Back to reality in second week of meet

Week two of the Del Mar autumn meet has a tough act to follow. The first-week Breeders’ Cup is in the books, and the two-day event will return to Del Mar next year on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

Reality sets in Friday, start of week two. The eight-race card includes four races with six entrants or fewer, the average field size is 6.3. Is it Breeders’ Cup hangover, or a sign of the times? Del Mar hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2017 and 2021, and when racing resumed the following Friday average field size was 8.3 and 7.6, respectively.

A pair of $100,000 California-bred sprint stakes are scheduled this weekend – the Cary Grant on Saturday and the Betty Grable for fillies and mares on Sunday. Cary Grant nominees include Big City Lights and None Above the Law. Betty Grable nominees include Chismosa and Grand Slam Smile.

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Racing highlights Friday will include a California-bred turf-sprint allowance for fillies and mares, race 4; a sprint for juvenile maiden fillies, race 5; and a starter allowance on the turf at a mile for fillies and mares, race 6.

Race 4: Favorite Proof She Zips shortens to five furlongs following a third-place comeback that was her first race in six months. Proof She Zips, racing six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita, pressed the pace while hung four wide the entire turn, battled to deep stretch, and missed by a half-length. It was an excellent comeback considering ground loss.

Umberto Rispoli rides Proof She Zips for trainer Michael McCarthy. Her rivals include front-runner Song of Shadow, a last-out winner for $25,000 claiming, and Northern California-based front-runner Smiling Molly.

Race 5: First-time starter Look Forward debuts with a series of fast workouts that suggest she can overcome the rail post in the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies. Sired by Bolt d’Oro, whose juvenile debut progeny have won at 16 percent, Look Forward will be ridden by Mario Gutierrez for trainer Ben Cecil.

It is not a one-horse race however. Just as Fancy ran better in her debut than her fifth-place finish looks. She was completely devoid of speed, trailed the field, finished evenly, and galloped out in front. Just as Fancy, sired by Volatile and a sibling to Grade 1 Spinaway winner Brightwork, ran like a filly who can improve second out. She is also trained by McCarthy.

No Bad Beats appears to have worked well for trainer Doug O’Neill, though Midnight Storm juvenile progeny are only 4 for 84 first time out. Alanis has speed, and could show the way.

Race 6: Gem Mine stretches to a mile on turf as the controlling speed in the starter allowance restricted to non-winners of two races. Though most of her races have been sprints, three routes early in her career produced a win and a second.

A challenge facing Gem Mine is the Del Mar turf course did not favor speed opening week. None of the six turf miles with the rails at 30 feet were won by the pacesetter. The rails are again set at 30 feet on Friday.

Midwest shipper Rashmi and last-out runner-up Nanci Griffith are the main rivals for Gem Mine.

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