Flashiest © Benoit Photo
POWELL HOPES FOR OCEANSIDE FLASHBACK FROM FLASHIEST IN DERBY
Leonard Powell-trained Flashiest is back at Del Mar where the 3-year-old gelded son of Mizzen Mast was last seen winning the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes on the opening day of a meeting down to its last five programs.
Forgive Powell if he’s prepared to forget Flashiest’s last race – an 11th-place finish in the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7 – and focus on the Grade II, $250,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby, one of three stakes on Saturday’s card.
“The Saratoga trip didn’t work out as we had planned, definitely not,” Powell said this morning. “Maybe if he had run better at Saratoga we would have stayed back east. But when he didn’t perform very well back there, coming back here was the back-up plan. So we’ll see.”
Flashiest closed from sixth place, making up nearly four lengths, to win by a head under Abel Cedillo in the one-mile Runhappy Oceanside on July 16. It was his third win in four starts and came at odds of nearly 13-1.
Cedillo, one-for-one aboard Flashiest, will be back in the irons for the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Derby, which is the finale of a three-race stakes series on turf for 3-year-olds during the meeting. Sword Zorro, Zoffrelli and Hudson Ridge, the 1-2-3 finisher in the second-leg La Jolla Stakes, at 1 1/16 miles are all entered as part of a capacity field of 14 on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
“The biggest obstacle will be the post, 14 out of 14,” Powell said. “But the horse is doing well so we’ll just hope to make the best out of it.”
The field for the Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Hudson Ridge (Flavien Prat, 9/2); Barraza (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1); Hockey Dad (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1); None Above the Law (Joe Bravo, 12-1); No Foolery Here (Giovanni Franco, 8-1); Optimistic Valor (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1); Petruchio (Mike Smith, 20-1); Cathkin Peak (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 12-1); Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1); Jimmy Blue Jeans (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Lincoln Hawk (Tiago Pereira, 20-1); Crew Dragon (Juan Hernandez, 8-1), Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1), and Flashiest (6-1).
The Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby goes as the finale on an 11-race card.
MANDELLA HOPES MABEE DUO CAN TAKE A STEP OR TWO UP SATURDAY
Dogtag is on a streak of three straight runner-up finishes.
Tapwater has finished third in her last three.
So Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella isn’t looking for big improvement from his two entrants in Saturday’s $200,000, Grade II John C. Mabee Stakes. Just a little from either might suffice in the 1 1/8-mile turf run for older fillies and mares.
“She’s run well, she just doesn’t seem to have a lot of luck in her races,” Mandella said, before clarifying that he meant both Dogtag and Tapwater. “Both of them have run races that they maybe should have won. So I put them both in and I double up my chances.”
Dogtag and Tapwater are both gray, 5-year-old homebred mares for LNJ Foxwoods. Dogtag is a daughter of Warfront. Tapwater was sired by Tapit.
Dogtag has produced second-place results in the Grade II Royal Heroine in April and Possibly Perfect in June at Santa Anita and the Grade II Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar on August 7. The margins ranged from a head to a length and a quarter.
Tapwater’s string of thirds started with the Grade III Santa Barbara Stakes in May at Santa Anita and continued here in the Osunitas Stakes on July 17 and the CTT & TOC Stakes on August 14.
The field for the John C. Mabee from the rail out with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Maxim Rate (Hernandez, 7/2); Quiet Secretary (Cedillo, 15-1); Dogtag (Rispoli, 3-1); Nasty (Ricky Gonzalez, 20-1); She’s Our Charm (Franco, 10-1); Bodhicitta (Desormeaux, 6-1); Tapwater (Bravo, 6-1); Going to Vegas (Prat, 4-1), and Fast Jet Court (Van Dyke, 6-1).
The John C. Mabee goes as the ninth, on the 11-race card.
EIGHT ENTERED IN TVG DEL MAR DEBUTANTE, 10 IN JUV. FILLIES TURF
A field of eight was set Thursday for Sunday’s 71st running of the Grade I, $300,000 TVG Del Mar Debutante, which annually determines the 2-year-old filly champion of the meeting. And 10 were entered in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, which could identify a candidate or two for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf here on November 5.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the last two runnings of the Debutante with Bast (2019) and Princess Noor (2020) and has nine Debutante wins dating back to 1995, entered two for the race.
Eda, a daughter of Munnings who was a $550,000 purchase by the Baoma Corporations at the Ocala sale in March, was a winner via disqualification in her racing debut in June at Santa Anita and came up a head short in a duel with Elm Drive in the Debutante-prep Sorrento Stakes on August 6.
Grace Adler, a daughter of Curlin who was a $700,000 auction purchase for Willow Grace Farm and Michael Petersen, won her racing debut here on July 31.
Trainer John Sadler supplemented two for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Dolly May won her only start in Ireland and was purchased about six weeks ago by Hronis Racing. Dendera broke her maiden here last month.
“Dolly May has been training very well,” Sadler said. “Dendera’s win, even though it was against Cal-breds, was impressive. She did it pretty easily.”
