Astronaut's Del Mar Handicap win fuels Espinoza's comeback

DEL MAR, Calif. - The comeback of Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza is underway this summer, and gearing toward the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in a little more than two months.

When Espinoza recorded a surprise win aboard 24-1 Astronaut in Saturday’s Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, it ended his nine-month drought in Southern California stakes wins, dating to Red Flag’s triumph in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes here last November.

Astronaut was Espinoza’s 11th win of 2021, and ninth in Southern California. Last winter, Espinoza rode sporadically during the early months of the lengthy Santa Anita winter-spring meeting, stating at the time he wanted to take a break.

On Fourth of July weekend at Gulfstream Park, Espinoza won two graded stakes, including the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes on Ce Ce. On Saturday, Espinoza will travel to Saratoga to ride Ce Ce in the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes.

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Astronaut, trained by John Shirreffs for John O’Connor, earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf on Nov. 6 with his upset win.

Espinoza’s ride on Astronaut showed why he remains a big-race rider. He is best known as the regular jockey on Horses of the Year California Chrome (2014, 2016) and American Pharoah (2015).

Espinoza, 49, kept the 4-year-old Astronaut off the pace and toward the outside of the field before launching a winning move on the turn that carried the colt to the front in the final furlong.

“I had to take him out of the race, but he finished pretty good,” Espinoza said Sunday morning. “I wanted to lope around and make a move on the turn. I thought it was his best chance to win the race.

“It worked out beautifully. It was a dream trip. John was happy with the way he ran.”

Espinoza and Shirreffs have spent the summer learning more about Astronaut, who arrived from the East Coast last winter as a maiden after three starts. Espinoza rode Astronaut for the first time in the colt’s stakes debut, a second in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on June 19.

Espinoza said Astronaut was “aggressive” and a “little bit on the bridle,” in the San Juan Capistrano. Astronaut was more cooperative in the $302,500 Del Mar Handicap, which Shirreffs hinted could be the colt’s final start before the BC Turf.

“He likes to run well fresh,” Shirreffs said Sunday. “He’s not a big horse.”

Astronaut won for only the second time in his ninth start Saturday. Previously trained by Steve Asmussen in 2019 and Tom Albertrani in 2020, Astronaut is an independent thinker who thrives in distance races, Shirreffs said.

“The main thing is keeping him happy,” Shirreffs said. “When he walks onto the track, he won’t pay attention to the rider. He’ll look right, look left, pick up to a jog, do the same thing, then gallop.

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“He takes his time. But the farther he gallops, the stronger he gets, and the more he gets into it.”

The win in the Del Mar Handicap came in the race following a loss by the Shirreffs-trained Express Train, who could only finish sixth as the 2-1 favorite in the Pacific Classic.

“We were moping around, feeling depressed, and then Astronaut picked up our spirits,” Sherriffs said. “Hey, let’s go to dinner!”

Astronaut finished a half-length in front of Master Piece, who had his first start for trainer Michael McCarthy on Saturday. Master Piece was ninth as the 7-2 third choice of 10 in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park on July 17 in his final start for trainer Chad Brown.

Acclimate, the winner of the 2019 Del Mar Handicap, set the pace Saturday and finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length, the best result of three runners trained by Phil D’Amato.

Acclimate’s forward style has not been part of a winning trend this summer at Del Mar.

“A mile and a quarter at Santa Anita on turf would seem more conducive for him than being on the lead at Del Mar,” D’Amato said.

The D’Amato stable’s Red King and Say the Word raced in traffic through the stretch and finished in a dead heat for fifth, a length behind United, the 2-1 favorite and the winner of the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes here on July 24. United also raced in traffic in the final quarter-mile and was less than a length behind when fourth.

Those runners could start in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

United won the 2020 John Henry Turf Championship after finishing second by a head to Red King in the 2020 Del Mar Handicap.

“The Del Mar Handicap is a bad luck race for him,” trainer Richard Mandella said.

- additional reporting by Jay Privman