Bran makes return in Green Flash

It took nearly two decades for a Del Mar turf sprint to gain national significance, but as turf became increasingly integral to California racing, so did the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap.

When the five-furlong turf stakes was run for the first time in 2003, turf races accounted for only one-quarter of the Del Mar program, the Green Flash purse was only $75,000, and the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint was still five years away.

Fast forward to 2023. Times changed, and the Green Flash grew up. Turf races have accounted for nearly 45 percent of Del Mar races this summer, the Green Flash achieved graded status in 2019, the purse was boosted last year to $150,000, and this year’s winner earns a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf Sprint.

What has not changed are the basic requirements to win a five-furlong grass scramble at Del Mar. It takes a combination of speed and luck to win the Green Flash, race 9 on Saturday.

“In this field, at this distance, it’s going to take a perfect trip,” Phil D’Amato noted. “You’ve got top-quality horses head to toe, and little room for error. Whoever gets in the right position to make their run is going to be best set to win.”

D’Amato is in a good position with stakes winners Motorious, Beer Can Man, and Turn On The Jets, but six others are stakes winners, including 124-pound highweight Bran. The speed-filled field includes front-runners Fast Buck, Kid Corleone, Noble Reflection, and Bus Buzz. The others in the field are Silent Poet, Lane Way, Cherubic Factor, and Packs a Wahlop.

:: DRF's 2023 Del Mar headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more.

The Green Flash is the first start for Bran since last fall, when he won a $1 million race at Kentucky Downs. He was a vet scratch from the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

“He was ready earlier in the meet, and he had some regulations with HISA that we had to get cleaned up,” trainer John Sadler said. “We gave him plenty of time. He’s got a lot of works.”

Bran won three turf-sprint stakes last year, but the five-furlong Green Flash will be the shortest of his career. Sadler considered going back to Kentucky Downs for the $1 million, six-furlong race, but the BC Turf Sprint this year is only five furlongs at Santa Anita. Sadler will use to the Green Flash to gauge whether the distance suits Bran.

“He’s been great at six, six and a half, let’s see how he does at five,” Sadler said. “He’s a pretty versatile horse. A lot of it will come down to trip and pace.” Juan Hernandez rides Bran.

The D’Amato trio is topped by Grade 2 winner Motorious, who is making his first start in four months. D’Amato said “Motorious and Beer Can Man have probably run against tougher horses, and Turn On The Jets is kind of an up-and-comer local horse. He’s getting really good right now.”

Motorious will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli; Beer Can Man’s rider is Ramon Vazquez; Turn On The Jets will be ridden by Hector Berrios.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.