| Home | News | Entries | Results | Download Data | DRF Store | Video | Races of the Week | Community| Site Map |
 |
| Del Mar > News | Seminars | TV Schedule | At a Glance | Stakes & Events | Track Info | History |
|
|
DEL MAR, Calif. - Lava Man beat up on seven rivals while putting a scare into trainer Doug O'Neill during Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Under jockey Corey Nakatani, Lava Man ($4) fought for the lead throughout and cruised away from the field on the final turn so convincingly that he led by three lengths with a quarter-mile remaining. Lava Man went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths, but he gave O'Neill an anxious moment when Good Reward made a brief move in early stretch. "When he's run his best race, he's on or near the lead and he gets daylight," O'Neill said. "When he got daylight, I was like, 'Yeah!' Then in midstretch, I thought, 'He moved too early.' " O'Neill's reaction was wasted energy. Lava Man finished 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.62 to stretch his 2006 unbeaten streak to six. The Pacific Classic was Lava Man's fourth Grade 1 win of the year and solidified his status as a Horse of the Year candidate. With the victory, Lava Man made California racing history. Owned by Jason Wood and the Kenly family's STD Racing, Lava Man became the first horse to sweep California's three leading races for older horses in the same year - the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March, the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup in July, and the Pacific Classic. The style of the race was similar to Lava Man's win in the Big Cap, with one exception - no one bothered him late. In the Pacific Classic, Preachinatthebar led by a head over Lava Man through early fractions of 23.28 and 46.79 seconds. Magnum and Super Frolic drew within two lengths on the backstretch, and those four were within a half-length with a half-mile remaining. The threat to Lava Man was short-lived. Nakatani urged him passing the three-eighths pole and got an immediate response. "I wanted him to put some distance between us and the field - and he did that," Nakatani said. "After he cleared in the stretch, he just started waiting on them." Good Reward, the New York shipper and major stakes winner on turf, rallied from fifth on the rail to reach second in the stretch. Good Reward was clear of third-place finisher Super Frolic through the final furlong. Despite O'Neill's worries, Good Reward could not threaten Lava Man. "At the three-eighths pole, he was where I wanted to be," jockey Garrett Gomez said of Good Reward. "I thought I had a chance. I picked up some ground, but when I moved him out, he flattened out." Super Frolic finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Perfect Drift in the field of eight. The disappointment of the race was Giacomo. The 2005 Kentucky Derby winner, Giacomo was sixth for the first mile and made little progress in the stretch, finishing fifth. "He was too much on the bridle," said jockey Mike Smith. "Usually, I can get him to drop it. If I'd let him, he'd have been up there with the leaders." Lava Man, 5, earned $600,000. Claimed for $50,000 in August 2004, he has won 13 of 33 starts and $3,504,706. He is expected to start at Santa Anita in early October in a prep to the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4. Pat O'Brien: Siren Lure upsets Declan's Moon Art Sherman has Declan's Moon's number. For the second straight time, a Sherman trainee upset the 2004 champion 2-year-old male. This time it was with Siren Lure, who won his third straight race, and sixth in his last seven starts, with a prototypical late-running victory in the Grade 2, $298,000 Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup Handicap. Siren Lure ($7.60) benefited from a hot, contested early pace and a desultory effort by favored Declan's Moon, who came off the bridle a half-mile into the seven-furlong race and finished last in the field of seven. Siren Lure rallied wide on the turn, then had to work hard to get past a stubborn Pure as Gold before pulling clear late under jockey Alex Solis to win by 2 1/4 lengths. - additional reporting by Jay Privman 2006 Eddie Read:
|
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Lava Man leads into the stretch as Borrego (second from left) makes a wide sweeping move after the leaders under Garrett Gomez in Sunday's Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - For the last 18 months, trainer Beau Greely had faithfully started Borrego in some of the nation's major stakes, always coming away with a loss. Along the way, Borrego placed in eight stakes, including a second in the Hollywood Gold Cup last month and a 10th in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.
Sunday, all those frustrations came to a sudden halt. Dismissed at 11-1, Borrego rallied from ninth to win the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar, the colt's first stakes win in his 18th start.
"We'd always hoped he would develop later in his career," Greely said. "This was special. A horse that tries you have got to love."
Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Borrego rallied wide on the final turn to win by a half-length over Perfect Drift. Lava Man, the 3-2 favorite, set a quick pace and held third. He was later vanned off because of soreness, according to track stewards.
Borrego ($24.40) finished 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.71. A closer throughout his career, Borrego had an ideal trip in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic.
Gomez had Borrego in ninth for the first mile, as many as 12 lengths behind pacesetter Lava Man, who set fractions of 22.68 and 45.90 while being pressured by Surf Cat. It was not until midway on the final turn that Borrego reached contention. With a six-wide rally, he closed in tandem with Choctaw Nation to be within 3 1/2 lengths of Lava Man at the eighth-pole.
As Lava Man tired, Borrego and Perfect Drift rapidly closed ground. Borrego reached the front in the last 50 yards.
"We had some momentum going," Gomez said. "I think Choctaw Nation helped my horse. When he got close, my horse buckled down and kept going.
"I knew he had it in him and Beau knew he had it," Gomez said of Borrego winning a stakes. "We had a lot of confidence in this horse. We knew it was a matter of time before he broke through."
Perfect Drift finished second in the Pacific Classic for the second consecutive year.
"He came with a big run and then Borrego came with a bigger run," trainer Murray Johnson said.
Choctaw Nation, seven-wide on the final turn, finished fourth, missing by a length. Musique Toujours, an outsider who finished last, was vanned off because of unsoundness in his left foreleg, stewards said.
Borrego is on the trail of the Breeders' Cup Classic at Belmont Park on Oct. 29. A colt by El Prado, Borrego has won 4 of 18 starts and $1,452,090 for a seven-couple partnership led by Jon and Sarah Kelly of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
"He's just grown into himself in the last six months," Kelly said.
The 13 losses that Borrego had suffered in stakes since November 2003 had humbled Kelly, who enjoyed his biggest win on Sunday.
"You learn to be a good loser in the Thoroughbred business," Kelly said. "You don't have a choice."
* Imperialism, who finished third in the 2004 Kentucky Derby, revived his career by using his familiar late rally to win the $280,000 Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup Handicap. The victory ended a nine-race losing streak that stretched over 17 months.
A multiple stakes winner, Imperialism won the Grade 2 Pat O'Brien by three-quarters of a length over a game Gotaghostofachance, a 15-1 outsider.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Imperialism ($14) finished seven furlongs in 1:21.70. Last on the backstretch, Imperialism rallied wide on the turn to reach contention in mid-stretch, and overtook Gotaghostofachance in the final furlong.
"I had a good trip," Espinoza said. "I didn't want to get in a big crowd inside."
Taste of Paradise, the longest shot in the field at 17-1, finished third. Unfurl the Flag, the even-money favorite, finished sixth of eight.
The Pat O'Brien was Imperialism's first win since the Grade 2 San Rafael Stakes in March 2004. Owned by Steve Taub and trained by Kristin Mulhall, Imperialism, 4, has won 6 of 24 starts and $868,605. The Pat O'Brien was his first start since a seventh in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap in March. He emerged from that race with a pulled muscle in his hind end.
