By Jim Charvat

Fun to Dream © Benoit Photo

FUN TO DREAM RETURNS IN TRANQUILITY LAKE MONDAY

After banging heads with Adare Manor and A Mo Reay, two of the top Distaff runners in the country, Fun to Dream has been given a much easier spot this time around. The CTBA’s Horse of the Year is back in the $100,000 Tranquility Lake Monday, part of a twin-bill of stakes action on Labor Day at Del Mar.

Fun to Dream nearly beat A Mo Reay in the G1 Beholder, getting run down on the wire and finishing second. She didn’t fair nearly as well against stablemate Adair Manor in the G1 Clement Hirsch last out, finishing fifth and last, beaten by 8 ¼ lengths.

“We were disappointed in her last race,” trainer Bob Baffert says. “She got away bad and got behind and just wasn’t happy that day.”

Prior to the Beholder, Fun to Dream had compiled an impressive resume. She won six of her first seven races, including last year’s Fleet Treat at Del Mar by 9 ¼ lengths. She put together a four-race win streak that stretched from October to February and included a win in the $100,000 Betty Grable at Del Mar last fall, as well as victories in the G1 La Brea and G2 Santa Monica at Santa Anita. She was not only dominating the Cal-bred division but now she was beating the best distaffers in Southern California.

Although her near miss in the Beholder snapped her win streak it didn’t dissuade many of her believers. But things changed with the Clement Hirsch performance and the one-mile Tranquility Lake should be more to her liking.

She gets Juan Hernandez back in the saddle. He rode her in her first eight races before choosing Adare Manor in the Clement Hirsch.

Trainer Richard Mandella has upset on his mind. He brings Micro Share to the Tranquility Lake. She’s won her last two races, an entry level allowance race at Pleasanton followed by another entry level allowance race at Del Mar. Up to that point she had only won once in seven starts.

Another that bears watching is Yuki, a Chilean-bred filly who won a second-level allowance race in her first start at Del Mar last month. She’s trained by Amador Sanchez, who annually brings a string of horses from his base at Gulfstream Park to Del Mar for the summer.

“Yuki’s fast, she’s a good filly,” Sanchez says. “This one (the Tranquility) is a mile but I would like to try her at more distance. She runs in the front so I don’t want her to fight with any other filly. That’s the best scenario in the race for us.”

Yuki represents Sanchez’ lone winner at the summer meet.

The Tranquility Lake is the fifth race on the 11-race holiday card at Del Mar. Approximate post time is 3:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Trouville (Antonio Fresu, 15-1); Una Chiquitita (Kent Desormeaux, 15-1); Micro Share (Mike Smith, 5/2); Yuki (Hector Berrios, 7/2); Fun to Dream (Juan Hernandez, 4/5), and Smoothlikebuttah (Tiago Pereira, 6-1).

2-YEAR-OLDS LINE UP FOR SUMMER MEET STRETCH DRIVE

It’s a look into the future. A preview of things to come.

Six of the final seven stakes left in the summer meet at Del Mar are for 2-year-olds including the big two, the G1 FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutante Saturday, September 9 and the G1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity Sunday, September 10.

The parade of juveniles begins with the $125,000 Generous Portion for Cal-breds today. Seven fillies are entered in the six-furlong race, three of which squared off in the CTBA Stakes earlier in the meet.

Of those three, Crazy Hot finished best, posting a third-place finish in the 5 ½ furlong sprint, which also was restricted to Cal-breds. Jeff Bonde trains the daughter of Goldencents, who broke her maiden at Santa Anita in May by 10 ¾ lengths.

She has since run in two stakes races and finished third in both, the Fasig-Tipton Debutante at Santa Anita in June and the CTBA last month.

“She didn’t get away good that day (in the CTBA) and didn’t run the same race,” Bonde says. “We’ve schooled her in the gate a couple of times and we’re hoping for a better race today.”

