California Diamond © Benoit Photo
CALIFORNIA DIAMOND COULD SPARKLE AGAIN IN BOB HOPE
Trainer Peter Miller was enjoying the morning at Del Mar last Sunday. He was leaning against the rail of the track, watching workouts with his wife Lani at his side, sons Jacob, 4, and Seth, 2, playing nearby.
And pleasant as things were, Miller’s mood even seemed to brighten when the subject of California Diamond, the colt he’ll saddle in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes, was brought up.
California Diamond, a son of Harbor the Gold, recorded his third straight win in the $200,000 Golden State Juvenile on the undercard of Breeders’ Cup Day, November 5, at Santa Anita.
The Rockingham Ranch color bearer has five wins and two seconds in seven career starts, the last six of them in stakes. California Diamond was second in both the Graduation and I’m Smokin for California breds during the Del Mar summer meeting before starting the current win streak which encompasses the Barrett’s Juvenile at Los Alamitos, the Speakeasy and Golden State Juvenile at Santa Anita.
The last victory was at the same seven-furlong distance as the Hope – the first of 10 graded stakes during the Bing Crosby meeting. California Diamond led for the first half mile, slipped to third, a half-length behind, then rallied under Kent Desormeaux to win by three-quarters of a length.
“He came out of it super,” Miller said. “It was more of a glorified workout, really. He’s done everything right and we’re really pleased with him.”
A field of five is entered. From the rail: Ann Arbor Eddie (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1), Bernin Sensation (Martin Garcia, 10-1), Mastery (Mike Smith, 4-5), Oopper Wallah (Gary Stevens, 12-1) and California Diamond (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 8-5).
The Bob Hope goes as the fifth on a nine-race card.
SUMMER STAKES WINNERS RETURN IN SUNDAY’S CARY GRANT
Magic Mark and Gold Rush Dancer, who notched stakes wins during the Del Mar meeting, were designated the favorite and close second choice, respectively, on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Sunday’s $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes.
Magic Mark, trained by Ron Ellis for owners Dorine and John R. Lanza, is the 5-2 favorite with Gold Rush Dancer, trained by Vann Belvoir for John E. Parker, next at 3-1.
Magic Mark, a 6-year-old Lanza homebred son of Benchmark, was a wire-to-wire winner of the one-mile Harry F. Brubaker Stakes on August 24 under Drayden Van Dyke. Gold Rush Dancer, a Parker homebred 3-year-old son of Private Gold, took the seven-furlong Real Good Deal on July 27 under Flavien Prat.
The Cary Grant is a seven-furlong test for California bred or sired three year olds and up.
The field, from the rail: Tengas Ransom (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 15-1), Magic Mark (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-2), Image of Joplin (Martin Pedroza, 12-1), Lucky J Lane (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Tough But Nice (Fernando Perez, 20-1), Acceptance (Stewart Elliott, 7-2), Gold Rush Dancer (Flavien Prat, 3-1), Grazen Sky (Tyler Baze, 5-1) and Solid Wager (Victor Espinoza, 6-1).
Solid Wager is the defending race champion.
JOCKEYS SEEKING JACKPOT HAVE BUSY DAYS AHEAD
Flavien Prat, Martin Pedroza and Kent Desormeaux will leave their Del Mar bases for assignments in Saturday’s $1 million Delta Downs Jackpot at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., but will be back riding here on Sunday.
Prat, the Bing Crosby meeting’s leading rider, has four scheduled mounts at Del Mar on Friday, Desormeaux two and Pedroza one.
They’ll travel together on a midnight flight to Louisiana, ride in major stakes on the biggest racing day of the year for Delta Downs, catch return flights scheduled to get them back in San Diego late Saturday and ride here on Sunday.
In the Delta Jackpot, which has an approximate post of 2:45 Pacific Time, Prat will be aboard Dangerfield (Post 5, 12-1) for trainer Doug O’Neill. Pedroza rides Hot Sean (Post 8, 7-2) for Bob Baffert and Desormeaux has the call on J Boys Echo (Post 9, 8-1) for trainer Dale Romans.
