By Jim Charvat
Skinner © Benoit Photo
SKINNER SEEKS FIRST GRADED STAKES WIN IN SUNDAY’S NATIVE DIVER
The Del Mar Turf Festival takes a day off Sunday but the stakes action continues with arguably the most intriguing race of the holiday weekend. The G3 Native Diver, run at a mile and an eighth on the main track, has attracted seven runners including a horse that nearly ran in the Kentucky Derby this year.
Skinner was in Louisville when he spiked a fever a day before the Derby. He came back two months later to run second to Reincarnate in the Los Alamitos Derby followed by a fifth in the G1 Fan Duel Racing Pacific Classic and a fifth in the G1 Awesome Again.
At first glance one might assume the G3 Native Diver is a step down, an easier race for Skinner than his past two, but don’t try telling that to trainer John Shirreffs.
“It’s the only race available to him at this time,” he says, “and I don’t know that there are any easier races here (at Del Mar) or in California.”
Bob Baffert brings Mr Fisk back for the Native Diver. The 3-year old son of Arrogate was last seen in a dead-heat in the $125,000 Shared Belief on Pacific Classic Day.
“We’ve taken our time with him,” Baffert says. “He’s like his sire. The farther they go the better he’ll be. It’s his first time with older horses but I think he’s doing very well.”
Mr Fisk, who is also in search of his first graded stakes victory, returns from a two and a half month layoff.
“He wasn’t ready for anything,” Baffert says, “and there wasn’t much (for him to run in). We had the Breeders’ Cup. He’s still maturing. I think he’s going to be a better 4-year-old.”
The horse Mr Fisk dead heated with in September, Tahoe Sunrise, came back and won a salty second-level allowance race at Del Mar Friday.
Newgrange ran in the Native Diver last year, finishing third behind Defunded and Azul Coast. He’s only run three times in 2023, winning the G2 San Pasqual in January, running seventh in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, and running third in optional claiming race following a seven-month layoff.
“He’s second off the bench,” trainer Phil D’Amato says. “I think he got the cobwebs off in the last race and he should be firing on all cylinders.
“It’s the right spot (for Newgrange),” D’Amato continues. “He’s won a couple of graded stakes races. I don’t think there are any Grade I world beaters in there but a real nice solid field of graded stakes horses. So we’re going to give it a shot.”
The G3 Native Diver is the eighth race on a nine-race Sunday card. It’s the 46th running of the race named after the popular racehorse from the 1960’s. Past winners include Best Pal, Alphabet Soup, Game On Dude, Dortmund, and Battle of Midway. Approximate post time for the stakes is 3:55 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Visitant (Flavien Prat, 4-1); Arrowthegreat (Victor Espinoza, 6-1); Celestial Moon (Antonio Fresu, 10-1); Kiss Today Goodbye (Kyle Frey, 8-1); Newgrange (Edwin Maldonado, 5/2); Skinner (Mike Smith, 4-1); Mr Fisk (Juan Hernandez, 3-1).
TYLER BAZE IS LOVING LIFE AFTER HIS BRUSH WITH DEATH
Two weeks into the Bing Crosby Season and jockey Tyler Baze has three wins from eleven mounts. Not bad for a guy who was on death’s doorstep just a few months ago.
Baze has been riding at Del Mar since he captured the Eclipse Award for top apprentice jockey in 2000. His career has been a mix of peaks and valleys. Peaks that included rides in the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup to valleys filled with substance abuse and suspensions. But none of that mattered when he began suffering stomach pains earlier this year.
“Right after Christmas last year I started having problems,” Baze recalls. “I couldn’t eat; I couldn’t use the bathroom. I was in Arkansas and went to Urgent Care. Went there a couple two or three times. I went to the hospital a couple two or three times. They didn’t know what was wrong with me. I finally landed in the hospital with a bowel obstruction. I pretty much coliced like a horse.”
The 41-year-old rider was told if he didn’t have immediate surgery, he would die.
“I got admitted to the hospital on the 18th of April and they couldn’t find it until May 1ST,” Baze says. “I’ve broken a lot of bones but I’ve never felt a pain like that one. That guy came in after they finally found it and said you’re going to die if we don’t do the surgery right now.”
Surgeons cut through the muscles in his stomach to get to the problem.
“In the hospital I lost 20 pounds,” Baze notes. “Got down to 96 pounds. I was very brittle and very ugly to look at, that’s for sure.”
Fast forward six months later and Baze is back on horses, doing what he loves.
“I feel good, probably stronger than I’ve ever been,” claims Baze. “I’ve never worked out this hard and never been this healthy.”
He insists there’s no ‘load management’ involved in his comeback.
“I’d like to be on more horses but that’ll come around. If I’m driving down there (to Del Mar) I want to ride every race.”
Baze got back up on a horse a little over a month after the surgery.
“I’m a little cocky when it comes to my body,” Baze says. “I like to push things. I got up on a horse just before everybody left for Del Mar in July. I just wanted to get on a horse and test my body out. See where it’s at. It was a little painful but I was okay. It actually didn’t hurt as much as I was expecting.”
