Justique © Benoit Photo

JUSTIQUE’S RETURN TO DEL MAR HEADLINES SATURDAY’S DESI ARNAZ

Justique has only won a maiden race, but she did it in such a fashion that the 2-year-old daughter of Justify caught the eye of much of the racing world. Saturday she’ll be on display again at Del Mar when she runs in the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes, a seven furlong test for juvenile fillies on the main track.

Justique wowed them in her debut performance at Del Mar in July, going from last to first to break her maiden. She won by 2 ½ lengths but it was the way she accelerated around the turn and continued to eat up ground in the stretch that made her standout from the other 2-year-olds at Del Mar last summer.

That early interest was dulled a bit when she ran third in the G2 Chandelier at Santa Anita last out, finishing 5 ½ lengths behind the winner, And Tell Me No Lies, this year’s Del Mar Debutante champion. Trainer John Shirreffs believes he knows the reason why she ran the way she did.

“She got really tired,” he says, “and she wasn’t fit enough.”

The mile and sixteenth Chandelier was Justique’s first time around two turns. She was in the back of the pack again that day and made a menacing move in the turn, similar to the one in her debut. But she appeared to flatten out in the lane and was no match for the top two finishers. She did muster up enough run to salvage third place in the final strides.

Justique worked a blistering :58.00 in a five furlong drill at Del Mar on Sunday.

“She worked really well over the racetrack,” Shirreffs says. “She looks good going into the race.”

Two horses she beat in the Chandelier are back for the Desi Arnaz. Huntingcoco faded to last in the race. Like Justique, it was the daughter of Practical Joke’s second career start following an impressive 6 ¾ length victory in her career debut, a 5 ½ furlong maiden special weight at Del Mar in September.

The other is Naughty Lottie, who set the early pace in the Chandelier and then faded to sixth. It was the daughter of Midnight Lute’s third career start after running third in a sprint at Prairie Meadows in August and notching a overpowering 15-length win in her debut, a maiden special weight at Louisiana Downs in July. She’s trained by Keith Desormeaux and will be ridden by his brother, Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux, on the comeback trail this fall at Del Mar.

Another horse of note is Blessed Touch from the Tim Yakteen barn. The daughter of Girvin broke her maiden by eight lengths in a sprint at Santa Anita last out.

Seven fillies are entered in the Desi Arnaz, named after the famous bandleader, television producer/actor and husband of actress Lucille Ball. It’s the sixth of nine races on the Saturday card. First post is at 12:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line: Justique (Victor Espinoza, 8/5); Parody (Juan Hernandez, 4-1); Naughty Lottie (12-1); Huntingcoco (Flavien Prat, 7/2); Smokem for You (Francisco Rojas-Orduna, 30-1); Blessed Touch (Drayden Van Dyke, 9/5) and Daddy Classy Dill (Diego Herrera, 30-1).

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS BACK ON TOP OF RIDER, TRAINER STANDINGS

It’s déjà vu all over again after one week of racing at Del Mar this fall.

Like the summer, Juan Hernandez had a red-hot first week, visiting the winners circle seven times and capturing all three stakes races over the weekend.

That puts the fall meet’s defending riders’ champion four wins ahead of his nearest competitors. Ramon Vasquez, Flavien Prat, John Velazquez and Edwin Maldonado are all knotted at three wins a piece.

As you would expect, all those stakes victories has Hernandez leading in earnings as well with $370,000. He’s won a third of his 21 starts and has finished in the money 57% of the time.

The trainers’ race is a lot tighter, though the defending champion is back on top. Phil D’Amato won five races in the first week of racing at Del Mar, one better than Doug O’Neill, and two up on Bob Baffert, who he shared the trainers’ title with in the summer.

D’Amato has finished in the money in 11 of his 14 starts and leads in earnings with $282,404.

Field size is up slightly at Del Mar over the first three days of the fall meet last year, from 7.60 to 7.85 horses per race. Field size in the dirt races is 7.75 and in the races on the grass it’s 7.93. Fourteen of the 26 races run last week were on the Jimmy Durante turf course.

Seven horses qualified for Ship & Win during week one. The Graham Motion barn led the way with three qualifiers, including the winner of the Kathryn Crosby, Bipartisanship.

