DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2005
by Brian P. Turner
Though five were scheduled, a mere field of four two-year-olds went to the
post for Sunday’s 6 1/2-furlong Best Pal S. (G2). The race lost a bit of luster
when A. P. Warrior (A.P. Indy), a $1.3 million purchase who was an impressive
winner in his first career start, was scratched.
As it was, the Bob Baffert-trained WHAT A SONG (Songandaprayer) was sent to
the gate by the betting public as the favorite. When the gates sprang open, the
dark bay bounded to the lead but was immediately collared by Corazondelcampeon
(Comic Strip) and jockey Victor Espinoza allowed the challenger to go past. As
the field neared the turn though, What A Song moved back up to regain the lead
and was quickly joined by BASHERT (Tiger Ridge), who had been content to lay a
bit off the pace early.
Once the field hit the stretch, it became a two-horse race as Bashert made
his run. The bay just didn’t have enough in the tank, though, as What A Song
continued to hold off his rival to the wire for a 2 3/4-length victory. It was
another 6 1/2 lengths back to maiden Plug Me In (Hold For Gold) in third as
Corazondelcampeon faded to finish last.
There were five sprints contested on the main track today and horses on or
near the pace won three of them. In addition, there were two routes and both
were won by front runners. As for the two turf routes, one was won by a front
runner in impressive fashion while the other was won by a horse closing from
last and in equally impressive fashion.
The top of the jockey standings is getting to be pretty crowded. Garrett
Gomez picked up a win on the day to take the lead with 26 winners for the meet.
Espinoza picked up two wins on the day giving him 25 and moving him into a tie
for the second spot with Patrick Valenzuela. Alex Solis had an outstanding day
as well as he booted home three winners and is in fourth with 18.
As for the trainers, Baffert picked up an additional win on the day to go
with What A Song in the feature, giving him 12 for the meet. Jeff Mullins picked
up a win on the day as well with a very promising two-year-old filly which
allowed him to keep pace with Baffert and the pair is currently tied for the top
spot. Doug O’Neill is in third with 10.
Horses to Watch
3RD – GREAT OPINIONS (Rahy) put in a very solid performance while breaking
her maiden in this special weight grass contest. The three-year-old filly was
content to lay at the back of the pack through somewhat pedestrian early
fractions of :24 2/5 and :49 4/5 before coming wide in the stretch with a
blazing turn of foot and under a confident ride by Solis to hit the finish three
parts of a length in front.
6TH – WILD FIT (Wild Wonder) put in a nice performance in her career debut as
she rallied from well off the pace and mowed down the field through the stretch
to hit the wire four lengths in front. Trainer Jeff Mullins is not particularly
well known for having his runners fully cranked in their first start but this
two-year-old filly was absolutely dazzling and could prove to be any sort.
7TH – SWING THE CAT (NZ) (Tale of The Cat) put in a visually impressive
performance in this optional-claiming grass event as she sprinted to the lead
early, guiding the field through early fractions of :23 and :46 while on a three
length lead. Once the field hit neared the final turn, the bay actually widened
her lead to the point that the closers had no shot of running her down through
the stretch and she easily held on late to hit the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front.
Tomorrow’s Outlook – Monday, August 15
Monday’s featured race is a Cal-bred optional-claiming event for
three-year-olds and up going six furlongs on the main track. A field of eight is
set to go to the post headed by the coupled entry of EXCESS TEMPTATIONS (In
Excess [Ire]) and EXCESS TAXES (In Excess [Ire]). In addition to sharing
ownership, the pair also shares lineage as they are full brothers.
Monday’s forecast calls for clouds in the morning giving way to partly sunny
skies in the afternoon and highs in the low to mid-70s.
Monday’s Best Plays
5TH – HIGHEST HONOREE (Double Honor) appears to be a standout in this 6
1/2-furlong claiming event. The four-year-old filly has reeled off two wins in a
row, one via disqualification, and her BRIS ratings top the field. The chestnut
holds an advantage of more than five points in the BRIS Prime Power category and
her BRIS Speed ratings over the last couple of starts tower over this bunch.
Highest Honoree’s BRIS Pace Ratings indicate that she should be able to handle
the speediest of this bunch and still have plenty left at the end for the run to
the wire. Trainer Vladimir Cerin has been red hot this meet as he has won with
27 percent of his starters. David Flores has been enlisted for the ride and he
and Cerin have combined for a 19 percent win rate over the last 60 days with an
R.O.I. of + $1.38 for every $2.00 wagered.
7TH – Excess Temptations and Excess Taxes appear to be a formidable
combination in this optional-claiming event. Novelties aside, the pair is at the
top of most of the BRIS ratings categories in this race. Excess Temptations tops
the field in BRIS Prime Power and in the BRIS Class rating. In addition, the
bay’s BRIS Speed Last Race rating is the best in the field.
Excess Taxes is second in BRIS Prime Power and has the second best BRIS Speed
Last Race rating. A look at the BRIS Pace ratings of Excess Taxes indicates that
he should be in a good position off the pace early with plenty left at the end
for the run to the wire.