He rode his first race at the end of the summer meet at Del Mar for Michelle Hanson.
“It was kind of another test for my body to see where I was at,” Baze says. “I was fine. I had a bunch of people ask me to ride Los Al but I already had plans with my kids. They had a school camping trip. So I didn’t ride Los Al and started back at Santa Anita.”
Baze will tell you he’s had a pretty good career. His highlight came in 2014 when he notched his 2,000th win at Del Mar the day before his daughter was born.
“After you go through what I did, I tell you, when you get that close to death you take every moment,” he says. “I’m just blessed to be here because horses die from colic all the time. I could have got sepsis, that thing that poisons your blood. A lot of things could have gone wrong.
“All I can say is God wanted me here for some reason,” Baze continues. “Every time I get to go out on the racetrack I think about it a lot more now. A lot of people don’t get to do what I do. I love my job and I love my horses.”
HERNANDEZ SURGES TO THE FRONT IN DEL MAR’S JOCKEY STANDINGS
Del Mar’s summer riding champion has taken advantage of Flavien Prat’s absence this week and soared to the top of the jockey standings at the seaside oval. Hernandez had a riding double on Thanksgiving Day to move into a tie with Prat, then came back and posted a riding triple on Friday to move ahead of his rival.
Prat is back in Kentucky riding at Churchill Downs through Saturday. He’s due back Sunday. Just enough time for Hernandez to increase his lead. He currently sits with 13 victories, Prat is next with 10.
Prat is the defending champion of the Bing Crosby Season after storming back with five victories on closing day last year. So whatever Hernandez can do to pad his lead is probably in his best interests.
Antonio Fresu and Umberto Rispoli are next with six victories. Followed by Kyle Frey and Edwin Maldonado with five.
The trainer standings at Del Mar find Bob Baffert leading the way with seven wins, but close behind is Philip D’Amato with six. That may change this weekend as Baffert only has two horses racing Saturday and Sunday, while D’Amato has nine, three alone in today’s G2 Seabiscuit.
The two will face-off in the G3 Native Diver Sunday.
“Any dirt stakes you run in in California, nines time out of 10 there’s going to be a Bob Baffert in there,” D’Amato says with a smile. “It’s to be expected.”
Peter Miller is next in the trainer standings with five victories. He brings seven starters to the races this weekend with an eye on the top spot. Doug O’Neill, Bob Hess, Jr. and Steve Knapp are next with four wins a piece.
Racing has been a little less ‘chalky’ this past week. Favorites have now won 31 of the 69 races, a 44% clip, down from 58% after the first four days of racing. The odds on favorites, 9-for-9 to start the meet, are still a good bet having won 16-of-18 through Friday.
COOLING OUT: Expect Hong Kong Harry back racing as a 7-year-old in 2024. “Definitely,” trainer Phil D’Amato says. “Probably run him here and then maybe point him to something like the San Gabriel at Santa Anita.” The Irish-bred gelding will defend his crown later today in the G2 Seabiscuit…Jockey J.G. Torrealba notched his 40th win aboard Giovinazzo in the fourth race Friday. Torrealba now goes from a seven-pound bug to a five-pound allowance.
Del Mar Statistics
Jockey Standings
(Current through November 24, 2023 Inclusive)
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Juan Hernandez | 37 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 27% | 57% | $496,020 |
| Flavien Prat | 34 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 29% | 59% | $465,228 |
| Antonio Fresu | 42 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 14% | 67% | $453,320 |
| Umberto Rispoli | 37 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 14% | 46% | $315,480 |
| Kyle Frey | 35 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 14% | 43% | $209,928 |
| Edwin Maldonado | 28 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 11% | 39% | $201,080 |
| Tyler Baze | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 27% | 45% | $88,860 |
| J.G. Torrealba | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 23% | 38% | $123,600 |
| Tiago Pereira | 19 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 11% | 47% | $140,334 |
| Hector Berrios | 15 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13% | 47% | $134,512 |
Trainer Standings
(Current through November 24, 2023 Inclusive)
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Philip D'Amato | 27 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 22% | 48% | $328,580 |
| Bob Baffert | 19 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 32% | 53% | $329,488 |
| Steve R. Knapp | 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25% | 56% | $141,820 |
| Peter Miller | 24 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 17% | 38% | $185,400 |
| John W. Sadler | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 23% | 62% | $144,920 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 27% | 55% | $135,400 |
| Vladimir Cerin | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 38% | 38% | $78,920 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 27 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7% | 52% | $186,808 |
| Mark Glatt | 14 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 14% | 93% | $146,700 |
| George Papaprodromou | 19 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11% | 37% | $92,224 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current through November 24, 2023 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 27 out of 60 -- 45.00%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 14 out of 29 -- 48.28%
Winning favorites on turf -- 13 out of 31 -- 41.94%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 11 out of 16 -- 68.75%
In-the-Money favorites -- 45 out of 60 -- 75.00%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 14 out of 16 -- 87.50%