"I thought we'd see the old boy again today," Mulhall said. "He'd only had five works in the last five months. He definitely wasn't 100 percent. We weren't sure if he'd make it back. It took two months to get him right."
Mulhall said Imperialism would be pointed for the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Oct. 1, a prep to the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 29.
* She's a Jewel ($40.40) pulled an upset in the $76,600 Aladdin Resort and Casino Handicap for 3-year-old fillies with an improbable trip.
Ridden by Jose Valdivia, Jr., She's a Jewel raced a few lengths behind pacesetter Brooke's Halo for the first half-mile through a quick pace of 22.28 and 45.03 seconds. She's a Jewel caught Brooke's Halo entering the stretch, showed no negative effects of the quick pace, and held off a late run from Conveyor's Angel to win by a neck.
Conveyor's Angel finished a half-length in front of Brooke's Halo in the field of 10 3-year-old fillies.
Owned by Mercedes Stable and trained by Jay Robbins, She's a Jewel has won 4 of 11 starts and $207,270.
2005 Eddie Read:
Sweet Return wins Eddie Read Handicap
By JAY PRIVMAN
DEL MAR, Calif. - Give Sweet Return an inch and he'll take more than a mile. For the third time in his career, and the second race in succession, Sweet Return was left alone on the lead in a Grade 1 race, and his rivals never stood a chance.
On Sunday, in the Grade 1, $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar, Sweet Return dawdled through the first six furlongs in 1:12.70, then stormed through the final three furlongs in 33.83 seconds to win to score a 1 1/2-length victory under Alex Solis in the 1 1/8-mile grass race.
Fourty Niners Son, fifth of six early, rallied strongly along the rail to take second, nosing out Breeders' Cup Mile winner Singletary in the final jump. Castledale, the 3-2 favorite, was parked wide coming out of the chute, and though able to save ground on the first turn, never had the leaders come back to him. He finished fourth.
Sweet Return ($7) got away with similar pace scenarios twice previously, last month in the Charles Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park, and in November 2003 in the Hollywood Derby, both going 1 1/4 miles. That is the same distance Sweet Return will traverse next month, when he heads to Arlington Park for the Arlington Million, a race his trainer, Ron McAnally, has won three times previously.
McAnally said he was "shocked" that Sweet Return's rivals gave him another easy lead.
"It worked out good," he said, smiling. "At least he stayed out of trouble."
Sweet Return completed the 1 1/8 miles on the new, firm course in 1:46.53. The victory was his seventh in 26 lifetime starts. McAnally trains Sweet Return, 5, for the Red Oak Stable of John Brunetti.
Brunetti had asked McAnally to think about sending Sweet Return to the United Nations Handicap at Monmouth the previous weekend, but McAnally talked him out of it, citing the ship and the probable heat as factors.
2005 Del Mar Futurity:
Stevie Wonderboy wins Del Mar Futurity
By JAY PRIVMAN
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Stevie Wonderboy, Garrett Gomez up, wins the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Del Mar's closing day. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - Stevie Wonderboy moved to the head of the West Coast 2-year-old division on Wednesday with a powerful, five-length victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Del Mar's closing day.
Stevie Wonderboy ($7) was ninth in the 11-horse field as the field moved down the backstretch, but he unleashed a devastating kick while wide to roar past his rivals and win going away. The Pharaoh was second, a half-length in front of Jealous Profit. Both the second- and third-place finishers were recent imports from Calder.
Well-fancied runners A.P. Warrior (sixth) and Bashert (seventh) were disappointments. Both faded after racing close to a hot early pace of 21.95 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 44.23 seconds for a half-mile. Bashert was particularly unsettled in the post parade, wheeling and acting obstinate after he first came on the track.
Garrett Gomez rode Stevie Wonderboy, who covered seven furlongs on the fast main track in 1:22.43. Doug O'Neill trains the 2-year-old son of Stephen Got Even for owner Merv Griffin.
"He's a 2-year-old who acts like a 5-year-old," O'Neill said. "He's got the disposition of a mile and a quarter horse."
Stevie Wonderboy has run well in all four of his starts. He was second in his debut against maidens, and then third in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, both times against the ill-fated What a Song. Stevie Wonderboy defeated maidens at Del Mar on Aug. 6 in his prep for the Del Mar Futurity.
2004 Pacific Classic:
Pleasantly Perfect still the best
By JAY PRIVMAN
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Pleasantly Perfect (right) holds Perfect Drift a length safe to win the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday and push his career earnings over the $7-million mark. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - Pleasantly Perfect, even at less than his best, is still the best horse in the world.
In a performance that trainer Richard Mandella characterized as a move forward, but still below what Pleasantly Perfect can do at his optimum, Pleasantly Perfect won his third important Grade 1, 10-furlong race in the last 10 months in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Sunday at Del Mar.
Before a crowd of 30,177, Pleasantly Perfect overtook Total Impact at the top of the stretch and then safely held off Perfect Drift to win the biggest and richest race of the summer season here.
Pleasantly Perfect reached the wire one length in front of Perfect Drift, with Total Impact another three-quarters of a length back in third. Choctaw Nation, who upset Pleasantly Perfect in the San Diego Handicap Aug. 1, suffered the first loss of his career while finishing fourth.
Pleasantly Perfect ($4) completed 1 1/4 miles on the fast main track in 2:01.17. For Mandella, the victory was, he said, "a relief," since Pleasantly Perfect had only managed to finish third in the San Diego. That was his first start since capturing the Dubai World Cup in March.
"He was supposed to win," Mandella said. "I felt terrible that he got beat in the San Diego. I felt responsible."
Pleasantly Perfect was keen to go early in the San Diego, and though he was better in the Pacific Classic, he still was sharper than Mandella would prefer the first part of the race.
"I got a little of the speed out of him, but I don't think I got the job done completely," Mandella said. "I got him in the wrong frame of mind for the San Diego. I got him all jazzed up. There's still a little of that. I don't think this was his best race. I think that will come."
Mandella hopes it will come Oct. 30 at Lone Star Park in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic, in which Pleasantly Perfect is the defending champion. The 6-year-old horse has now won nine times in 17 starts, and the $600,000 winner's share of the Pacific Classic brought his career total to $7,349,880 for owner Gerald Ford's Diamond A Racing Corp.
The victory was the third in the Pacific Classic for Mandella, but only his first victory of this meeting. It was the first Pacific Classic victory for Bailey, who is based at Saratoga in the summer. Eight years ago, Mandella and Bailey were on opposing teams for the biggest upset in Del Mar history, when Mandella-trained Dare and Go ended Cigar's 16-race losing streak.
"Dick pointed out that I hadn't won the Pacific Classic, and I pointed out that he was 0 for the meet," Bailey joked.
El Elogiado led Night Patrol and During through fractions of 23.45 seconds, 46.82 seconds, and 1:10.90 for the first six furlongs. Total Impact made a premature, wide move on the first turn and then into the backstretch to engage the leaders. Perfect Drift and Pleasantly Perfect were more patiently handled.
