By Hank Wesch
HOLLENDORFER, O’NEILL ARE TRIPLE THREATS IN DEBUTANTE
The depth of 2-year-old filly talent in the stables of Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and Doug O’Neill will be on display Saturday when they saddle three horses each in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante.
Hollendorfer has Songbird (5-2), Surfside Tiara (7-2), the second and third choices on the morning line behind 2-1 favorite Pretty N Cool, plus Stays In Vegas (15-1).
O’Neill has a longshot trio in Land Over Sea (15-1), Gomo (15-1) and Mitzi Winks (30-1).
Multiple entries in graded stakes aren’t unusual for major stables. Having top finishes by two or more horses is rare, but happens (see Beholder, Catch a Flight, Richard Mandella, 2015 Pacific Classic).
Hollendorfer needs to look back only to the 2013 Native Diver Handicap, the last running of the event at Hollywood Park, and saddling a 1-2-3 finish with Blueskiesnrainbows, Hear The Ghost and Rousing Sermon.
That was a Grade III for older, experienced horses with a field of seven. The Debutante is a Grade I with a field of 11, none with more than three lifetime starts. But, especially in the Hollendorfer camp, there’s reason for optimism.
“They’ve got great post positions and they’ve all been working well,” Hollendorfer assistant Dan Ward said Friday. Surfside Tiara, with leading rider Rafael Bejarano up, will break from the No. 5 post, just inside stablemate Stays in Vegas, who will have Flavien Prat up. Songbird, ridden by Mike Smith, has the outside No. 11.
Songbird, a daughter of Medaglia D’Oro who was a $400,000 purchase at the Fasig Tipton Sale in August of last year, was a 6 1/2 –length winner, breaking from post position No. 1, in her career debut here on July 26.
“She goes from the rail to the outside and it’s good to have the outside post in a race like this,” Ward said.
Surfside Tiara scored a maiden victory in her second career start, prevailing by 5 ¼ lengths here on August 9. Stays in Vegas ships in from Northern California with wins in stakes with purses of $58,000 and $56,000 by a combined 9 ¾ lengths.
Of the O’Neill threesome, Land Over Sea and Mitzi Winks come in off maiden wins here while Gomo was the runner-up to Pretty N Cool in the Grade II Sorrento Stakes.
`The field from the rail out: Right There (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1), Come to Mischief (Gary Stevens, 8-1), Pretty N Cool (Martin Garcia, 2-1), Land Over Sea (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1), Surfside Tiara (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2), Stays in Vegas (Flavien Prat, 15-1), One True Kiss (Joe Talamo, 15-1), My Dynamo (Fernando Perez, 20-1), Gomo (Alex Solis, 15-1), Mitzi Winks (Drayden Van Dyke, 30-1) and Songbird (Mike Smith, 5-2).
The Debutante will go as the ninth on an 11-race program with an approximate post time of 6:10 p.m.
CROSS ENTRIES CREATE INTRIGUE FOR JUVENILE STAKES
Trainers Doug O’Neill and Peter Miller will have some interesting decisions to make soon regarding their respective 2-year-old standouts Gomo and Annie’s Candy.
On Wednesday, O’Neill entered Gomo in Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante and Friday did the same for the 2-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo in Monday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Similarly, Miller has entered Annie’s Candy in both Saturday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf and Monday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity.
In both cases the decision boils down to dirt or turf, Grade I or ungraded stakes?
Stay tuned.
EIGHT ENTERED FOR SEASON FINALE GRADE I DEL MAR FUTURITY
Nyquist, unbeaten in two career starts with the most recent being the Grade II Best Pal here on August 8, tops eight 2-year-olds entered for Monday’s $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Futurity, the traditional Closing Day feature of the Summer Season.
Owned by Reddam Racing LLC, trained by Doug O’Neill and ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Nyquist has earned back $153,600 of his $400,000 purchase price at the Fasig Tipton sale in March.
The other Futurity entrants, in alphabetical order: Annie’s Candy, Archaeo, Blameitonthelaw, Mt Veeder, Nightly News, Nyquist, Rockin Bayou and Swipe.
Last year the Futurity was the starting point for American Pharoah’s run to eight straight stakes victories and the Triple Crown championship.
AMERICAN PHAROAH TODAY
The Triple Crown winner jogged the perimeter of the Del Mar track with exercise rider Manny Avila up and assistant trainer Jim Barnes alongside on a pony. It was American Pharoah’s first trip to the racetrack since his second-place finish to Keen Ice in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga last Saturday.
PROSPECT PARK (8-5) FAVORED OVER SIX DEL MAR DERBY RIVALS
Impressive La Jolla Handicap winner Prospect Park was tabbed the 8-5 favorite in a field of seven on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Sunday’s Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Derby, the final leg of the Summer Meeting’s stakes series on turf for 3-year-olds.
Bred and owned by Pam and Marty Wygod, trained by Cliff Sise and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, Prospect Park cruised to a 4 ¼-length victory over Derby rivals Om and Royal Albert Hall in the Grade III La Jolla on August 9. It was the first graded stakes win for the son of Tapit and his third win in 10 career starts, which have produced earnings of $396,570.
