DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK
THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2005
by Brian P. Turner
A mere field of five went to the gate for Thursday’s 6 1/2-furlong
optional-claiming event for fillies and mares, three-years-old and up. Siphon
Honey (Siphon [Brz]) was sent off as the favorite but encountered trouble before
the field ever got into the starting gate. The six-year-old mare was behind the
gate, preparing to load, when she reared and flipped over backward. Jockey
Patrick Valenzuela showed a great deal of agility to get out of the way at the
last moment and avoid serious injury. Surprisingly, the track vet cleared Siphon
Honey to run and allowed her and Valenzuela to go to the post as scheduled.
In the end, FREAKIN STREAKIN (Tactical Advantage) contested early fractions
that went in :21 4/5 and :44 2/5 before scampering away late to hit the finish
line two lengths in front. Long shot Dawn’s Angel (General Meeting) rallied from
off the pace and hit the stretch full of run. The bay could not chase down the
winner though and was forced to settle for second, two lengths in front of
Champ’s Rocket (Fabulous Champ) in third.
After contesting the pace early, Siphon Honey faded to finish another two
lengths back in fourth.
Valenzuela picked up another win on the day to widen his lead atop the jockey
standings and now has 17 winners for the meet. Both Garrett Gomez and Victor
Espinoza went winless on the day and are still tied for second having booted
home 14 winners each.
There was no change today atop the trainer standings so Bob Baffert and Jeff
Mullins are still tied with eight winners apiece. Julio Canani picked up a win
on the day to move into a tie with Doug O’Neill for the third spot in the
trainer standings. The pair has six winners each.
There were five sprints contested on the main track on Thursday with horses
on or near the pace winning four of them. In addition, there were three route
races and horses on or near the pace won two of these. For the first time this
meet, there were no turf races scheduled on the day.
Horses to Watch
1ST – GUIDEBOOK (Notebook) looked extremely impressive in her first start for
trainer Mike Mitchell. The five-year-old mare was coming off back-to-back dismal
performances where she beat one horse over the course of the two races. The move
to Mitchell’s barn though seemed to revive the mare as she took the lead early
in this eight-furlong claiming event and never looked back, crossing the finish
line with a nine-length margin of victory.
3RD – COSMIC LADY (High Brite) vied for the lead throughout in this $20,000
claiming event. The three-year-old filly contested early fractions of :22 1/5
and :44 1/5 before opening up in the stretch drive to hit the wire seven lengths
clear of the field. Trainer Molly Pearson claimed the gray out of the race so
she will be making her next start for a new, but very capable, barn.
6TH – DIAMOND FOR KACI (Diamond For King [Fr]) put in a very impressive
career debut for trainer Michael Machowsky as she moved up to vie for the lead
early in this maiden claiming event and guided the field through early fractions
of :21 3/5 and :44 2/5. Once the dark bay hit the stretch, she opened up on the
field to hit the wire 7 1/2 lengths in front. Diamond For Kaci was claimed out
of the event and one has to wonder if the connections are now having second
thoughts about running her for a tag as she could have been extremely
competitive at the special weight level.
Tomorrow’s Outlook – Friday, August 5
A field of nine is set to go to the post for Friday’s feature, an
eight-furlong main track allowance event for fillies and mares three-year-old
and up. TWO TIMES WON (Memo [Chi]) holds interesting possibilities as she will
be making the move from Cal-bred stakes company into open allowance company.
Friday’s forecast calls for a few passing clouds in the morning giving way to
sunny skies in the afternoon and highs in the mid- to upper 70s.
Friday’s Best Plays
3RD – CHAIRMAN’S AGENDA (Souvenir Copy) will be making her second start for
trainer Jeff Bonde, who wins 25 percent of the time in the “2nd Start with
Trainer” category. The four-year-old filly’s BRIS Prime Power Rating, BRIS Class
Rating and BRIS Speed Ratings are at the top of the field. A look at her BRIS
Pace Ratings indicate that she should be lying on or near the lead early and
have plenty left at the end for jockey Victor Espinoza to have her in front at
the finish.
4TH – SILVER RECALL (Bertrando) has been putting in some very impressive
times recently over the Del Mar strip in preparation for his debut in this
Cal-bred maiden special event. In addition to his works being fast, they have
also been steady, dating back to the early part of June. Bertrando’s progeny win
a respectable 13 percent of the time when making their first start and the dam,
Instant Recall (Silver Deputy), has had three winners from three starters.
Espinoza has the call on Silver Recall, who has a respectable chance in this
field at what should be a very square price.