Total Impact surged to the lead on the far turn, but by then Pleasantly Perfect was in hot pursuit while four paths wide. Perfect Drift remained covered up, with jockey Pat Day fearful of moving too soon.
Pleasantly Perfect hit the front with a furlong remaining. Perfect Drift had dead aim on him, but could not get past him.
"We couldn't run him down," Day said. "Second best."
* Earlier in the day, Shake Off got up in the last jump to nose out John's Kinda Girl in the $76,105 Barona Cup Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf. Tyler Baze rode the B. Wayne Hughes-owned filly for trainer Bob Baffert.
2004 Eddie Read:
Special Ring defends Eddie Read title
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. - Making his first start in nine months, Special Ring defended his title in Sunday's $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap, reaffirming his position at the top of the nation's turf miler.
Special Ring led throughout to win by three-quarters of a length over entrymate Bayamo. Special Ring finished 1 1-8 miles on turf in 1:45.90, narrowly missing the track record of 1:45.87 he set in the 2003 running.
Both Special Ring and Bayamo are owned by Prestonwood Farm and trained by Julio Canani.
The win put Special Ring firmly on course for the Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park on Oct. 30. In the 2003 BC Mile, Special Ring was steadied in the stretch, finished eighth, and emerged from the race with a pulled muscle.
"For him to come back after the injury in the Breeders' Cup is very gratifying," owner Jack Preston said.
Victor Espinoza rode Special Ring, and had the 7-year-old gelding in front a few strides away from the gate. Special Ring led by as many as 3 1-2 lengths, setting fractions of 23.64 and 47.12 seconds, virtually an identical pace as the 2003 running.
Racing well off the rail, Special Ring led by a length on the final turn.
"If you put him on the fence, he takes off," Canani said. "I told Victor, 'Don't drop him onto the rail until the middle of the turn."
Bayamo rallied from fourth to reach contention but could not catch his stablemate. Sweet Return, a four-time stakes winner, was stuck behind Special Ring and alongside Bayamo in early stretch and finished 1 1-2 lengths behind the winner.
Special Ring became the third repeat winner of the Read, joining Wickerr (1981-82) and Fastness (1995-96). Special Ring has won 10 of 26 starts and $915,023.
2004 Del Mar Futurity:
Declan's Moon beats Roman Ruler
By JAY PRIVMAN
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Declan's Moon (inside) out duels Roman Ruler in the homestretch to win the Del Mar Futurity by a neck. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - Declan's Moon needed to raise his game in order to beat the fastest gun in the West, and he did so on Wednesday at Del Mar, capturing the Grade 2, $245,000 Del Mar Futurity in an old-fashioned shootout against the highly regarded Roman Ruler.
Declan's Moon and Roman Ruler hooked up at the top of the stretch, and put on a thrilling duel in the homestretch. They were head and head while bounding clear of the field, but Declan's Moon, racing on the inside, out-finished Roman Ruler to win by a neck.
It was another 9 1/2 lengths back to third-place Swiss Lad. Gentleman Count, the early pacesetter, faded to finish last in the field of four. Allright, Chandtrue, and Notarized all were scratched earlier in the day.
Racing over a track rated fast, Declan's Moon ($14.40) covered seven furlongs in a swift 1:21.29 under Victor Espinoza. The time was a stakes record.
"That was a real racehorse he beat today," said Ron Ellis, who trains Declan's Moon for the Jay Em Ess Stable of Mace and Samantha Siegel.
Declan's Moon had won his lone previous start on July 31, when he beat maidens by five lengths in a 14-1 surprise. But he took a backseat in the pre-race buildup to Roman Ruler, who had won both his starts in breathtaking fashion, including this track's Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 15. Roman Ruler was sent off at 1-10, with Declan's Moon the second choice at 6-1.
Gentleman Count led through fractions of 22.25 seconds for the opening quarter and 44.73 seconds for a half-mile. Declan's Moon was second with three furlongs to go, and when Roman Ruler ranged up outside him, they moved as a team to set the stage for a terrific stretch drive.
Declan's Moon is a gelding by Malibu Moon. Samantha Siegel purchased him for $125,000 at a yearling sale in Maryland one year ago.
Siegel said she wasn't worried that Declan's Moon was gelded because "this was a racehorse."
2003 Pacific Classic:
Candy Ride sets track record in Pacific Classic
By STEVE ANDERSEN
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Candy Ride soundly defeats the formidable Medaglia d'Oro in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - There can no longer be any question about the brilliance of Candy Ride.
In Sunday's $980,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, Candy Ride easily defeated top older horse Medaglia d'Oro to remain undefeated after six starts. The victory confirmed his status as a candidate for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Oak Tree at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, if owners Sid and Jenny Craig pay an $800,000 supplemental fee.
Ridden by Julie Krone, who replaced an injured Gary Stevens, Candy Ride ($6.40) scored by 3 1/2 lengths over Medaglia d'Oro, setting a track record of 1:59.11 for 1 1/4 miles.
"How good a horse is he?" said Krone. "Amazing. He is a rocketship."
The win marked the first success in the track's richest race for the Craigs, Krone and trainer Ron McAnally.
Essentially, the Pacific Classic was a match race. As expected, Medaglia d'Oro and Candy Ride ran close to the pace, with former claimer Fleetstreet Dancer and two-time Santa Anita Handicap winner Milwaukee Brew running from off the pace. The richest race at Del Mar, the Pacific Classic drew only four starters after the withdrawal on Friday of Kudos because of injury.
Medaglia d'Oro, unbeaten in three major stakes this year, was sent off as the 3-5 favorite.
Ridden by Jerry Bailey, he took the lead shortly after the start, but was closely tracked by Candy Ride, who bobbled at the start. Medaglia d'Oro set early fractions of 23.40 and 46.82 seconds but was never farther than a length in front of Candy Ride.
Approaching the final turn, Candy Ride was within a half-length of Medaglia d'Oro, with Milwaukee Brew a length behind. On the final turn, Medaglia d'Oro and Candy Ride quickly put distance on Milwaukee Brew and Fleetstreet Dancer
Candy Ride, racing on the outside, took the lead entering the stretch and stretched a one-length advantage at the eighth pole to a convincing win. He received a rousing reception when he returned to the winner's circle.
"He's unreal. He's a push-button horse," McAnally said. "I told Julie this morning, 'Let him have it but don't let him get too far in front.' The horse he beat is probably the best horse in the country."
Medaglia d'Oro finished seven lengths clear of Fleestreet Dancer, a former $40,000 claimer who finished two lengths in front of Milwaukee Brew.
The Pacific Classic was the first loss for Medaglia d'Oro since a runner-up finish to Volponi in the 2002 Breeders' Cup Classic at Arlington Park. "He got outrun," trainer Bobby Frankel said.
Candy Ride, 4, won three times in Argentina in 2002. A winner of $749,145, Candy Ride has won three times since being acquired last winter by the Craigs and sent to McAnally. The Craigs, who live in nearby Rancho Santa Fe, ranked the win above victories by Dr. Devious in the 1992 Epsom Derby and Paseana's win in the 1992 Breeders' Cup Distaff.