Prat also rides Sammy Mandeville in the $250,000 Delta Mile and Shane’s Girlfriend in the $400,000 Princess for O’Neill. Pedroza will guide Jilly for Baffert in the Princess.
Their Louisiana work done, Prat has seven scheduled mounts at Del Mar on Sunday and Pedroza five. Desormeaux will not return to California immediately and has mounts in three $100,000 or more stakes races at Zia Park in New Mexico next Wednesday.
MISS TEMPLE CITY, TIME AND MOTION EARLY MATRIARCH NOMS
Multiple Grade I stakes winner Miss Temple City and elite sophomore grass filly Time And Motion are among the names already listed as the deadline for nominations for the stakes on the closing weekend of the meeting – the Hollywood Derby on December 3 and Matriarch the following day – looms.
Nominations are due to be submitted by midnight Saturday for the two Grade I $300,000 events. Miss Temple City and Time and Motion are both nominated to the Matriarch, a one-mile turf race for three-year-old and up fillies and mares. Also closing Saturday is the $200,000 Bayakoa Handicap.
Miss Temple City was fifth, beaten 2 ½-lengths, in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile on turf two weeks ago at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old daughter of Temple City trained by H. Graham Motion entered the Breeders’ Cup Mile off an October victory in the Grade I Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland and also took the Grade I Makers Mark Mile there in April.
Time and Motion, owned by the Phillips Racing Partnership and trained by James Toner, won the Grade II Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga in August and followed up with victory in the Grade I Queen Elizabeth II Cup on October 15 at Keeneland.
The 3-year-old daughter of Tapit has five wins in nine career starts, all on turf, and earnings of $923,150, with $869,000 of that coming via five wins in six 2016 starts.
Time and Motion is scheduled to arrive at Del Mar in the next few days and has the $300,000 American Oaks on Saturday, December 31 at Santa Anita as the targeted final stop on her 2016 campaign.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, November 17, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Jockey |
Mts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Flavien Prat |
26 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
23% |
62% |
$217,102 |
|
Santiago Gonzalez |
16 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
19% |
63% |
$145,175 |
|
Tyler Baze |
23 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
13% |
35% |
$153,455 |
|
Kent Desormeaux |
21 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
14% |
19% |
$154,904 |
|
Norberto Arroyo, Jr. |
20 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
10% |
45% |
$105,935 |
|
Stewart Elliott |
11 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
18% |
55% |
$67,170 |
|
Fernando Perez |
17 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
12% |
41% |
$68,220 |
|
Gary Stevens |
6 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
33% |
67% |
$85,370 |
|
Mike Smith |
8 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
25% |
50% |
$79,227 |
|
Martin Garcia |
8 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
25% |
38% |
$51,713 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, November 17, 2016 Inclusive)
|
Trainer |
Sts |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
Win% |
In-money% |
Money Won |
|
Richard Baltas |
13 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
38% |
69% |
$189,065 |
|
Mike Puype |
10 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
40% |
70% |
$103,275 |
|
Doug F. O'Neill |
14 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
14% |
43% |
$109,690 |
|
Mark Glatt |
9 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
22% |
56% |
$72,155 |
|
Jerry Hollendorfer |
9 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
22% |
33% |
$67,235 |
|
Steven Miyadi |
4 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
50% |
50% |
$27,556 |
|
William Spawr |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
25% |
100% |
$65,240 |
|
J. Keith Desormeaux |
4 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
25% |
75% |
$36,520 |
|
Peter Miller |
11 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
9% |
27% |
$36,510 |
|
Gary Stute |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
50% |
100% |
$60,400 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, November 17, 2016 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 9 out of 35 -- 25.71%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 6 out of 21 -- 28.57%
Winning favorites on turf -- 3 out of 14 -- 21.43%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 1 out of 2 -- 50.00%
In-the-Money favorites -- 26 out of 35 -- 74.29%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 2 -- 100.00%
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793