Majestic City, Creative Cause square off in Del Mar
Futurity
Wednesday’s closing day feature at Del Mar, the $250,000
Del
Mar Futurity (G2), is set to be the showdown between juvenile stars MAJESTIC
CITY (City Zip) and CREATIVE CAUSE (Giant’s Causeway), with the supporting cast
featuring nice debut winner GUN BOAT (Congrats).
Majestic City got an earlier start to his career than Creative Cause,
breaking his maiden at Hollywood Park on May 21 by 1 1/2 lengths for trainer
Peter Miller. The chestnut colt earned a 104 BRIS Speed rating for that effort
and showed up less than a month later to add a 3 1/2-length tally in the Willard
L. Proctor Memorial S. to his resume.
Following yet another easy win, this time in the Hollywood Juvenile
Championship S. (G3) on July 17, Majestic City was given a brief break but
hasn’t been idle in his down time. The juvenile has posted bullet works over Del
Mar’s Polytrack in advance of the Futurity and keeps regular rider David Flores
in the saddle for Wednesday’s seven-furlong contest.
Creative Cause didn’t make his debut until mid-July, but immediately started
tongues a raggin’ with his 4 3/4-length score while going five furlongs. That
earned the Mike Harrington pupil a field-best 107 Speed figure, and he stepped
up last out to take the Best Pal S. (G2) over the synthetic surface while going
6 1/2 furlongs. He, too, has posted a bullet move at Del Mar, going six furlongs
in 1:12 1/5 last Friday, and will have Rafael Bejarano aboard while seeking to
move his record to a perfect three-for-three.
Gun Boat gutted out a head victory in his maiden bow at Del Mar on August 6,
just holding under Martin Pedroza who returns for the ride on Wednesday. Trained
by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, the dark bay colt drilled six furlongs in 1:11 2/5
from the gate on August 29 in his penultimate work for the Futurity.
Also entered in the race is MIGHTY MONSOON (Forestry), third in the Best Pal,
Everett Nevin Alameda County S. and Lost in the Fog S. in his past three, as
well as BASMATI (Borrego), who just missed running down Gun Boat and is still
seeking his first career win.
A pair of six-furlong sprints worth $85,000 each help support the Del Mar
Futurity on Wednesday. The stakes action will get underway in the
C.E.R.F. S.,
which has attracted a field of seven distaffers including Great Lady M. S.
winner GIVINE (Fr) (Blackdoun [Fr]), who ran third by just a length in the
Daisycutter S. last out.
Three races later, a field of nine horses and geldings headed by Group 1 star
KINSALE KING (Yankee Victor) will line up in the
Pirate’s Bounty S. The Carl O’Callahan trainee owns just three starts this
season, taking an allowance at Golden Gate Fields in February, running sixth in
the Bing Crosby S. (G1) following a five-month break and finishing fifth in the
grassy Green Flash H. last out. He’ll face off against SQUARE EDDIE (Smart
Strike), who also owns only three runs this season, and Smile Sprint H. (G2)
second IRREFUTABLE (Unbridled’s Song).