"It's probably the most exciting moment of my racing career, bigger than the Epsom Derby or the Breeders' Cup," Sid Craig said. "It doesn't get any better than winning in your own backyard."
2003 Eddie Read:
Special Ring wires Eddie Read
By JAY PRIVMAN
DEL MAR, Calif. - Two years ago in the Eddie Read Handicap, Special Ring bolted, ran off to a needless long lead, and tired to finish last. He was gelded before he ran again.
Since then, he had won five times in 11 starts, and had come tantalizingly close to winning a graded stakes. He waited until Sunday, though, in the 30th running of the Grade 1 Eddie Read, to run the race of his life.
In a dominating, front-running performance, Special Ring led every step of the way and cruised home a five-length winner while smashing Del Mar's course record for 1 1/8 miles on turf.
Del Mar's turf is much shorter and firmer than in year's past, and Special Ring was the greatest beneficiary during the first week of the meet. He was timed in 1:45.87, wiping Al Mamoon's 1986 record of 1:46.60 from the books.
Special Ring ($8.20) set fractions of 23.90 seconds, :47.46, and 1:11.03 for the first six furlongs of the $400,000 race. When he turned on the jets and ran his final three furlongs in less than 35 seconds, his five rivals had no chance.
The other five were within a half-length of one another at the wire. Decarchy was second, a neck in front of Irish Warrior. They were followed by Fateful Dream, Mister Acpen, and finally Redattore, the 6-5 favorite and the winner of the Read in 2001.
What a difference two years made.
"You don't know what I went through with this horse," said Julio Canani, who trains Special Ring. "For six months after we gelded him, he didn't realize he was a gelding. He's got so much ability."
Special Ring now owns two turf course records at Del Mar. He set the mile mark of 1:32.72 in last year's Wickerr Handicap, his lone previous stakes win. He was second in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, and Grade 2 American Handicap, at Hollywood Park earlier this year.
David Flores rode Special Ring, a 6-year-old son of Nureyev who races for Art and Jack Preston's Prestonwood Farm LLC.
* Earlier in the day, Tucked Away ($26.80) rallied from last to first to beat eight rivals in the $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes, for California-bred 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs. Tucked Away was timed in 1:23.34 on a fast main track. Gary Stevens rode the daughter of Unusual Heat for trainer Paddy Gallagher.
2003 Del Mar Futurity:
Siphonizer ends Baffert's streak
By JAY PRIVMAN
DEL MAR, Calif. - In recent years at Del Mar, the 2-year stakes have been dominated by trainer Bob Baffert. But Baffert's streak was halted this summer by Richard Mandella, who made a clean sweep of the major stakes for 2-year-olds when Siphonizer captured the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on Wednesday's closing-day card.
"I'm a 2-year-old trainer," the Hall of Fame trainer said, partly in jest.
As if to put an exclamation point on the season, Mandella also finished second in the Futurity with Minister Eric. Earlier in the meet, he won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante with Halfbridled. Mandella teamed with jockey Julie Krone to win both the Debutante and Futurity.
Krone is going to cause the track's three paddock lawn jockeys, all of which resemble males, to be updated. The lawn jockeys are adorned with the silks of the winners of the season's three biggest races, and Krone swept them all, including the Pacific Classic with Candy Ride. She won nine stakes at the meet, more than any other rider.
As she did with Halfbridled, Krone brought Siphonizer through along the rail. He squeezed through inside of pacesetter Gulf of Mexico, was up by one length at mid-stretch, and was all out to prevail by a half-length over Minister Eric. He paid $12.80.
Perfect Moon, who won the Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 17, was another two lengths back in third.
Cooperation, the 2-1 favorite of the crowd of 16,006, finished fourth, ending Baffert's record Futurity win streak at seven. Gulf of Mexico faded to finish last in the field of five.
Gulf of Mexico led through fractions of 22.26 seconds and :44.51 for the first half-mile. Siphonizer had the six-furlong split of 1:09.42, and he completed seven furlongs in 1:23.10.
Siphonizer has now won twice in three starts. He won his debut here on Aug. 2, then finished fifth as the favorite in the Best Pal, a race in which he was trapped behind horses at a critical point. "He just could not get out," Mandella said.
Siphonizer, a son of Siphon, is owned by B. Wayne Hughes. Mandella said he would be pointed to the Norfolk Stakes and Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting.
* Also on Wednesday, Fancee Bargain rallied powerfully in the late going to win the CERF Handicap, a restricted sprint for older fillies and mares. Frank Alvarado rode the winner for trainer Art Sherman.
The 2002 Pacific Classic:
Came Home upsets Pacific Classic
By STEVE ANDERSEN
 |
| Horsephotos |
| Came Home (far left) makes a four-wide sweep into the stretch on way to a 3/4-length upset victory in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Sunday at Del Mar. |
DEL MAR, Calif. - Came Home, who has dominated 3-year-old racing on the West Coast this year, pulled an upset in Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar, a which was marred by a post-race injury to his entrymate Bosque Redondo.
Came Home ($23) beat 13 others including War Emblem, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner. The even-money favorite, War Emblem led briefly in early stretch, but finished sixth, fading in the final furlong.
Came Home ran 1 1-4 miles in 2:01.45 for his sixth stakes win of 2002, all in California. Trained by Paco Gonzalez, Came Home's only loss this year was a sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
Ridden by Mike Smith, Came Home was always within four lengths of the front.
For the first half of the race, Came Home was fifth, chasing pacesetters Bosque Redondo and Sky Jack, who set fractions of 22.52; 45.48 and 1:09.82, and stalkers War Emblem and Momentum.
On the final turn, War Emblem made the first move on the leaders, with Came Home reacting quickly with a four-wide rally.
"I knew we'd win at the three-eighths pole," said co-owner Trudy McCaffery.
"Mike had him under wraps the whole way."
Turning for home, there were four horses across the track within a span of 1 1/2 lengths. War Emblem led for a few strides, but was quickly caught by Came Home.
"Everything went my way," Smith said. "I had a wonderful trip, the best."
Through the final furlong, Came Home was hard ridden to hold off an unlucky Momentum, who was blocked between the quarter-pole and the eighth pole.
Momentum closed ground in the final furlong, but finished three-quarters of a length behind Came Home. Milwaukee Brew closed from 13th to finish third, followed by Pleasantly Perfect, Bosque Redondo and War Emblem, who finished 4 1/4 lengths behind Came Home.
Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza said War Emblem was not prepared at the start. War Emblem was taken out of the gate with a few horses yet to be loaded and was loaded last.
"The back door to the gate wasn't even closed when they opened the front one," Espinoza said. "He wasn't ready to break and we came away a little too slow."
Bosque Redondo was stricken a few strides after the finish. A winner of 7 of 17 starts and $949,267, the 5-year-old Bosque Redondo suffered fractured sesamoids and a condylar fracture to his right foreleg, according to Gonzalez. Flores was unseated when Bosque Redondo broke down and took off the rest of his mounts.
The injury cast a pall on the second Pacific Classic win for owners McCaffery and John Toffan, who won with Free House in 1998. They share ownership of Came Home with Bill Farish and John Goodman.
