© Eclipse Sportswire / Breeders' Cup
WITH BREEDERS’ CUP BEHIND, DM-BASED HORSEMEN LOOK AHEAD
Del Mar passed its second test as a Breeders’ Cup World Championships venue with high marks for excellent races over track surfaces praised by all and a record two-day, all-sources, common-pool handle of $182,908,409.
Sunday morning, in the wake of the event, Del Mar based trainers, owners and jockeys could savor successes – whatever the degree – and look ahead to the remaining 10 days of the Bing Crosby fall meeting. Gleanings from a stable area tour:
Trainer Doug O’Neill said Hot Rod Charlie (4th, Classic) and Mackinnon (3rd, Juvenile Turf) came out of their races in “fantastic” shape. “They both ran very well and I’m proud of them both,” O’Neill said. “I haven’t talked to the owners, so whatever’s next is too be determined.”
Mackinnon, winner of the Del Mar Juvenile Turf on September 6, rewarded backers with both place ($6.60) and show ($5.40) payoffs in the race in which favored Modern Games was mistakenly reported scratched at the gate and then allowed to run for purse money only.
“An unfortunate thing that everybody wishes hadn’t happened,” O’Neill said.
Trainer Phil D’Amato said that all of his Breeders’ Cup horses were fine and provided the following rundown:
“Charmaine’s Mia (3rd, Turf Sprint) left first thing this morning for the Keeneland sale. They’re hoping that with this Grade I placing she may sell for seven figures. Acclimate (14th in the Turf after being a pacesetter) will regroup and probably run in the marathon (1 ½ -mile Hollywood Turf Cup) at the end of the meeting. Going Global (1st, Goldikova), we plan on running in the Oaks at the end of December at Santa Anita.
Trainer Richard Baltas said that Going to Vegas (11th after setting the pace in the Filly & Mare Turf) came out in good shape and he anticipated the same for Ginobili (2nd to runaway winner Life Is Good in the Dirt Mile), who was yet to be checked.
Baltas reported that Going to Vegas would not be put up for sale and would run again next year. Ginobili’s next start is yet to be determined, but “We’re going to try to avoid Life Is Good,” Baltas said.
Trainer Mark Glatt said that from initial examinations 2020 Del Mar Futurity and 2021 Bing Crosby Stakes winner Dr. Schivel (2nd Sprint) came out of the race – a heartbreaker when edged by a nose at the wire – well. “Kind of a tough one to swallow, but he ran great so we can’t be disappointed with the horse,” Glatt said. The next logical start would be the Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds on opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, December 26.
Aron Wellman, Del Mar-based founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners – owners of Sprint winner Aloha West, had his family with him and found the 4-year-old son of Hard Spun to be “pretty sprightly” in his Barn BB stall.
“We’re going to get him home to Kentucky on Wednesday, see how settles in, then he’ll probably winter at Fair Grounds (in New Orleans) and train there,” Wellman said. “For the time being we’re just going to enjoy this. We haven’t been thinking beyond this race. If we get him back to Keeneland and he’s tearing the barn down he might run again this year, but probably not. He ran his first race ever in February and now he’s won at the Breeders’ Cup.”
LEADERBOARD, POST BREEDERS’ CUP, HAS AN INTERNATIONAL LOOK
It won’t stay that way, but on the day following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the Del Mar jockey and trainer leader boards are topped and dotted with, well, world champions.
Flavien Prat has assumed his usual place atop the jockey standings with five wins from 27 mounts through Saturday. But Prat has company in New York-based Irad Ortiz, Jr., who went 5-for-17 during his soiree here. Breeders’ Cup successes put New York shippers Joel Rosario (3-for-22) and Jose Ortiz (3-for-11) plus England’s William Buick (3-for-4) next in line. They’ve all headed home, leaving Umberto Rispoli (3-for-15) and Juan Hernandez (2-for-15) to resume chasing Prat today and the other 10 days of the meeting.
English trainer Charlie Appleby (3-for-4) shares the No. 1 position in the trainer standings with Bob Baffert (3-for-11) and Doug O’Neill (3-for-17). Baffert and O’Neill have a combined 13 Del Mar training titles. Appleby’s three 2021 Breeders’ Cup wins were added to the 2017 BC Filly & Turf score by Wuheida that was his first Del Mar stakes victory.
Japan’s unexpected Breeders’ Cup success put Yoshito Yahagi (2-for-2) in a tie for fourth with international competitor Wesley Ward (2-for-5) and three-time Del Mar training champion John Sadler (2-for-11).
AGENT CIANI TAKES ON ADDITIONAL RIDER IN RYAN CURATOLO
In addition to Giovanni Franco, jockey agent Mike Ciani now represents Ryan Curatolo, who is adding Southern California to an international list of places he has ridden.
A native of France, Curatolo, 29, started as an apprentice in New York in 2010 and had three Grade III stakes wins there in 2011-12 before venturing to Hong Kong, Singapore, Macao and Dubai.
Plans to come to the U.S. became complicated with the COVID outbreak in early 2020 and, Ciani said, his first race here – for Peter Eurton last Thursday – was the culmination of a nearly two-year effort to secure a visa.
Ciani’s main client, Franco, guided Lieutentant Dan, for trainer Steve Miyadi, to a game second-place finish behind favored Golden Pal in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
CLOSERS – Selected workouts from 66 on dirt and 12 on turf Sunday morning courtesy of clocker/handicapper Toby Turrell: Dirt – Lady T (4f, :48.40), Midcourt (5f, 1:01.40), Overdue (5f, 1:00), Sumter (5f, :59.80); Turf – Luck (5f, 1:03.80); Say the Word (5f, 1:03.40) … The Bing Crosby meeting resumes Friday. The weekend stakes races are the $100,000 Desi Arnaz at 6 ½ furlongs for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday and the Grade III, $100,000 Bob Hope at seven furlongs for 2-year-olds on Sunday.