Best of an already-thin local juvenile division meet in Best Pal

DEL MAR, Calif. – The 2-year-old program in California is reeling, which dims an otherwise interesting race Saturday at Del Mar in the season’s first local unrestricted stakes for 2-year-olds.

The Grade 3 Best Pal includes debut winner Kennyten, whose 92 Beyer Speed Figure is the season’s highest by a 2-year-old; He Is No Lie, who romped first out and finished second in a stakes race in Kentucky; and Hughes, who scored a sharp debut victory for a trainer with 12 victories in the Best Pal, including the last four.

Kennyten, Hughes, and He Is No Lie are easy to like in the six-furlong Best Pal. Trouble is, the California 2-year-old division has no depth. The three remaining Best Pal entrants include two first-time starters and Phone Booth, who scratched from the Graduation Stakes for Cal-breds on Friday.

Only four unrestricted special-weight dirt races have been run this year in California, including the three won by Kennyten, Hughes, and He Is No Lie. A maiden race July 25 at Del Mar was won by Domus. Since then, maiden special weights for 2-year-olds Aug. 2 and 8 were scrapped due to insufficient entries.

With three main contenders, this year’s Best Pal is deeper than most. Nine of the last 11 Best Pal favorites started at even money or less. That won’t happen this year, notwithstanding the 92 Beyer by Kennyten. Can he reproduce the effort in his first start since June 12?

“I don’t know,” Vladimir Cerin admitted. He laughed and added, “I didn’t think he could produce it, so how do I know if he can reproduce it?”

Kennyten is by first-crop sire Drain the Clock, and his debut for owners David and Holly Wilson was a smasher. He popped the gate, sped to the lead, and crushed by 7 1/2 lengths while covering five furlongs in 56.99 seconds. Cerin knew Kennyten could run. He did not know he could run that fast.

“The plan was we’ll run him [at Santa Anita], give him a race, and then we’ll run him in a maiden race for horses that were bought for 150 [thousand] or less,” Cerin said. “That was the plan. He changed the plan.”

Kennyten, purchased for $140,000 as a 2-year-old, has trained well for the Best Pal.

“He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do, when I haven’t asked him to do too much until [Aug. 1]. We warmed him up a little.”

Kennyten rallied past an older workmate in his final drill and is ready to fire Saturday under Ricky Gonzalez.

Drawn outside in the six-runner field, Kennyten has options. His main rivals drew closer to the rail – Hughes in post 3, He Is No Lie in post 2. Hughes is trained by 12-time Best Pal winner Bob Baffert. Sired by Into Mischief, Hughes came around early.

“Some just get there earlier, they come to hand early,” Baffert said. “They don’t have any issues, they just come around.”

Hughes earned an 81 Beyer winning his debut June 21 at Los Alamitos.

Hughes has progressed from his maiden win, and worked a bullet five furlongs July 25 at Del Mar in 58.80, followed by an easy 48.80 half-mile Aug. 1. Juan Hernandez rides Hughes.

He Is No Lie won the circuit’s first unrestricted maiden race this spring at Santa Anita, an eight-length blowout racing 4 1/2 furlongs. That was May 15, and He Is No Lie had nowhere in California to run until the Best Pal. O’Neill put He Is No Lie on the road.

He Is No Lie shipped to Churchill Downs for the Bashford Manor Stakes on June 28 and did everything but win. He Is No Lie dueled with even-money favorite Hey Tuff Guy, put away that rival, opened up by four lengths, then got collared by late-runner Blessed Fire.

“I thought he ran lights-out,” O’Neill said. “He just never had a chance to fight with the horse that beat him. He ran so good, to travel like that, second time out, and do that. He really ran a winning race.”

He Is No Lie earned an 86 Beyer finishing second in the Bashford Manor; he will be ridden by Emisael Jaramillo and has only one option from post 2. He is No Lie must use his speed.

O’Neill also entered Phone Booth, who earned a 61 Beyer in his debut victory on July 19.

Best Pal first-time starters are Peter Miller-trained You Want Some and Brian Koriner-trained Icanthelpmyself. Favorites have won the Best Pal six of the 11 years since Del Mar re-installed dirt. The Best Pal is race 3 on Saturday, and leads to the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6.