Mike Smith

PINCHECK AIMS FOR FIRST U.S. CHECK IN SATURDAY’S SEABISCUIT

The trip from his native Ireland last week went smoothly for Pincheck. Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap figures to be at least somewhat revelatory regarding the 4-year-old gelding’s competition level for his indefinite stay stateside.

“His first extensive travel and it surprised me that he took it so well,” said Adrien Bolger, stable foreman for Irish trainer Jessica Harrington, renowned for her success in both hunt and flat racing overseas.

“Unfortunately for us, he (Pincheck) will be staying here,” Bolger continued. “So you have to take the good with the bad.”

After the Seabiscuit, Pincheck will be turned over to Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella for subsequent U.S. training and racing.

A gelded son of the Irish stallion Invincible Spirit, Pincheck is owned by Del Mar Thoroughbred Club director Jon S. Kelly, whose major wins as an owner here were with Borrego in the 2005 Pacific Classic and Vacare in the 2008 Palomar Handicap.

Pincheck has four wins and five additional in-the-money finishes in 15 career starts and earnings of $136,827.  His only victory in six starts this year came in the Group III Invesco Desmond Stakes at Leopardstown on August 16. His last eight starts have all been at the mile distance on turf courses rated either “soft,” “good,” or “heavy,” and how he adjusts to the firmer ground of the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, and the 1 1/16 mile Seabiscuit distance, will be of  keen interest to  the connections.

Pincheck’s last race was a Group II event at Leopardstown in which he finished third, beaten 4 ¼ lengths by I Can Fly, a starter in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile earlier this month at Churchill Downs.

The decision to bring the horse over the Atlantic was a relatively recent one.

“Actually it was made only a week before he shipped,” Bolger said. “He went to a local racetrack and did a piece of work there. They were so happy with it that they decided then and there to come over with him.”

Since his arrival a week ago, Pincheck has galloped over the main track and appears to have adjusted well to the new surroundings. Kelly, a Rancho Santa Fe resident, has been out to see the morning exercise and Jessica Harrington’s daughter, Kate, arrived midweek and will saddle Pincheck for the race.

The field from the rail: Caribou Club (Joe Talamo, 6-1), Big Score (Geovanni Franco, 6-1), Ann Arbor Eddie (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1), Pincheck (Mike Smith, 5-1), Holiday Stone (Flavien Prat, 12-1), Madame Stripes (Tiago Pereira, 15-1), Synchrony (Joe Bravo, 9-2), Kenjisstorm (Rafael Bejarano, 8-1), Le Ken (Tyler Baze, 20-1), Ohio (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1), Secretary At War (Ruben Fuentes, 20-1) and He Will (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1).

O’NEILL DOUBLES DOWN SEEKING JIMMY DURANTE VICTORY

Trainer Doug O’Neill will saddle Lakerball and Cedars of Lebanon as part of a field of 13 for Saturday’s $100,000 Grade III Jimmy Durante Stakes, a mile turf test for 2-year-old fillies.

Lakerball, a California-bred daughter of Lakerville, broke her maiden in her second career start on August 8 here, romping home 8 ½ lengths in front of the nine rivals. She comes in off two straight overnight stakes victories in her initial starts on turf. The first came in the $100,000 Surfer Girl at Santa Anita on October 8 and the second against five rivals in a $75,000 event at Golden Gate Fields on October 27.

Cedars of Lebanon arrived from her native Ireland only a week or so ago. She comes in off back-to-back allowance level wins at Naas Racecourse in County Kildare.

“Both are doing very well,” O’Neill said Friday morning. “Both are coming off good efforts. But obviously it’s a tough race with a 13-horse field. We’re very optimistic that they’ll both give a good account of themselves.

“We feel that if Cedars of Lebanon can carry her Euro form over she’s got a good shot.”

The field from the rail: Italia (Mike Smith, 8-1), Lakerball (Mario Gutierrez, 9-2), Elsa (Joe Bravo, 20-1), Monette (Kent Desormeaux, 4-1),  Cedars of Lebanon (Rafael Bejarano, 12-1), Pivottina (Drayden Van Dyke, 7-2), Thriving (Flavien Prat, 8-1), Creative Instinct (Tyler Baze, 15-1), Kookie Gal (Tiago Pereira 20-1), Posh Holly (Geovanni Franco, 8-1), Courteous (Joe Talamo, 15-1), Velvet Queen (Agapito Delgadillo, 15-1) and Discreet Diva (Evin Roman, 30-1).