The field from the rail: Win the Space (Joe Talamo, 15-1), Prospect Park (Kent Desormeaux, 8-5), Soul Driver (Mike Smith, 7-2), Papacoolpapacool (Tiago Pereira, 8-1), Royal Albert Hall (Flavien Prat, 15-1), Om (Gary Stevens, 5-2) and Crittenden (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1).
The Del Mar Derby is the seventh on a 10-race card with an approximate post time of 5:10 p.m.
QUEEN OF THE SAND FAVORED IN YELLOW RIBBON
Derrick Fisher’s Queen of The Sand was made the 7-2 favorite in a field of 12 for Sunday’s co-featured Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for older fillies and mares.
Trained by Paddy Gallagher and to be ridden for the first time by James Graham, Queen of the Sand won the Katherine Crosby – the first stakes of the inaugural Bing Crosby season – here on November 7 of last year. Subsequently, the 5-year-old Irish-bred mare has runner-up efforts in the Matriarch on November 30 and the John C. Mabee on August 8 in races on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The field from the rail: Customer Base (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Alexis Tangier (Victor Espinoza, 12-1), Lady Pimpernel (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Thegirlinthatsong (Martin Garcia, 12-1), Blingismything (Tyler Baze, 15-1), Prize Exhibit (Santiago Gonzalez, 9-2), Istanford (Joe Talamo, 8-1), Queen of The Sand (James Graham, 7-2), Notte d’Oro (Flavien Prat, 20-1), She’s Not Here (Mike Smith, 6-1), Stormy Lucy (Corey Nakatani, 12-1) and Famous Alice (Gary Stevens, 15-1).
WHAT’S IN A NAME – I’M SMOKIN STAKES
Today’s featured I’m Smokin Stakes is named for the California-bred sprinter who won the 1978 Graduation Stakes for owner Albert Levinson and trainer Tom Proctor. Champion Best Pal won the inaugural running in 1990.
CLOSERS --- A field of 12 was entered for Monday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf … Rancho Bernardo runner-up Baruta, trained by Richard Mandella and ridden by Flavien Prat, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in a field of eight for Sunday’s $80,000 C.E.R.F. Stakes … Selected works from 82 officially timed Friday morning: Masochistic (5f, 1:00.80), Buckleberry Grey (5f, :58.80), Catch a Flight (4f, :53.80) … Flavien Prat won four races on Thursday to move into third place in the jockey standings. Rafael Bejarano leads by a comfortable 10-win margin over Joe Talamo entering the final four days of the meeting…Jerry Hollendorfer has a five-win margin over Peter Miller and has four horses entered Friday to three for Miller.
DEL MAR STATISTICS
| Jockey Standings | ||||||
| (Current Through Thursday, September 3, 2015 Inclusive) | ||||||
| Jockey | Mts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | Money Won |
| Rafael Bejarano | 193 | 36 | 40 | 24 | 19% | $2,305,504 |
| Joseph Talamo | 171 | 26 | 14 | 14 | 15% | $1,496,118 |
| Flavien Prat | 166 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 15% | $1,908,124 |
| Tyler Baze | 190 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 13% | $1,489,120 |
| Santiago Gonzalez | 160 | 23 | 15 | 22 | 14% | $1,282,046 |
| Mario Gutierrez | 123 | 23 | 14 | 10 | 19% | $1,238,736 |
| Martin Garcia | 129 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 14% | $1,195,400 |
| Corey Nakatani | 82 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 20% | $741,776 |
| Kent Desormeaux | 90 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 17% | $785,404 |
| James Graham | 123 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 9% | $926,994 |
| Trainer Standings | ||||||
| (Current Through Thursday, September 3, 2015 Inclusive) | ||||||
| Trainer | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Win% | Money Won |
| Jerry Hollendorfer | 83 | 21 | 9 | 10 | 25% | $1,246,872 |
| Peter Miller | 121 | 16 | 21 | 17 | 13% | $1,178,630 |
| Doug F. O'Neill | 95 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 15% | $1,101,940 |
| Richard Baltas | 68 | 14 | 6 | 13 | 21% | $713,658 |
| Philip D'Amato | 77 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 16% | $918,932 |
| Mike Puype | 69 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 17% | $653,860 |
| Bob Baffert | 57 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 19% | $899,820 |
| John W. Sadler | 52 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 21% | $587,334 |
| Robert B. Hess, Jr. | 54 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 19% | $319,362 |
| Mark Glatt | 58 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 14% | $413,540 |
| Winning Favorites Report | |||
| (Current Through Thursday, September 3, 2015 Inclusive) | |||
| Winning favorites | 95 | 316 | 30.06% |
| Wining favorites on dirt | 70 | 216 | 32.41% |
| Wining favorites on turf | 25 | 100 | 25.00% |
| Winning odds-on favorites | 19 | 37 | 51.35% |
| In-the-Money favorites | 183 | 316 | 57.91% |
| In-the-Money odds-on favorites | 33 | 37 | 89.19% |
Contact: Dan Smith 858-792-4226/Hank Wesch 858-755-1141 ext. 3793