Historically, success in the Sorrento Stakes hasn’t carried over very well to
the Del Mar Debutante. The Sorrento-Debutante double has been done only three
times in the past 13 years — by Chilukki in 1999, Mi Sueno in 2009 and
Executiveprivilege in 2012.
Concave, a half-length winner over She’s A Tiger in the Grade 2 Sorrento on
August 7, has the opportunity to accomplish the feat when she faces seven rivals
in Saturday’s 63rd running of the Grade 1, seven-furlong event on Polytrack. And
ever-optimistic trainer Doug O’Neill has reason to believe it will happen.
“She’s doing great, we’re excited,” O’Neill said Friday morning. “She’s
two-for-two and just getting better and better.”
A daughter of Colonel John purchased for $160,000 at the Ocala sale in March
in Florida, Concave won her racing debut by 3 1/2 lengths going five furlongs on
July 12 at Hollywood Park and followed that with the Sorrento victory at 6 1/2
furlongs.
Mario Gutierrez, aboard Concave for both starts, will ride Sprouts in the
Debutante with Patrick Valenzuela taking over on Concave. Concave and Sprouts,
trained by Edward Freeman, are both owned by J. Paul Reddam and were supplements
to the Debutante for $10,000 each.
“It’s about Team Reddam,” O’Neill said. “We couldn’t figure out a way for
Mario to ride both. Patrick is subbing for Mario but win, lose or draw, it’s
Mario’s mount. Mario will ride Concave back. Patrick knows that and he loves the
opportunity.”
O’Neill does not have a Debutante victory on his list of 20 stakes victories
at Del Mar since 2002.
“I haven’t been really blessed in the two-year-old filly category, but this
is a strong year,” O’Neill said. “We’ve got some good ones and Concave is
leading the way at this point.”
The Sorrento loss was the first in three starts for She’s a Tiger, a sister
to standout sprinter Smiling Tiger trained by Jeff Bonde.
“There’s some better horses in there,” Bonde said of the Debutante. “Concave
is one of many in there that have been recently successful. Our filly, we’re
adding blinkers and she’s doing well.”
She’s a Tiger worked six furlongs on August 23 in 1:12, best of 12 at the
distance that day.
“(In the Sorrento) she got some experience stalking rather than bouncing out
to the lead and we think she got something out of that,” Bonde said. “She’s a
big, good looking filly and we’re hoping she can climb the mountain.”
Concave is the 7-2 second choice, behind 5-2 Awesome Baby, on oddsmaker Russ
Hudak’s morning line. She’s a Tiger, who will be ridden for the first time by
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, is the 4-1 third choice.
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