"It just kind of takes the wind out of your sails," McCaffery said.
Came Home has won 9 of 11 starts and $1,835,940. Toffan mentioned the Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 6 as a possible prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.
The 2002 Eddie Read:
Sarafan wins Eddie Read
By JAY PRIVMAN
DEL MAR, Calif. - All the luck that Bobby Frankel had at Saratoga on Saturday ran out on Sunday at Del Mar, when his turf star Beat Hollow encountered a traffic-filled trip when falling to his nemesis Sarafan in Del Mar's $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap.
Beat Hollow had won 3 of 4 starts in this country to be ranked as the nation's best turf horse, and he was the 1-2 favorite against five rivals in the Grade 1 Eddie Read. But he raced in a pocket for the first mile of the 1 1/8-mile grass race, and by the time jockey Alex Solis was able to extract him, Sarafan and jockey Corey Nakatani were long gone.
Sarafan knifed between horses on the turn to get first run on Beat Hollow. He rallied from last to first in a quarter-mile, opened a daylight advantage with a sixteenth of a mile to go, and was not hard pressed to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths. Beat Hollow rallied furiously once clear and got up for second, a neck in front of the race's pacesetter, Redattore, who won the 2001 Eddie Read.
Sarafan, the second choice at 4-1, paid $10.80 after covering 1 1/8 miles on firm turf in 1:46.77. The victory, the seventh in 25 lifetime starts for Sarafan, was his first since upsetting Beat Hollow in the Explosive Bid Handcap at Fair Grounds in March. The 5-year-old gelding is owned by Gary Tanaka.
"This horse has got a tremendous turn of foot," said Neil Drysdale, Sarafan's trainer. "The key is to use it at the correct time. Corey rode him well."
Drysdale said Sarafan has been prone to pull himself up when he makes the lead, but "he went right about his business today."
Frankel was not at Del Mar because he has been at Saratoga. That spared Solis a certain dressing down. Solis never got Beat Hollow out until it was too late.
"I didn't want to be in that pocket, but the way the race came up, I didn't have much choice," Solis said.
* Earlier on the card, the talented 3-year-old filly Bear Fan ran her record to 3-for-3 with an overpowering, 7 1/2-length victory in the $100,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for California-breds. She was bred and is co-owned by her trainer, Wesley Ward. Bear Fan, with Mike Smith up, was timed in 1:22.72 for seven furlongs on the fast main track. She paid $2.80.
The 2001 Pacific Classic:
Skimming repeats in Pacific Classic
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. - The Del Mar handicap division belongs to Skimming, who on Sunday successfully defended his title in the $1 million Pacific Classic.
Skimming won the Pacific Classic by 5 1/2 lengths, giving trainer Bobby Frankel a record sixth winner in the 11-year history of the race. Skimming became the second horse to win two runnings of the Pacific Classic, joining the Frankel-trained Tinners Way, who won in 1994 and 1995. Skimming and Tinners Way are owned by Khalid Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms.
Sunday's race was the most impressive win of Skimming's career. A 5-year-old, Skimming ran 1 1/4 miles in 1:59.96 and beat a solid field that included 2001 Dubai World Cup winner Captain Steve, and the multiple stakes winners Futural and Dixie Dot Com.
Ridden by Garrett Gomez, Skimming ($5.20) used his effective speed to lead throughout, daring the others to challenge.
Around the first turn, Skimming had a one-length advantage over Dig for It through fractions of 22.91 and 45.97 seconds. At the end of the backstretch, following six furlongs in 1:10.03, Alex Solis, aboard Dig for It, urged his mount, but could not sustain the bid. Skimming shook off that threat and was not challenged by the other five starters through the stretch.
"In the first quarter-mile, the outside horse was putting some pressure on me," Gomez said of Dig for It. "I was a little worried. On the turn, I felt more comfortable about my position.
"At the three-eighths pole, Alex moved up and Skimming was into the bridle. When he did that, my heart tripled in size and I'm sure his did, too. When he was asked the question by the rest of the field, he responded and ran them into the ground."
Dixie Dot Com finished second, a head in front of Dig for It, who finished a half-length in front of Captain Steve. Until Sundown and Futural, the 8-5 favorite, completed the order of finish.
Dixie Dot Com was expected to challenge Skimming but was fifth for the first six furlongs. He rallied wide to edge Dig for It.
"The way it unfolded, we were probably farther back than I expected," said Bill Morey, Dixie Dot Com's trainer. "Maybe it unfolded to our advantage, because second is good money. It looked like Skimming always had it in control."
The disappointment of the race was Futural, who was second to Skimming in the San Diego Handicap on July 29. Trained by Craig Dollase, Futural was out of contention on the final turn and finished 22 1/2 lengths behind Skimming.
"On the backside, when he didn't make that move, I was concerned," Dollase said. "He was real flat."
Frankel, who watched the race from Saratoga, says he cannot pinpoint why Skimming is perfect in four starts at Del Mar.
"I don't know if it's the footing, or the turns, or the short stretch," he said. "Whatever it is, I'm happy for him."
Rancho Bernardo: Kalookan Queen rules
Kona Gold already had secured Del Mar's male sprint title last month. On Sunday, stablemate Kalookan Queen wore the crown among this track's female sprinters, winning the $150,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap to give trainer Bruce Headley a sweep of Del Mar's sprint divisions.
Kalookan Queen had to outrun her division's pro tem leader, Go Go, in a stirring stretch duel. They hooked up at the top of the stretch, but Go Go never could get past Kalookan Queen, who held on bravely to win by a head. It was another three lengths back to third-place Warren's Whistle.
Kalookan Queen covered 6 1/2 furlongs on a fast main track in a swift 1:15.52. As the 8-5 second choice in the field of six, she paid $5.20.
Go Go was hampered by a slow start, and she also had to carry a career-high weight package of 125 pounds, six more than Kalookan Queen. After her tardy start, she advanced steadily and was lapped on Kalookan Queen entering the far turn.
"She took a step back, but she gathered herself pretty quickly," said Eddie Delahoussaye, who rode Go Go. "The 125 pounds might have made a difference. It does when horses are pretty equal."
Go Go lost for only the second time in her last nine starts. Kalookan Queen had been defeated twice by Go Go earlier this year at Hollywood Park, but came into this race off a victory here July 23 in the restricted Fantastic Girl Stakes. The 5-year-old daughter of Lost Code, who was ridden by Alex Solis, has now won six times in 16 starts for owner Louis Asistio.
* Frankel and Juddmonte Farms also captured Sunday's $76,425 Finlandia Cup Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf. Tates Creek, a daughter of Rahy, won for the third time in four starts. She is unbeaten on turf. Kent Desormeaux rode Tates Creek, who paid $6 as the 2-1 second choice.
- additional reporting by Jay Privman
The 2001 Eddie Read:
Redattore captures Eddie Read
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. - Redattore won his second major turf stakes of 2001 in Saturday's $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar, aided by a perfect trip and the scratch of morning-line favorite Irish Prize.
