Victor Espinoza
ESPINOZA INTENT ON RIDING
On Saturday, Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza will ride Midcourt for trainer John Shirreffs in the Grade III $100,000 Native Diver Stakes.
A victory would be stakes win No. 102 for Espinoza at Del Mar and move him within six of Corey Nakatani for the No. 2 spot on the track’s all-time list behind Chris McCarron’s 134.
It would be another step for Espinoza on the remarkable comeback from career-threatening spinal cord injuries incurred in a morning workout fall at Del Mar early in the 2018 summer meeting. And it might serve as reinforcement to the resolve he’s shown over the past nine months.
The summer meeting here was a time of continuing the comeback for Espinoza, 47, who was not far removed from riding American Pharoah to the Triple Crown in 2015, one year after victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes on California Chrome. He won four stakes to move past Gary Stevens into third on the all-time list and, on August 18, picked up the mount on Midcourt when Tiago Pereira was serving a suspension.
Espinoza guided the 4-year-old Midnight Lute gelding to a win that day and followed up with a victory in the Comma to the Top stakes at Santa Anita on October 27.
“(Shirreffs) has always said this isn’t an easy horse to ride, but Victor gets along very well with him,” Beach said.
Bob Baffert-trained Roadster is the 5-2 morning line favorite and Baffert’s Leading Score is the 7-2 co-third choice with Midcourt in the field of six.
“Bob’s always tough in this races, and we know Roadster,” Beach said. “We just beat Roadster with Flagstaff (in the Damascus at Santa Anita) so we know how tough he is.”
FASHIONABLY FAST FAVORED IN SUNDAY’S CARY GRANT
Fashionably Fast, a 4-year-old gelded son of Lucky Pulpit, was tabbed as the 8-5 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line issued Friday for Sunday’s featured $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes.
The seven-furlong sprint for California breds drew a field of six.
Fashionably Fast, trained by Dean Peterson for Harris Farms and partners, has won three straight with the most recent a three-quarter length score in the Harris Farms on October 5 at Fresno. He has a lifetime record of four wins from 13 starts and earnings of $242,745.
The field from the rail: Ultimate Bango (Mike Smith, 7-2), Grinning Tiger (Heriberto Figueroa, 3-1), Fashionably Fast (Tiago Pereira, 8-5), Shades of Victory (Edwin Maldonado, 15-1), Oliver (Abel Cedillo, 5-2) and Rick’s Dream (Juan Hernandez, 15-1).
WEIGHTS AREN’T HIGH FOR THURSDAY’S RED CARPET
Weight assignments have been listed for next Thursday’s Grade III $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes, but the most that any of the “probable” starters is likely to carry is 119 pounds.
Graham Motion-trained Si Que Es Buena, a 6-year-old Argentine-bred mare, was highweighted at 123 pounds followed by Michael Dickinson’s Lift Up (122), Phil D’Amato’s Storm the Hill (122) and Jonathan Wong’s Keeper Ofthe Stars (120). But none of the four is expected to be entered when post positions are drawn Saturday morning.
The Red Carpet, first of seven graded stakes on turf over the final four days of the meeting, is a 1 3/8-mile marathon for older fillies and mares.
Of the nine listed as probables by the racing office, the high weights at 119 are Candy Store (Christophe Clement) and Siberian Iris (Richard Mandella), one pound more than Streak of Luck (Matthew Chew).
CLOSERS - Due to scratches that reduced the field to six, Friday’s Super High 5 wagers previously made on the eighth and final race event will be refunded. The carryover from Sunday, November 17, $18,138.98, will be extended to Saturday’s program…Notable works from Friday morning: Love a Honeybadger (3f, :37.80) and Mo Forza (5f, 1:02.00) …Jockey Joe Talamo, two wins shy of career No. 2,000, is scheduled to ride three on the Friday program – Puriano (1st, 5-2), Mainframe Judy (4th, 8-1), and Radio Tim (5th, 15-1)…Fans of the late comedian Garry Shandling (“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” “The Larry Sanders Show”) may take note of a namesake horse, Shandling, entered in Sunday’s fifth race. The 3-year-old gelded son of Distorted Humor will be making his second start for Little Red Feather Racing and trainer Phil D’Amato.