Crazy Hot finished behind two quality fillies in the CTBA: Pushiness who is heading to the G1 Debutante and Grand Slam Smile, winner of the Fasig-Tipton Debutante. Crazy Hot finished 4 ¼ lengths ahead of the fourth-place finisher, Putt For Dough, and fifth-place finisher, and her stablemate, Fly A Fantasy. Both are in the Generous Portion.

Four of the entries are coming into the race off of maiden wins. Prancingthruparis won at first asking for trainer Peter Eurton. That was on the turf. The Generous Portion is on the dirt.

“I would have preferred to stay on grass,” Eurton says, “but there’s nothing right now for 2-year old Cal-breds on the grass. There’s not a lot of grass until the beginning of the year, not even an ‘other than’. We thought instead of just training; we’ll see how she does.”

Blevys Tiger broke her maiden second time out up at Golden Gate Fields against open company. Talent for Gold also won in her second career race against Cal-breds at Del Mar, while it was ‘third times a charm’ for Unified A.P., who won a $50,000 maiden-claiming race at Del Mar last month.

The Generous Portion goes off as race 10 on the 11-race Sunday card. Approximate post time is 6 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds: Crazy Hot (Mike Smith, 8/5); Blevys Tiger (Juan Hernandez, 5/2); Unified A.P. (Jose Valdivia, 8-1); Putt for Dough (Mario Gutierrez, 6-1); Talent for Gold (Geovanni Franco, 12-1); Prancingthruparis (Antonio Fresu, 6-1), and Fly A Fantasy (Kent Desormeaux, 5-1).

UMBERTO RISPOLI UPDATE: MAY RETURN CLOSING WEEKEND

Suffering a hard spill and getting stepped on by a horse doesn’t stop jockey Umberto Rispoli from making his rounds a few days later. The 35-year-old was out in the barn area Sunday morning talking with trainers and schmoozing with fellow riders, three days after suffering a spill that led to Rispoli getting carted off the turf course on a stretcher, lifted into an ambulance and transported to the hospital.

While he didn’t break any bones, he was body sore, especially on his thigh where a trailing horse got him as he rolled on the grass and scrambled to get out of the way.

Rispoli initially thought he’d be back in the saddle by Saturday to ride his mounts on the highly lucrative Pacific Classic Day card. But he woke up Saturday and determined he couldn’t go and took off his mounts for the entire weekend.

“I tried to comeback but the impact (of the spill) was too much,” Rispoli says. “It was sad to be on the sideline, but I only think it was fair to the people I ride for that if I don’t feel 100%, I can’t ride their horses.”

Only one of Rispoli’s would-be mounts won Saturday. Motorious took the ‘Win and You’re In’ G3 Green Flash. Two more mounts Rispoli took off on Sunday found the winner’s circle.

It’s the aches and pains of being a jockey, which Rispoli knows all too well.

“I fractured my collarbone on a Friday and I was back riding the next Saturday,” Rispoli says. “I tore my ACL and I was back in nine weeks so I’ve done something crazy before.”

Rispoli is now pointing to a return to racing by closing week at Del Mar.

“I’ll probably be back by Friday,” Rispoli says. “I will do everything to try and get back by then. If I feel fine I will. If I don’t, I’ll take my time and take it easy. No point to press.”

Rispoli currently sits fourth in the Del Mar jockey standings with 20 wins.

DEBUTANTE, FUTURITY HIGHLIGHT CLOSING WEEK STAKES ACTION

The summer meet at Del Mar comes to an end next weekend but not before the 2-year-olds have their say both on the dirt and on the grass.

Six stakes are on tap for next weekend starting Friday with the $125,000 I’m Smokin, a six-furlong test for Cal-bred 2-year-olds. Five of the eight runners in the Graduation Stakes, run at Del Mar last month, are entered in the I’m Smokin, including the top three finishers who were only separated by three-quarters of a length. Lord Prancealot wired them that day but Last Call London’s final bid came up a head short and Mici’s Express was right behind him.

