9/2/13
Last updated: 9/1/13 6:55 PM
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Alberts Hope (left) and Celtic Moon, who fought out the Best Pal finish, renew rivalry
(Benoit Photos) |
Del Mar’s season ends with a crescendo on Wednesday, with a four-stakes card
anchored by the Grade 1, $300,000
Del
Mar Futurity. The seven-furlong test for juveniles has attracted no fewer
than five runners from the August 4 Best Pal, topped by the trifecta comprising
Alberts Hope, Celtic Moon and Guns Loaded, respectively; Graduation Stakes hero
California Chrome; and such upwardly-mobile maiden winners as Can the Man, Dance
with Fate, Rum Point and Indexical.
Alberts Hope, unbeaten from two starts, has employed a similar
stalk-and-pounce style in each. After rallying from just off the pace in a
five-furlong maiden at Hollywood on July 14, the Mike Puype pupil settled a bit
further back in the opening quarter of the 6 1/2-furlong Best Pal, but smoothly
advanced into contention and subdued a stubborn Celtic Moon. Regular rider
Alonso Quinonez will guide the gelded son of Run Away and Hide from post 5.
Celtic Moon ran a gallant race in defeat in the Best Pal, where he gamely
threaded the needle on the rail and fought Alberts Hope all the way to the wire.
A turf sprint maiden winner two starts back, the Peter Miller trainee gets a
rider switch to Garrett Gomez. Celtic Moon, who is the first winner sired by
Denis of Cork, will also try to become his sire’s first stakes hero.
The Cody Autrey-trained Guns Loaded argued the pace in the Best Pal before
tiring to third. Given his speed-oriented pedigree, the D’wildcat colt could be
up against it to turn the tables over the extra half-furlong here.
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Best Pal also-rans Alpine Luck and Skydreamin could have more upside.
Pacesetter Alpine Luck gave way and wound up fifth, suffering his first loss
since adopting front-running tactics with new rider Gary Stevens. The Mike
Harrington juvenile was coming off two straight wire jobs at Hollywood, in a
June 22 maiden and in the July 13 Hollywood Juvenile Championship, and it will
be interesting to see how Stevens plays his hand this time. Skydreamin lost his
perfect record when a disappointing last of six in the Best Pal. Previously
two-for-two, with scores in the June 15 Lost in the Fog at and July 7
Everett Nevin at Pleasanton, Skydreamin adds blinkers Wednesday for Jeff Bonde.
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California Chrome passed a softer spot in favor of this bigger class test
(Benoit Photos) |
California Chrome is the only other entrant with stakes experience, having
rolled to a good-looking win in the July 31 Graduation over
California-restricted company. His lone foray into open company wasn’t
encouraging — a fifth in the June 15 Willard Proctor Memorial at Hollywood —
but trainer Art Sherman observed that he ran greenly that day. California Chrome
benefited mightily from an equipment change to blinkers in the Graduation, and
swerves an easier spot in Monday’s I’m Smokin to tackle the big guns here.
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won the Del Mar Futurity an incredible
11 times, including the past two runnings, and seeks to make it a dozen with
smart debut winner Can the Man. A $320,000 Barretts purchase in May, the Kaleem
Shah colorbearer chased a wicked pace in his August 17 unveiling and pulled 1
1/2 lengths clear. Martin Garcia will reunite with the well-bred Into Mischief
colt, who is out of Group 2 heroine Smolensk and hails from the immediate family
of champion Rags to Riches.
Dance with Fate was no threat to Alberts Hope in their mutual debut, winding
up eighth after a slow start, but the Peter Eurton juvenile was a different
proposition next time out. Flashing early speed on August 11, the son of
freshman sire Two Step Salsa opened up briskly under good handling. Rafael
Bejarano sticks with Dance with Fate, who is drawn just to the outside of Can
the Man in post 3.
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Rum Point, third to Alberts Hope in that same maiden, also came right back
with a wire-to-wire victory on August 3. The Doug O’Neill runner picks up the
services of Pat Valenzuela. Rum Point is one of two chances for Reddam Racing,
along with Indexical from the Ben Cecil barn. Indexical, who was a troubled
fifth to Guns Loaded in his premiere, burst to a 3 1/4-length decision in his
August 17 follow-up. He must overcome post 11, however.
Tamarando took three tries to break his maiden for Hall of Famer Jerry
Hollendorfer, finally checking that box on August 18. The California-bred
ventures outside of state-restricted confines for the first time in this spot.
The day’s other two-year-old stakes, the $100,000
Oak Tree Juvenile Turf, marks the American debut of the classy Irish colt
Home School. Bred and originally trained by Jim Bolger, the Roscommon maiden
winner sports some solid form lines. Home School was most recently runner-up in
the July 25 Tyros at Leopardstown, beating a useful Aidan O’Brien colt in Sir
John Hawkins. Earlier this summer, he was best of the rest behind Sudirman,
subsequent winner of both the Railway and Phoenix Stakes. From the first crop of
Group 1-winning juvenile Intense Focus, Home School has now joined O’Neill, and
has drawn the rail with Mario Gutierrez.
