Points Offthebench, Goldencents could rematch in Pat
O’Brien
A celebration was in order for Tim Yakteen after Points
Offthebench provided the first Grade 1 victory of the trainer’s nearly nine-year
career with his own stable in Sunday’s Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar.
“What did I do? Went out to dinner with the owners (Don Crevier and Charles
Martin),” Yakteen said Wednesday morning. “We all had big smiles on our faces.”
If things extended to past midnight, there was additional cause to celebrate.
Monday was the 49th birthday for Yakteen, a former assistant for both Charlie
Whittingham and Bob Baffert.
The Bing Crosby was Yakteen’s fourth stakes win at Del Mar.
The first came on his 41st birthday (July 29, 2005) with Fortunately in the
Daisycutter Handicap.
Points Offthebench prevailed by a head over Goldencents under Mike Smith and
came out of the race in good shape. Yakteen said Points Offthebench, a
four-year-old son of Benchmark, was a possibility, but not a probability, for the
Grade 2, $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes going seven furlongs at Del Mar on August 25.
The Bing Crosby was part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge
racing series and was a “Win And You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Yakteen said that Points Offthebench is Breeders’ Cup
eligible and the target race would be the $2 million Sprint on dirt if the dark
bay gelding makes the November event at Santa Anita.
Trainer Doug O’Neill was pleased with the effort by
Goldencents. The Santa Anita Derby winner was making his first start since the
Preakness Stakes in May at Pimlico.
“He came out of it in great shape and we’re very proud of him,” O’Neill said.
“He’s back on the beam. We’ll get him back to galloping and training and if his
energy level remains high, we’ll shoot for the Pat O’Brien.”
Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella said that Crosby third-place finisher
Jimmy Creed came out of the event fine but he was uncertain regarding
future plans.
“I was kind of disappointed that he finished third (beaten 3 1/4 lengths) but
I can’t figure out why,” the conditioner admitted. “The Pat O’Brien is still a
possibility. We’ll wait and see.”
Peter Miller, trainer of fifth-place finisher Comma to the Top, said the
five-year-old Grade 1 scorer came out of the race with a bruised left front
foot.
“We’ll do a nuclear scan and see what we find,” Miller explained. “Taking
away nothing from the first three finishers, if Comma runs like he had been, he
wins that race.”
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