Saturday, three stakes are on the docket, including the G1 FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutante. Ten are possible for the race including the top three finishers in the G3 Sorrento and the winner of the CTBA, both run earlier in the meet. Dreamfyre, trained by O J Jauregui, put on a clinic in the Sorrento, going wire-to-wire to win by 3 ½ lengths over race favorite Benedetta. The Bob Baffert-trained Dua was next, another 7 ¼ lengths behind the frontrunners.

Pushiness, an undefeated Cal-bred, also may get in the mix. She won her stakes debut in front-running fashion and is expected to give Dreamfyre a tussle.

Tamara, the daughter of Beholder who won her career debut, is also a possible for the seven-furlong race on the main track.

On the Debutante undercard is the Juvenile Fillies Turf, a one-mile journey. Nineteen fillies have been nominated for the race. Most are coming out of maiden races.

Grass races for juveniles are tough to come by this time of year, let alone around two turns. That being said, trainer Doug O’Neill’s Angiolleta, Peter Eurton’s Flattery and Michael McCarthy’s Sushi Sticks are all coming off one-mile maiden special weight turf races.

Trainer Phil D’Amato, always dangerous on the turf, has nominated Loterie, runner up to Angiolleta in July.

The G2 John C. Mabee is also on the Debutante undercard. Eleven fillies and mares have been nominated for the mile and an eighth grass race including Closing Remarks, winner of the G2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar last month, and Macadamia, winner of the G1 Gamely at Santa Anita on Memorial Day.

Turning to Sunday, two stakes are scheduled for the closing-day card at Del Mar, beginning with the G3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf. Twenty 2-year-old colts and geldings have been nominated for the one mile race. Like its filly counterpart, a few of the nominees have won on the turf at the one mile distance, including McCarthy’s Endlessly and Blue Eyed George, who did it at Ellis Park.  Richard Mandella’s Boltage won by five lengths in a maiden special weight at the distance at Del Mar last month.

D’Amato’s lone entry, Poor Dompter, is making his first start in the U.S.

The stakes schedule closes out with the G1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, headed by Baffert’s Prince of Monaco and Muth, the top two finishers in last month’s G3 Best Pal. Prince of Monaco won by 4 ¼ lengths for his second open length win. The son of Speightstown broke his maiden by eight lengths.

O’Neill’s Raging Torrent, who finished third behind the Baffert pair in the Best Pal, is also possible for the Futurity.

COOLING OUT: Conclude came out of his hard-fought victory in Sunday’s G2 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby in good shape and trainer Phil D’Amato says he may potentially run him in the G2 Twilight Derby on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Santa Anita November 4…Both of trainer Bob Baffert’s horses who dead-heated in Sunday’s Shared Belief came out of their races in good order. “Their heads look good,” Baffert says. “I walked by them this morning; they had their heads sticking out (of their stalls).” He has no plans at this time for a next race…Jockey Victor Espinoza notched his first stakes win of the meet when he dead-heated onboard Tahoe Sunrise in the Shared Belief with Mr Fisk. He now has 109 stakes victories at Del Mar during his Hall of Fame career, second-most among all riders…Notable works on Monday: Dirt – Mary’s Boy Bolt (3f, :37.60); Tamara (3f, :34.80); Adare Manor (4f, :50.60); Pinecone (4f, :46.80); Yo Yo Mama (4f, :46.80), and Vancougar (5f, :59.00).

Del Mar Statistics

 Jockey Standings
(Current through September 3, 2023 Inclusive) 

Trainer Standings
(Current through September 3, 2023 Inclusive)  

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through September 3, 2023 Inclusive) 

Winning favorites -- 94 out of 245 -- 38.37%
Winning favorites on dirt -- 55 out of 135 -- 40.74%
Winning favorites on turf -- 39 out of 110 -- 35.45%
Winning odds-on favorites -- 20 out of 36 -- 55.56%
In-the-Money favorites -- 160 out of 245 -- 65.31%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites -- 28 out of 36 -- 77.78%