DAVID JERKENS’ OVERVIEW OF MEET HEADING INTO FINAL WEEK
Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens is the guy who can break it down into the digits that tell the tale of racing at the seaside oval. Here’s his look at the season as we head into the final five days of the session:
| 2021: (26 Days) | 2020: (23 Days) | |
| Total Races: 240 | Total Races: 244 | |
| Total Starters: 2040 | Total Starters: 1975 | |
| Field Size: 8.36 | Field Size: 8.23 |
| 2021 Week 7: (4 Days) | 2020 Week 7: (4 Days) (Racing was conducted on a Monday during Week 7 last year) | |
| Total Races: 37 | Total Races: 40 | |
| Total Starters: 297 | Total Starters: 320 | |
| Field Size 8.03 | Field Size: 8.00 |
| 2021 Turf Racing: | 2020 Turf Racing: | |
| Total Races: 107 | Total Races: 108 | |
| Total Starters: 957 | Total Starters: 960 | |
| Field Size: 8.94 | Field Size: 8.89 |
Ship & Win
154 unique S&W horses made 218 starts (64 repeats)
42 unique SA S&W horses made 74 starts (32 repeats)
No new SA S&W horses started this week; only 16 repeat starters.
12 owners are still receiving S&W awards for horses that have been claimed away from them.
Del Mar has paid out $1,319,744 for this program up through Sunday.
($616,000 starter bonuses / $703,744 in purse bonuses)
The number of S&W winners has increased by 5 this week, bringing the total to 38.
Leading Meet:
| Flavien Prat 36 for 135 | Peter Miller 21 for 117 | |
| Abel Cedillo 28 for 172 | John Sadler 15 for 73 | |
| Juan Hernandez 27 for 163 | Bob Baffert 14 for 54 | |
| Umberto Rispoli 23 for 148 | Phil D’Amato 14 for 90 | |
| Joe Bravo 20 for 98 | Mark Glatt 13 for 70 |
PICTURE BOOK OF MEMORIES OF ZENYATTA ON SALE ON TRACK
Most Del Mar regulars know that Chris Aplin’s one-chair barbershop, the one that she’s been operating since 1986, is located just north of the paddock walking ring, off the hallway that leads to the Clubhouse and Turf Club entrance.
For the meeting’s final five days, the place for hair cuts will also be a mini-bookstore.
Aplin, an exercise rider and aide to trainer Bill Spawr for 33 years, has self-published a book of her own photographs taken of Zenyatta during 2009-10 when the great mare was running up the last scores of her 19-for-20 career.
It is titled: “Lessons I’ve Learned from Z.”
Think: “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” but with pictures of Zenyatta. Some are of her racing, some just doing what she did so well: interacting with people.
The photos, page by page, are accompanied by “Simple life lessons,” as Aplin puts it, in caption form. The stories of each picture -- where, when and how the shots were taken -- can be found on the back page.
All proceeds from sales will go to The United Pegasus Foundation. Aplin has a special connection with the organization since it found a post-race home for Bordonaro, the graded stakes winner she galloped for Spawr in 2006-07.
Donations can be made to: United Pegasus Foundation, PO Box 2477, Tehachapi, CA, 93581.
CLOSERS – Connie Swingle is the 5-2 choice on oddsmaker Jon White’s morning line in a field of 12 for Friday’s $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes, the first of eight stakes over the last four days of the meeting. Connie Swingle, named for a legendary drag racing technician/driver, is one of three bred by Nick Alexander, whose naming of horses after figures from the past is of interest to many race fans. Alexander’s others in the Generous Portion are Carmen Miranda (6-1) the singer/dancer/actress of the 1930s known for her fruit-piled-high headgear and Sally Stanford (12-1), whose life took her from one of San Francisco’s most famous madam’s to mayor of Sausalito. Sally Stanford, the horse, was claimed away from Alexander and trainer Steve Miyadi for $50,000 by Doug O’Neill following a victory on August 8. Three races earlier that day, Alexander’s Iva Toguri (aka Tokyo Rose) won for Alexander and trainer Phil D’Amato.
Del Mar Statistics
Jockey Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 29, 2021 Inclusive)
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Flavien Prat | 135 | 36 | 28 | 19 | 27% | 61% | $2,894,318 |
| Abel Cedillo | 172 | 28 | 30 | 25 | 16% | 48% | $1,557,818 |
| Juan Hernandez | 163 | 27 | 18 | 30 | 17% | 46% | $1,958,014 |
| Umberto Rispoli | 148 | 23 | 36 | 19 | 16% | 53% | $1,804,770 |
| Joe Bravo | 98 | 20 | 7 | 21 | 20% | 49% | $1,186,752 |
| Kyle Frey | 118 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 10% | 23% | $784,560 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 72 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 15% | 46% | $726,160 |
| Edwin Maldonado | 91 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 12% | 23% | $524,300 |
| Geovanni Franco | 78 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 13% | 24% | $481,720 |
| Jessica Pyfer | 98 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 9% | 21% | $408,912 |
Trainer Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 29, 2021 Inclusive)
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | In-money% | Money Won |
| Peter Miller | 117 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 18% | 54% | $1,525,014 |
| John W. Sadler | 73 | 15 | 10 | 7 | 21% | 44% | $1,387,916 |
| Bob Baffert | 54 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 26% | 63% | $959,700 |
| Philip D'Amato | 90 | 14 | 8 | 11 | 16% | 37% | $1,208,376 |
| Mark Glatt | 70 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 19% | 47% | $824,322 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 118 | 10 | 21 | 18 | 8% | 42% | $804,304 |
| Richard Baltas | 73 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 12% | 38% | $782,920 |
| Peter Eurton | 34 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 24% | 38% | $292,960 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 66 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 11% | 32% | $336,420 |
| Steven Miyadi | 23 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 30% | 57% | $294,520 |
Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Sunday, August 29, 2021 Inclusive)
Winning favorites -- 84 out of 243 -- 34.57%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 50 out of 136 -- 36.76%
Winning favorites on turf -- 34 out of 107 -- 31.78%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 21 out of 38 -- 55.26%
In-the-Money favorites -- 172 out of 243 -- 70.78%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 33 out of 38 -- 86.84%