walsh says. “She’s in the sale next week so we thought we’d bring her back and take a shot with her. She’s doing great. She’s shipped good, she’s well drawn (post #5) so I think she’s getting in a little bit under the radar.”
The local contingent is led by Nadette who is back on the West Coast after a summer run at Colonial Downs, Kentucky Downs and Woodbine.
The Goldikova is Race #3 on the 12-race card. Probable post is 11:15 a.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Aspen Grove (Tyler Gaffalione, 5-1); Sacred Wish (Paco Lopez, 4-1); Fluffy Socks (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 10-1); Mouffy (Manuel Franco, 10-1); Fuente Ovejuna (Jose Ortiz, 20-1); Omaha Girl (Umberto Rispoli, 20-1); Lucky Girl (Mike Smith, 15-1); Nadette (Hector Berrios, 6-1); Kathmandu (Hollie Doyle, 7-2); Raqiya (Frankie Dettori, 6-1), and Uncorked (Antonio Fresu, 20-1).
25 ‘LOCALS’ GEAR UP FOR BREEDERS’ CUP RUNS THIS WEEKEND
More horses are coming from more continents to this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar than ever before. A record 67 international horses were entered from a record five different continents.
But not all of them had to travel thousands of miles to get here. A total of 179 horses are entered in the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, 25 ran at Del Mar this past summer.
If you’re a ‘Horse For the Course’ player, here’s the list of return runners in Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races.
JUVENILE
Citizen Bull – One of leading trainer Bob Baffert’s talented 2-year-olds broke his maiden at Del Mar in August and then ran third in the Juvenile.
Gaming – Another Baffert colt broke his maiden at Del Mar in August and followed that with a win in the G1 Del Mar Futurity.
Getaway Car – Baffert’s third entry in the Juvenile ran three times at Del Mar this summer, breaking his maiden in July, winning the G3 Best Pal in August and finishing fourth in the G1 Futurity in September.
JUVENILE FILLIES
Nooni – Another Amr Zedan Racing purchase, this one for $1.8 million, started out with a bang, winning the G3 Sorrento at Del Mar in August but she disappointed with a fifth-place run in the G1 Debutante a month later.
Vodka With A Twist – She posted two runner-up finishes this past summer, to Nooni in the G3 Sorrento and to Tenma in the G1 Debutante.
JUVENILE TURF
Iron Man Cal – Broke his maiden his second time out on closing weekend this summer.
JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
Thought Process – Ran the first three races of her career at Del Mar, winning two of them. She broke her maiden and followed with an impressive win in the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf.
JUVENILE TURF SPRINT
Pali Kitten – Ran fifth in her debut at Del Mar but turned around and broke her maiden two weeks later.
The list of ‘locals’ running in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races will appear in tomorrow’s notes.
COOLING OUT: Jockey Antonio Fresu and trainer Mark Glatt got off to good starts to the Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar. Both notched two victories on Opening Day. Noticeably absent from the scoreboard Thursday were summer’s leading rider Juan Hernandez and leading trainer Bob Baffert…Just four official workouts Friday morning. The track was closed early due to the early post time (11:30 a.m.) and maintenance…A reminder to those who like to sleep in late on weekends. We have an even earlier post time Saturday of 10:05 a.m.