Ridden by Alex Solis, Redattore tracked pacesetter Special Ring to the final turn when he took command. Sent off as the second betting choice, Redattore ($7.40) ran 1 1-8 miles on turf in 1:47.16, finishing two lengths in front of Native Desert.
Special Ring led by as many as 12 lengths on the backstretch, setting fractions of 24.49 and 47.07 seconds with the other five bunched together within five lengths. Redattore was always in front of the chasing pack.
"When we got to the half-mile pole, I though we were going slow," Solis said. "I felt I better move it now."
Super Quercus finished third, a half-length in front of Timboroa, the even-money favorite who was wide on the backstretch. National Anthem and Special Ring completed the order of finish.
Redattore won the Grade 2 San Francisco Mile at Bay Meadows in late April, but missed the first half of the Hollywood Park spring-summer meeting due to a minor foot injury. Trained by Richard Mandella for Luis Taunay, Redattore prepped for the Grade 1 Read with a fourth-place finish in the Triple Bend
Breeders' Cup Handicap on dirt at Hollywood Park.
A 6-year-old, Redattore was a Group 1 winner in Brazil in 1999. He has won 3 of 5 starts since arriving in the United States.
"I thought Alex, knowing the horse, would be able to get him off the lead," assistant trainerGary Mandella said. "I think the sky is the limit for potential."
Irish Prize, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, was scratched on Saturday morning after trainer Neil Drysdale said he was not happy with the way the 5-year-old was training. Drysdale said Irish Prize will be pointed for the Atto Mile at Woodbine on Sept. 9.
Gary Mandella said Redattore may be pointed for the Atto Mile as well.
*Live Your Dreams won the $65,075 Sandy Blue Stakes, an allowance race/optional claimer for 3-year-old fillies. Ridden by Gary Stevens, Live Your Dreams ($2.60) ran 1 1-16 miles on turf in 1:44.14, finishing a half-length in front of Alinga. She will make her next start in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 18, Drysdale said.
The 2000 Pacific Classic:
Skimming wires field in Classic
By JAY PRIVMAN
DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 26, 2000) - Skimming led from start to finish Saturday to give trainer Bobby Frankel a record fifth victory in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
With jockey Garrett Gomez taking full advantage of a track that had favored inside speed all day, Skimming went to the front right at the start and never was caught. Skimming was timed in 2:01.22 for 1 1/4 miles on the fast main track, paid $11.40 as the 9-2 third choice, and earned a winner's share of $600,000.
Skimming, a 4-year-old colt by Nureyev, was bred and owned by the Juddmonte Farms of Prince Khalid Abdullah. Juddmonte also teamed with Frankel to win the Pacific Classic with two-time winner Tinners Way. Frankel also has won the race with Missionary Ridge and Bertrando.
Skimming prevailed by two lengths over the 3-year-old Tiznow, who was 1 1/4 lengths in front of Ecton Park. General Challenge, the defending champion in the race and the 4-5 favorite, got as close as third at the top of the stretch but flattened out and finished fourth, a half-length behind Ecton Park.
Euchre, Forty One Carats, and River Keen completed the order of finish in the seven-horse field.
Laffit Pincay Jr. replaced Corey Nakatani, the scheduled rider on General Challenge, after Nakatani was injured in an accident in Saturday's sixth race. Nakatani was taken to a local hospital complaining of soreness near his collarbone. Results of X-rays were not available as of press time, but Nakatani took off his three remaining mounts on the card.
Pincay never had been on General Challenge previously. He and Nakatani share the same agent, Bob Meldahl.
Skimming set fractions of 22.79 seconds, :45.53, 1:09.86, and 1:35.13. He needed more than 26 seconds to run the final quarter-mile, but on a track on which closers took the worst of it, he could not be caught.
Skimming won this track's San Diego Handicap on Aug. 6. He has now won 5 of 12 starts. The Pacific Classic marked his first victory in a Grade 1 race, and his first victory at a distance beyond 1 1/16 miles.
The Pacific Classic is this track's richest and most-important event for older horses.
The 2000 Del Mar Futurity:
Another year, another 'Derby' for Baffert
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. (Sept. 13, 2000) - Not even one of his former assistants was able to disrupt trainer Bob Baffert's unprecedented winning streak in the $250,000 Del Mar Futurity.
On Wednesday, for a record fifth consecutive year, Baffert won the Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity when Flame Thrower held off the stretch-long rally of Street Cry, who is trained by Eoin Harty, Baffert's assistant until January. The two finished a nose apart after seven furlongs in 1:22 as Flame Thrower joined a group of Baffert-trained Futurity winners that includes Silver Charm, Souvenir Copy, Worldly Manner and Forest Camp.
Wednesday's result gave Baffert a record 13th stakes win at the meeting, exceeding by two a mark he set in 1998 and last year.
Flame Thrower, the even-money favorite who was ridden by Jerry Bailey for owner Gary Garber, led throughout, but was always challenged.
A Saint Ballado colt, Flame Thrower led by a head over the Baffert-trained Arabian Light after a quarter-mile in :22.08 seconds, a margin he widened to a half-length after a half-mile in :44.32.
Flame Thrower was clear of Arabian Light turning for home, but Street Cry, who rallied three-wide, was within a half-length at the eighth pole - and closing. The two colts ran together for the final sixteenth.
"He showed exceptional courage in the stretch," Bailey said.
Street Cry, who was making his stakes debut, finished 3 1/2 lengths in front of Arabian Light, who won the Graduation Stakes for Cal-breds on Aug. 2. Learing at Kathy finished fourth, followed by Revelling, Glorious Bid, Squirtle Squirt and High Cascade.
Flame Thrower remains unbeaten in three starts, having won a maiden race on July 26 and the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 23.
"He's probably the best horse I've ever had," Garber said.
Flame Thrower's performance gave Baffert a reason to recall his first Del Mar Futurity winner.
"He reminds me a lot of Silver Charm with his guts," Baffert said. "That kind of heart is something you can't see when you buy them."
The 1999 Pacific Classic:
General Challenge wins the 1999 Pacific Classic
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. (- General Challenge is doing everything possible to keep pace with the legend of his late stablemate Best Pal..
On Sunday at Del Mar, General Challenge won the most important race of his career in the $1 million Pacific Classic, a race Best Pal won in 1991, the inaugural running.
Sunday's race was a 1-2 finish for trainer Bob Baffert with Bel Air Handicap winner River Keen finishing three lengths behind General Challenge, who ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.57. It was the fourth time a trainer has finished 1-2 in the nine-year history of the Pacific Classic.
Malek, the 6-5 favorite, finished fifth, 11 3/4-lengths behind General Challenge, after reaching contention on the final turn. After the race, he was found to have bled, trainer Richard Mandella said.
Like Best Pal, General Challenge won the Pacific Classic in a style suggesting he will play an important role in major stakes at 4. Best Pal, who died earlier this year, had his best season at 4,and finished his career with 18 wins in 47 starts and earnings of $5,668,245.
With his win Sunday, General Challenge has won 6 of 9 starts and $1,517,900, and is likely to be pointed for the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Gulfstream Park Nov. 6, a race that eluded Best Pal.