HOLLENDORFER HAS MORNING LINE FAVORITES IN SUNDAY STAKES

Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer will bear the burden of favoritism in both events on the double-stakes program set for Sunday.

Hollendorfer, whose five wins in the first nine days of fall racing at Del Mar put him one behind leader Peter Miller in the trainer standings, will saddle Battle of Midway in the Grade III $100,000 Native Diver and Flying Scotsman in the Grade III $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille.

Battle of Midway is the 6-5 choice on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line in a field of six for the Native Diver. Flying Scotsman is 2-1 in a field of six for the Cecil B. DeMille.

The Native Diver, 1 1/8 miles on the main track for older horses, is the third and the Cecil B. DeMille, one mile on turf for 2-year-olds, the sixth on a nine-race card with a first post of 12:30 p.m.

Proving unsuitable at stud early in 2018, Battle of Midway returned to racing in the Grade II Pat O’Brien Stakes here on August 25 and finished second, beaten 7 ½ lengths by Catalina Cruiser. Fifth of seven in the Grade II Kelso at Belmont Park in September, the 4-year-old son of Smart Strike was brought back to California and won the $78,000 Comma to the Top Stakes at Santa Anita on October 8. It was his sixth win from 13 career starts, the biggest being the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile here in 2017, and boosted his career earnings to more than $1.3 million.

The field from the rail: Roman Rosso (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1), Gift Box (Tyler Baze, 8-1), Kershaw (Heriberto Figueroa, 15-1), Battle of Midway (Flavien Prat, 6-5), Isotherm (Geovanni Franco, 4-1) and Dabster (Joe Talamo, 2-1).

Flying Scotsman was third in his debut here on August 8 and held on for a nose victory in a mile turf maiden race on September 29 at Santa Anita. Flavien Prat takes over for Tyler Conner, who was aboard for Flying Scotsman’s two races to date.

The field from the rail: Takeo Squared (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2), Rjeka, (Kent Desormeaux, 4-1), Vantastic (Mike Smith, 5-2), Irish Heatwave (Joe Talamo, 8-1), Sayin Grace (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1), Flying Scotsman (Flavien Prat, 2-1).

FRANCO’S THURSDAY DOUBLE REGAINS SHARE OF RIDING LEADERSHIP

Geovanni Franco found himself second in the rider standings for the first time all season when Drayden Van Dyke won two races on Sunday to take a one-win lead.

Franco moved back into a tie for the lead, however, when he notched two wins to Van Dyke’s one on the Thanksgiving Day program Thursday.

Franco, 27, picked up the mount on Unapologetic (4^th, $12.20) with the retirement of Gary Stevens and scored a half-length victory and scored again with Danuska’s My Girl (7^th, $21.20) wire to wire.

Van Dyke, 24, took the nightcap with Amadine ($10.80) to leave them both with nine wins, two more than defending meet champion Flavien Prat and three ahead of Joe Talamo and apprentice Heriberto Figueroa.

DONATIONS TO SAN DIEGO FOOD BANK ACCEPTED HERE

Del Mar is a site for donations to the San Diego Food Bank through Sunday.

Collection bins are set up outside Clubhouse and Stretch Run gates for canned goods or other non-perishable food items to be distributed to the needy during the holiday season.

CLOSERS – Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux is at Churchill Downs today to ride Prime Attraction for trainer Jim Cassidy in the $500,000 Clark Handicap. Desormeaux has 5,991 career victories and will be guiding Prime Attraction, the 3-1 co-second choice on the morning line behind 8-5 Seeking the Soul, from the No. 1 post in a field of eight.

DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings

(Current Through Thursday, November 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Trainer Standings

(Current Through Thursday, November 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning Favorites Report

(Current Through Thursday, November 22, 2018 Inclusive)

Winning favorites -- 27 out of 76 -- 35.53%

Winning favorites on dirt -- 17 out of 46 -- 36.96%

Winning favorites on turf -- 10 out of 30 -- 33.33%

Winning odds-on favorites -- 8 out of 17 -- 47.06%

In-the-Money favorites -- 54 out of 76 -- 71.05%

In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 14 out of 17 -- 82.35%