BIG CITY LIGHTS HOOKS THE CHOSEN VRON IN THE CARY GRANT STAKES

The last time Big City Lights was seen here at Del Mar he was beating the likes of Slow Down Andy in the Real Good Deal Stakes this past summer. Multiple graded stakes winner The Chosen Vron also raced at the seaside oval over the summer, just missing in a three-way blanket finish in the $150,000 California Dreamin’ before getting soundly beaten in the G2 Pat O’Brien.

The two will renew a budding rivalry this Saturday in the second half of a stakes doubleheader at Del Mar, the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes. Five Cal-bred horses, 3-year-olds and up, will go seven furlongs on the main track.

They met in the same race for the first time in September at Los Alamitos and put on quite a show. The Chosen Vron got the best of the match-up, edging Big City Lights in the $75,000 E.B. Johnston.

It was the first career loss for the lightly raced Big City Lights, who has four starts under his belt. The 3-year-old son of Mr. Big is cutting back in distance for the Cary Grant and that’s expected to help the anticipated front runner.

“I think he’s better doing that, at least at this stage,” trainer Richard Mandella says of cutting back his colt to one turn, “but he couldn’t be training any better.”

The Chosen Vron comes in riding a two-race win streak. After winning the E.B. Johnston, the 4-year-old gelded son of Vronsky went to Santa Anita and won the $100,000 California Flag. Showing his versatility, he won on the hillside grass course in just his second race on the turf.

“He might be better on the grass,” trainer Eric Kruljac says. “His two grass races were really something.”

The Chosen Vron was a beast as a 3-year-old, winning three consecutive races in 2021, including a pair of Grade 3 races, the Laz Barrera and the Affirmed, both at Santa Anita.

After a runner-up finish in the 2021 Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar he came back from a brief freshening and won the $60,000 Hank Mills Stakes at Turf Paradise. Kruljac then turned him out for the winter and spring, bringing him back in August in the California Dreamin’.

“He’s getting there, definitely,” Kruljac notes when asked if his colt can recapture his graded stakes form of a year ago. “He needed the time off and he’s rewarded us with a lot of fun and hopefully there’s more in store.”

None Above the Law is also set to run in the Cary Grant. Del Mar’s top 3-year old of the 2021 summer meet beat The Chosen Vron in last year’s Real Good Deal Stakes, but had the tables turned on him last time in the California Flag. That being said it was the Peter Miller trainee’s best race so far this year.

The Cary Grant, named after the legendary actor, is the eighth of nine races on the Saturday card. First post is 12:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and morning lines: Finneus (Ramon Vasquez, 15-1); Coalinga Road (John Velazquez, 12-1); Big City Lights (Juan Hernandez, 9/5); The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios, EVEN) and None Above the Law (Flavien Prat, 5/2).

LINDO, PRIVMAN GUEST FOR FREE WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS

Del Mar’s free weekend handicapping seminars will feature a pair of racing pros Saturday and Sunday at its new location on the patio of the Hacienda Room just off the Plaza de Mexico. The sessions kick off at 11:35 a.m. and run until roughly 12:05 p.m.

On Saturday public handicapper, racing radio broadcaster and author of “The Lindo Report” – Jon Lindo – will share his wisdom with fans on the afternoon’s card.

Then on Sunday, former Daily Racing Form award-winning writer and reporter Jay Privman, who recently chose to enter into the world of those happily retired, will provide his takes on the day’s nine-race program.

Chairs and tables are available onsite for the free seminars.

COOLING OUT: Trainer Richard Mandella says Teena Ella, the first foal by Beholder, came back tired following her long anticipated debut last Saturday. “She’s a little too fat,” Mandella said. “Her mother was that way. Until I ran her once, she wouldn’t tighten up and get fit. She had plenty of fast works but they didn’t get to her. She’ll be better next time.” Teena Ella dueled to the top of the lane in her maiden debut before fading to sixth…Jockey Jessica Pyfer is back to host Daybreak at Del Mar this week. Fans are invited to sit in the Clubhouse Terrace Restaurant and enjoy breakfast or just a cup of coffee while watching Saturday’s morning workouts from 8 until 9:30. Pyfer will provide insight into the days’ races and answer any questions.

Del Mar Statistics 

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Saturday, November 13, 2022 Inclusive) 

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Saturday, November 13, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Saturday, November 13, 2022 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 9 out of 26 -- 34.62%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 4 out of 12 -- 33.33%
Winning favorites on turf -- 5 out of 14 -- 35.71%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 2 out of 3 -- 66.67% 
In-the-Money favorites -- 18 out of 26 -- 69.23%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 3 out of 3 -- 100.00%