"The original was something special with Best Pal," John Mabee said. "Maybe there's a little less joy and tears, even though Mrs. Mabee cried and I shed a tear or two myself. I did tell Bob I'd rather win this race than the Kentucky Derby."
There are striking similarities between Best Pal and General Challenge. Both were 3-year-old geldings when they won the Pacific Classic, were owned and bred by John and Betty Mabee, lost the Kentucky Derby, and were trying older horses for the first time in the Pacific Classic.
General Challenge, ridden by David Flores, ran the best race of his career Sunday, overcoming minor trouble on the first turn and early on the backstretch.
His win was worth $600,000, plus an additional $100,000 from a bonus paid to participants in the NTRA Champions on Fox Series. River Keen earned $48,000 from the bonus pool, while third-place finisher Barter Town picked up $24,000 and Malek earned $8,000 from points earned from a third in the Hollywood Gold Cup earlier in the series.
Breaking from the rail in the eight-horse field, General Challenge ($7.20) stayed inside around the first turn, while racing in traffic behind Smile Again and Barter Town, who set a pace of 22.96 seconds and 46.86.
On the backstretch, General Challenge was two wide between Barter Town and Smile Again but was running smoothly, Flores said.
"I didn't rush him," he said. "I tried to let the horse get in a comfortable situation and not to fight him. At the three-eighths pole, I let him open up."
General Challenge emerged with the lead at the half-mile pole, after six furlongs in 1:11.19. He was not challenged through the stretch despite switching late, near the sixteenth pole.
River Keen, claimed for $100,000 last December by Hugo Reynolds, closed along the rail to take up the chase entering the stretch but was never a threat. "He wasn't disgraced," jockey Chris Antley said. "General Challenge ran his race. I was very happy with second."
River Keen, sent off at 7-1, finished 2 1/4 lengths in front of Barter Town, who was followed by Lazy Lode, Malek, Smile Again, Jack Grandi, and Such Charisma. The Pacific Classic was the fifth stakes win for General Challenge and first over 1 1/4 miles. He won the Santa Anita Derby in April but finished a troubled 11th in the Kentucky Derby.
"What you saw today was the tip of the iceberg," Baffert said. "I think he wasn't ready for the Kentucky Derby. He's settled down and he was relaxed today in the paddock. The older he gets, the better he'll get."
The 1999 Eddie Read:
Who? Joe Who takes the Eddie Read
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 1, 1999) - Do not be surprised if Jim Helzer pays a $200,000 supplemental fee to make Joe Who, the upset winner of Sunday's $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar, eligible to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park in November. Supplemental fees have never scared Helzer, who paid $50,000 to make Refrigerator, the richest Quarter Horse in history, eligible to the 1990 All American Futurity, a race he went on to win.
Joe Who, a 6-year-old Brazilian-bred trained by Bob Baffert, gave Helzer his richest win in Thoroughbred racing in the Grade 1 Eddie Read, annually a prep for West Coast horses bound for the Breeders' Cup.
The Read was Joe Who's second stakes win at Del Mar. Last year, he won the restricted Wickerr Handicap over a mile on turf, setting a course record which was broken last Friday by Crystal Hearted in this year's Wickerr.
After Sunday's race, Helzer, of Arlington, Texas, said Joe Who will have to earn a start in the Breeders' Cup.
"If he was on top of his game, we'd look at it," Helzer said. "But we wouldn't do anything stupid."
The Read was Joe Who's second stakes win of the year, preceded by the Grade 3 Firecracker Breeders' Cup Handicap at Churchill Downs June 27.
Dismissed at 6-1 in the 10-horse field, Joe Who was always close to the pace under Chris Antley, racing outside of pacesetter Bouccaneer through fractions of 25.48 seconds, 50.36, and 1:14.15.
Turning for home, Bouccaneer and Joe Who were joined by Ladies Din, who was fourth for the first half of the race. Joe Who did not take the lead until the final furlong and was pressured to the finish by Ladies Din, who lost by a neck.
Bouccaneer finished third, followed by Brave Act, Native Desert, Hawksley Hill (the 2-1 favorite), Kirkwall, Martiniquais, Takarian, and Montemiro.
Joe Who, a winner of 14 of 31 starts and $684,533, returned $15.40 and ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:48.75.
"I told Chris he'd probably be close to the front," Baffert said. "Put him where he'll feel comfortable and when you turn for home, he'll fight. Chris Antley is a very strong rider. For the last 100 yards, he's probably the strongest finisher around."
Cigar falls in Pacific Classic:
A Classic ending to Cigar's streak
By STEVE ANDERSEN
DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 10, 1996) - The dream of every jockey who has ridden against Cigar this year unfolded for Alex Solis at the top of the stretch of the Pacific Classic Sunday.
There was Cigar, winner of 16 straight, running an uncharacteristic race. Instead of pulling away for one of his devastating victories, the 1995 Horse of the Year appeared vulnerable on the lead.
"When I pulled up next to Cigar, I just kept riding," Solis said. "I knew he was there, but I was just riding, riding, riding. When my horse pulled out about a length on him, I knew I was going to win it. It felt terrific. It was one of the best feelings of my life."
Dare and Go, who was supposed to have met Cigar five months ago in the $4 million Dubai World Cup, pulled a tremendous upset in the Grade I Pacific Classic, winning by 3 1/2 lengths over Cigar, who was followed by Siphon, Dramatic Gold and Luthier Fever. Tinners Way was pulled up on the turn.
Dare and Go, who suffered from ankle injuries earlier this year, paid $81.20 as the second-longest shot in the six-horse field.
Owned by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer's La Presle Farm and trained by Richard Mandella, who also saddled third-place finisher Siphon, the Pacific Classic was the biggest triumph in Dare and Go's career, which includes seven victories in 20 starts and earnings of $1,547,536.
The 5-year-old Alydar horse was announced as a runner Aug. 5, the day after Helmsman was declared from the race because of a minor injury. Mandella had been considering the $100,000 Escondido Handicap Friday as a potential start.
Cigar, the 1-9 favorite, suffered his first loss since having finished third in an allowance on turf at Belmont Park in October 1994, the last race prior to his popular winning streak. Saturday's race was Cigar's second loss in 19 starts on the main track, with the first coming in his debut, when he was seventh of nine in a maiden race in February 1993 at Santa Anita.
Owned by Allen Paulson and trained by Bill Mott, Cigar earned $200,000, pushing his lifetime earnings to $9,019,815 from 18 victories in 30 starts. Mott mentioned the $500,000 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park Sept. 18 as a possible next start for Cigar.
As expected, Hollywood Gold Cup winner Siphon took the lead in the mile and a quarter race, but Cigar, under Jerry Bailey, was never far behind. When they crossed under the wire with a mile remaining, Siphon led by a length over Cigar with Dramatic Gold and Dare and Go chasing.
Siphon set fractions of :23 and :45 4/5 through the first half-mile, and Cigar, who'd been close to the pace in many of his previous races, was only a length behind.
On the backstretch, Dramatic Gold, second to Cigar in the Arlington Citation Challenge last month in Chicago, ranged up three-wide, leaving him within a half-length of Siphon and Cigar through six furlongs in 1:09 1/5.
