Beholder
BREEDERS’ CUP ‘HANGOVER’ A GOOD BUZZ FOR CROSBY III
The hangover from last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup XXXIII at Santa Anita still lingers in all areas of the Southern California racing circuit.
It’s to be expected following an event that attracted a Breeders’ Cup record Friday crowd (45,763) and second-largest Saturday (72,811) and produced terrific climax races both days. Beholder edged Songbird in the $2 million Distaff on Friday and Arrogate upset California Chrome in the $6 million Classic on Saturday.
And with the third Bing Crosby Season opener just three days away, the “hangover” might better be classified as a good buzz for Del Mar. How does the Breeders’ Cup figure to affect Del Mar? Let us count the ways.
In retrospect, there’s the pride of presentation during the Summer 2016 meeting.
California Chrome and Beholder, fans will recall, were party to spectacular races in July leading up to the $1 million Pacific Classic – Chrome prevailing in a stretch battle with Dortmund in the San Diego Handicap and Beholder being edged by Stellar Wind in the Clement L. Hirsch.
One month later, defending Pacific Classic champion Beholder finished second behind an eye-popping victory run by California Chome.
Thirty-three horses that had run in the summer at Del Mar competed in the 13 Breeders’ Cup races, with total purses of $28 million at Santa Anita. Only one race, the Juvenile Fillies Turf was without a representative.
The winners in those day-climaxing races, Beholder in the Distaff and Arrogate in the Classic, both displayed their talents here last summer. So did Champagne Room, a $69.20 surprise in the Juvenile Fillies, and Finest City, a $19.40 upset winner in the $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint.
Ian Kruljac, 28, and only a year into his training career, prepared Finest City for the victory and was one of three trainers who summered at Del Mar to record their initial Breeders’ Cup wins. The others were Peter Eurton with Champagne Room and Phil D’Amato with Obviously in the Turf Sprint.
Sunday, D’Amato said that if Obviously shows he has recuperated sufficiently, the eight-year-old gelding might run during the Bing Crosby meeting.
“At this time of year we usually give Obviously a bit of a break to get ready for his races for the next year,” D’Amato said. “But, who knows, if he’s still eager to run at eight, we’ll try to find another race for him.
“There’s a possibility he could run at Del Mar. He has not lost a step in his training in my opinion. And Midnight Storm (third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile) is at his peak right now. There might be races for both of them at Del Mar.”
Dave Hofmans, trainer of Santa Anita Handicap at Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Melatonin, fifth in the Classic after chasing the pace of Calfornia Chrome, said they will take a look at the Native Diver on Sunday, November 27.
Tom Robbins, Executive Vice President for Racing, said that any Breeders’ Cup participants shipping in for the meeting would be considered a bonus.
“We can’t expect a lot of horses because our races come a little too soon after the Breeders’ Cup for most of them,” Robbins said. “And it’s a little too soon to tell right now.”
FIELD OF SIX SET FOR OPENING-DAY KATHRYN CROSBY STAKES
A field of six older fillies and mares was entered Tuesday for the Opening Day $75,000 Kathryn Crosby Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
Do the Dance, a 3-year-old daughter of Discreet Cat trained by Gary Sherlock, comes in with the top recent effort, an allowance/claiming victory on October 16 at Santa Anita.
Kerri Belle, a 6-year-old Empire Maker mare who races for the Zenyatta connections of trainer John Shirreffs and owners Jerry and Ann Moss, has been facing highest-level competition with fourth-place finishes behind Avenge in the Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes here on September 4 and the Grade I Rodeo Drive on October 16 at Santa Anita.
The field, from the rail out: Amboseli (Mike Smith), Kerri Belle (Norberto Arroyo), Dressed To A T (Mario Gutierrez), Do The Dance (Tyler Baze), Sobradora Inc (Rafael Bejarano) and Glory (Flavien Prat).
BING CROSBY SEASON: FACTS FOR FALL FIGURING
Racing Days – 15 in all, from November 11-December 4.
Schedule – Thursdays through Sundays following opening three-day weekend.
Post Times – 12:30 first post daily, except 11 a.m. first post Thanksgiving Day, November 24.
Cards – Eight races weekdays, nine on weekends.
Stakes races – Fourteen totaling $2.05 million in purses. Ten graded stakes totaling $1.7 million in purses breaking down as two Grade I events, three Grade IIs and five Grade IIIs.
Signature events – Grade I $300,000 Hollywood Derby, the initial version of which was won by California Chrome in 2014, on December 3 and the Grade I Matriarch, won by Stormy Lucy in 2015, on December 4.
Admission: $6 at ALL gates ($3 Diamond Club).
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793