DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK
SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2005
by Brian P. Turner
A field of nine went to the gate for Sunday’s featured $300,000 Bing Crosby
H. (G1), for three-year-olds and upward going six furlongs on the main track.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Pico Central (Brz) (Spend A Buck) was sent to the gate
as the favorite but, unfortunately for chalk players, languished at the back of
the pack early and never once showed any real interest in running. One could
almost expect that the six-year-old horse wouldn’t be completely cranked up as
this was his first start since competing in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1) in
March but to see him cross the finish line in last was definitely a bit of a
surprise.
In the end, the day belonged to GREG’S GOLD (Lake George), who pulled off the
upset by stalking the pace early and closing with a nice turn of foot up the
rail to hit the finish line 1 1/4 lengths in front. The Cal-bred was taking a
major class jump as he had just cleared his N1X condition against open company.
Trainer David Hofmans obviously had the four-year-old gelding ready to go though
as he handled a very respectable field of stakes horses.
Battle Won (Honour and Glory) put in a solid performance considering he was on
the pace throughout, contesting early fractions of :21 2/5 and :43 3/5 . The
dark bay fought gamely to the end but could not hold off the late charge of the
winner and was forced to settle for the place. It was another two lengths back
to a fast closing Taste of Paradise (Conquistador Cielo) in third.
There were six sprints on the main track today and horses on or near the lead
won five of them. As for the two main track routes, both were won by horses on
or near the pace. Also on the day, there were two routes races contested over
the Jimmy Durante Turf Course with a horse coming from just off the pace winning
the first one and in the other the winner came from well off the lead.
After going winless Saturday, Patrick Valenzuela picked up two winners on
Sunday and Victor Espinoza picked up one, so the pair are once more in a tie atop
the jockey standings with 12 winners each. Garrrett Gomez went winless on the
day but is just one off the pace with 11 winners for the meet.
As for the trainers, Jeff Mullins picked up a win on the day to give him a
little breathing room in the trainer standings as he now has eight winners thus
far. Bob Baffert picked up a win on the day to move him into a tie for second
with Doug O’Neill. The pair have six winners each.
Pick 6 players will definitely have something to look forward to on Monday as
there will be a carryover of $213,997. Of the six races encompassing the wager
Sunday, five of them were won by horses with double digit pay offs. AIR ACE
(Forest Camp), in the 6TH, was the only favorite to make it into the winner’s
circle.
Horses to Watch
4TH – BELONG IN BEAUTY (Belong To Me) was really gaining ground on the
leaders in this six furlong maiden special event when she was forced out way
wide on the turn. The three-year-old filly carried on gamely afterward but she
had lost far too much ground to run down the leader and was forced to settle for
third, beaten by only 1 1/2 lengths.
6TH – Air Ace made his two-year-old debut for trainer Bob Baffert a winning
one as he vied for the lead throughout, contesting early fractions of :21 4/5
and :44 2/5, and dug in gamely at the end to hit the finish line three parts of
a length in front.
Tomorrow’s Outlook – Monday, August 1
A field of 12, including two who are also eligible, is entered for Monday’s
featured 1 1/16 miles optional claiming turf event. The race carries an $80,000
claiming price but none of the three-year-olds fillies that encompass the field
are entered for a tag. SINGHALESE (GB) (Singspiel [Ire]) is one among the field
to keep an eye on as she will be running at her lowest level since coming to
North America.
The forecast for Monday calls for partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-70s.
Monday’s Best Plays
5TH – R. H PERFECT STORM (In Excess [Ire]) will be trying the main track for
the first time in this Cal-bred maiden claiming event and trainer Jeff Mullins
wins 25 percent of the time in the “Turf to Dirt” trainer category. Though the
races came on the turf, the four-year-old filly’s BRIS Speed ratings are at the
top of the field and she holds a nearly 10 point advantage in the BRIS Prime
Power category. A look at the BRIS Pace ratings indicate that she should be able
to clear the field and have things her own way on or near the pace, leaving
jockey Tyler Baze with enough left in the tank at the end to get R. H Perfect
Storm to the wire in front.
7TH – Singhalese could prove to be a tough customer in the day’s feature as
she will be dropping out of graded stakes competition and into optional claiming
company. The chestnut is coming off of a respectable third place effort in the
American Oaks (G1) and should find the company here much more to her liking.
Given that her last two starts came at nine furlongs and 10 furlongs
respectively, Singhalese may also appreciate the cut back to 1 1/16 miles as her
lone career victory came at a mile. The filly also holds a solid advantage in
the BRIS Prime Power category and her BRIS Speed ratings are at the top of the
field.