But Dramatic Gold faltered quickly, and on the final turn Cigar passed Siphon, leading by a head after a mile in 1:33 3/5. He led at the top of the stretch, but Solis, who'd been fourth down the backstretch, saw his perfect trip unfolding. He took the lead outside the eighth pole and was timed in 1:59 4/5, two-fifths of a second off Bertrando's 1993 track record set in this race. He received a Beyer Speed Figure of 115.
"I was really happy with the way the race set up early," Solis said. "I got myself a really good spot down on the rail and saved lots of ground. I was riding to save my position, and it was working out great."
Dare and Go was Mandella's first Pacific Classic winner after he finished second in the previous two years with Soul of the Matter and Bet Pal. Soul of the Matter was considered his best chance to upset Cigar, but the horse was withdrawn and retired last week after suffering a ligament injury.
"I'm fortunate that I can have two others to back me up," he said.
Bailey was critical of his ride on the final turn, blaming himself for letting Cigar race that close to the pace.
"I knew I was running out of horse," he said. "I knew if anyone was coming on strong, I'd be in trouble. I'm disappointed, but not disappointed in Cigar. Maybe it's my fault, letting him into the race too soon. He had done everything I've asked of him, and maybe I expected too much of him."
Hirsch on Cigar's loss:
Hirsch on Cigar's loss (Aug. 10, 1996)
By JOE HIRSCH
DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 10, 1996) - He won a race, but Cigar had to win two races here Saturday and he couldn't do it.
Everyone knew Siphon would be the principal challenger. The Brazilian horse was a smashing winner of last month's Hollywood Gold Cup at the Pacific Classic distance of a mile and a quarter. As good as he was in winning the Gold Cup on the lead, after a first mile in 1:35 3/5, he was even better in the Pacific Classic, to the credit of trainer Dick Mandella. Siphon ran the mile in 1:33 3/5, and wasn't slowing down.
Cigar had to come and get him, and he did. They matched strides into the stretch, briefly, and then Cigar put Siphon away and went about his business. But the victory was achieved at a prohibitive expense, and when Dare and Go came to him in full flight, he had nothing left to withstand the bid. Suddenly, one of racing's greatest streaks came to an end.
The record Del Mar crowd of 44,181 was devastated. They came to see him win, to be part of a memorable moment they would cherish and recount forever. Cigar had arrived punctually for so long he was as dependable as death and taxes, and a good deal more fun.
He didn't let anyone down at Del Mar. He was as dependable as ever.
He had to run big because Siphon rose to the occasion, too. It wasn't misguided strategy, either, though (trainer) Bill Mott and (jockey) Jerry Bailey second-guessed themselves. If Cigar hadn't stayed as close to Siphon as he did, Siphon would have won. We have no doubt about that.
Dare and Go? He ran well to finish second in last month's Bel Air Handicap but Southern California fans, who knew him best, sent him off Saturday at almost 40-1.
Again to his credit, Mandella had Dare and Go honed to a sharp edge, and when Alex Solis asked him to go after Cigar in midstretch, the response was devastating. He may be able to duplicate his Pacific Classic form in races ahead, but if he does, it will mark a turn in his career.
It is Mandella's thinking to point Dare and Go for the Breeders' Cup Classic at Woodbine in late October and another meeting with Cigar.
Cigar appears to have come out of the Pacific Classic in good order and is likely to run in Belmont's Woodward in September and/or in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in early October. He is still the great horse he has been these past two magnificent seasons for he long ago proved his quality and courage.
In a way, it is fitting that his streak ended at 16 for he will forever be compared with Citation, an icon of his time. It is a comparison that flatters both horses.
Seabiscuit's match race:
Seabiscuit wins 1938 match race
By DRF REPORTS
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Aug. 13, 1938) -- Many spectators came prepared to scoff, but remained to cheer.
They expected to witness one of the most one-sided contests ever held on the American turf, but saw a horse race such as has not been seen since Exterminator and Boniface staged their terrific duel on Maryland tracks. Seabiscuit and Ligaroti put on a great show Friday. Never again will Del Mar stage such a thrilling contest. A race like this comes but once in a decade.
For hard-running horses and hard-riding jockeys, the Seabiscuit-Ligaroti clash was a thriller. The only sour note in the whole affair was the fact that the jockeys, George Woolf and "Specs" Richardson, became overanxious and used questionable tactics which caused them to be suspended for the remainder of the meeting, and a suggestion be made to the California Horse Racing Board that they be grounded for the remainder of the year.
Wins by a Nose
Seabiscuit defeated Ligaroti by a nose in a mile-and-one-eighth race which was run in 1:49. Following the running of the event, jockey Richardson dashed into the stewards' stand and the "inquiry" sign was run up. Woolf was then called up, and after a session of several minutes the numbers were posted. The riders left the stand not talking to each other, and the bitterest of feelings seemed to prevail.
Several hours after the race, jockey George Woolf, one of America's leading riders, was still angry. He said that Seabiscuit should have won handily and seemed to hold his riding orders and some interference from Ligaroti's jockey responsible for Seabiscuit's failure to register a more clear-cut victory. Woolf said that he had orders to restrain Seabiscuit and "make a race out of it." Seabiscuit's trainer underestimated the ability of Ligaroti and it was nip-and-tuck at the wire.
Nothing to Say
Richardson, rider of Ligaroti, had nothing to say when asked for a statement Friday night. We told him that we had heard Woolf's side of the story and would like to print his version, but he stated that he had been told not to talk.
As we have previously stated, the race was an old-fashioned thriller. The horses raced head-and-head for practically the entire distance and a couple of times in the stretch it appeared as if Ligaroti would be the winner. Richardson rode a rather strange race, but that may be accounted for by the fact that Ligaroti is a peculiar horse to ride. The South American likes to "run against the bit," or under a snug hold, which gave the impression that "Specs" was not riding hard enough.
Jockey Woolf will tell you that Richardson was doing some riding, however. He claims Richardson caught his whip in midair at the eighth post and roughed him through the final furlong. Richardson, on the other hand, claims that Woolf was at fault, and the stewards found them both guilty.
Loses Ground
Seabiscuit was on the inside all the way, which caused Ligaroti to take the worst of it in losing ground. But Ligaroti had Seabiscuit in close quarters several times, particularly in the stretch.
Although there was no wagering on the match, the race brought out a record crowd and resulted in a pari-mutuel handle of $238,485 for the day.
Despite the fact that the match race was one of the greatest contests ever staged in the West, it may be some time before the California Horse Racing Board will sanction another one. The scheduling of the event brought forth much unfavorable comment, and the aftermath, resulting in the suspension of two of America's most popular jockeys, does not sit so well with the public.
|
Home | News | Entries | Results | Download Data | DRF Store | Video | Races of the Week | Community| Site Map Copyright © 2007 Daily Racing Form, LLC. All rights reserved. Republication, retransmission or dissemination of the contents of this screen, in any form, is prohibited without the written permission of Daily Racing Form. Use, including viewing, of the material contained herein shall constitute acceptance of these terms. Please email any questions or comments to: cservice@drf.com or call 1-800-306-FORM(3676) |