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Private Zone returns in a hot renewal of the Pirate’s Bounty
(Benoit Photos) |
His two leading opponents, Station House and Diamond Bachelor, exit
convincing debut wins at this course and one-mile distance. The well-regarded
Station House set solid fractions in his July 24 bow for Hall of Famer Richard
Mandella, and keeps Stevens in the saddle. The Patrick Biancone-trained Diamond
Bachelor, a $570,000 War Front colt from the loaded family of Raven’s Pass,
pressed early before kicking clear late on August 8.
Others to note include Hollywood Juvenile Championship runner-up Ontology,
who switches surfaces after a lackluster fourth in the Best Pal; maiden claiming
winners Smokin’ Ten and Easy Solution; and Yes Yes Yes, only sixth to Can the
Man in his premiere, but eligible to take to turf as a son of City Zip.
The $90,000
Pirate’s Bounty, a six-furlong dash on Polytrack, features a graded
stakes-quality field. O’Neill sends out Private Zone, Baffert has comebacker
Roman Threat and So Brilliant, millionaire Rail Trip makes his second start off
the bench for Ron Ellis, and Ruler of Dubai resurfaces after a nearly two-year
hiatus.
Private Zone was last seen finishing ninth in the March 30 Dubai Golden
Shaheen on the Tapeta at Meydan. Unplaced in both of his starts at Del Mar last
summer, the former Panamanian champion has been much better on dirt so far.
Private Zone has placed in five U.S. stakes, most notably when runner-up in both
the December 26 Malibu and January 19 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita. Regular rider
Martin Pedroza will be back at the helm.
Roman Threat has been sidelined for 15 months. The half-brother to two-time
champion Indian Blessing has made it to the starting gate only three times, all
in the spring of 2012. Beaten only by champion Amazombie in the Potrero Grande
at Santa Anita, Roman Threat won his other two starts, including the Los Angeles
Handicap at Hollywood. Stablemate So Brilliant has had a stop-start career,
punctuated by a victory in the 2011 Hollywood Prevue and a successful
reappearance in a June 30 allowance at Hollywood. Garcia retains the mount on So
Brilliant, while Bejarano gets the return call on Roman Threat.
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Grade 1 veteran Rail Trip’s 2012 campaign was highlighted by a score in the
San Diego Handicap and a closing second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Shelved
until this summer, the eight-year-old gelding resumed with a rallying fifth in
the seven-furlong Triple Bend at Hollywood on June 29. The Jay Em Ess Stable
star shortens up a tad on Wednesday.
Ruler of Dubai was the top California-bred juvenile of Del Mar’s 2011 season,
through victories in both the Graduation and I’m Smokin. Stepped up to Grade 1
company for the Norfolk, he finished third to Creative Cause and Drill, and
hasn’t raced since. The Tribal Rule gelding has been training forwardly of late
for George Papaprodromou.
Hollendorfer is double-handed with Longview Drive and Ain’t No Other.
Longview Drive, once on the 2012 Kentucky Derby trail, belatedly kicks off his
four-year-old season here. Ain’t No Other, third in the 2011 edition of the
Pirate’s Bounty, comes off a course record-setting win in the August 10 Jess
Jackson Owners’ Handicap over the Santa Rosa turf.
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A fitter Gypsy Robin looms large in the C.E.R.F.
(Keeneland/Coady Photography) |
In the $90,000
C.E.R.F.
Stakes for distaffers, the companion to the Pirate’s Bounty, Gypsy Robin
seeks to rebound from her only reverse on synthetic. For former trainer Wesley
Ward, the speed merchant went four-for-four on synthetic. Last season, she
turned the Beaumont/Raven’s Run double over Keeneland’s Polytrack and also
landed the Inaugural on Presque Isle’s Tapeta. Gypsy Robin toured the sales ring
at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky last November, where she was led out unsold for
$675,000.
Subsequently acquired by the partnership of A J L Productions, Jim Rome’s
Jungle Racing and William Strauss, Gypsy Robin was a ring-rusty fourth in a July
18 allowance in her first start for Puype. That wasn’t bad, considering that the
top two were Reneesgotzip and Executiveprivilege. Gypsy Robin has been tearing
up the Polytrack in her morning works, and figures to flaunt her class this
time.
Curvy Cat was third in that same high-powered allowance. Wednesday and Big
Honey Bee were separated by just a head when finishing one-two in another
track-and-trip allowance on August 7.
Madame Cactus returns from a nine-month layoff. A 6 1/4-length maiden romper
at Santa Anita for Eurton last September, Madame Cactus was sent to the Steve
Asmussen barn at Delta Downs, capturing the My Trusty Cat and checking in fourth
in the Delta Downs Prncess. She is now back with Eurton for a second-half
sophomore campaign. The Julio Canani-trained Givine, better known as a turf
sprinter, has been off form for some time.
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