Camino Del Paraiso tries again for elusive stakes win in California Dreamin'

Camino Del Paraiso compiled a record of four second- or third-place finishes in four stakes at Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields from early February to early June, always running well but never good enough to win.

“There has always been one or two horses a little bit better,” trainer O.J. Jauregui said on Friday.

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Camino Del Paraiso, second in two stakes at Santa Anita in February and March, is back in Southern California for Sunday’s $125,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes for statebreds at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar.

Once again, the 7-year-old Camino Del Paraiso has excellent credentials, but faces a dangerous rival in Galilean, who won the Soi Phet Stakes for California-bred milers on dirt at Los Alamitos on June 27.

Camino Del Paraiso and Galilean drew the inside two post positions in a field of 11.

Owned by Paradise Road Ranch, Camino Del Paraiso has won 5 of 37 starts and earned $400,192. He was third behind Neptune’s Storm and Kiwi’s Storm in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields on June 14, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.

“He’s made $400,000 the hard way,” Jauregui said.

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Drayden Van Dyke will ride Camino Del Paraiso for the first time on Sunday, and is likely to have the gelding in a stalking position.

“I’ll have to try to be a little closer,” Jauregui said. “You don’t want to get too far back and be in traffic. He’s very tactical. He’s not that tough of a horse to ride.”

The California Dreamin’ Stakes is Camino Del Paraiso’s sixth start at Del Mar, and first since a fourth-place finish in an allowance race with a $100,000 claiming option on turf in August 2018. Camino Del Paraiso was fourth in the 2018 California Dreamin’ Stakes in July of that year.

“It’s another spot I think I should be right there to win the race,” Jauregui said of Sunday’s race. “He’s fit. Being a 7-year-old, I don’t try to train him as hard like I used to. He’s ready to go.”

There should be an honest pace in the California Dreamin’ with the presence of Grinning Tiger, Take the One O One, and Whooping Jay.

Grinning Tiger led throughout the Crystal Water Stakes for statebred turf milers at Santa Anita on June 6, scoring a shocking win at 92-1. He was later second to Galilean in the Soi Phet.

Take the One O One set the pace in the Soi Phet, but faded to finish sixth. A 5-year-old, Take the One O One won the Snow Chief Stakes for 3-year-old statebreds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita in 2018.

Whooping Jay has raced in sprints this year and was third behind Galilean in the California Cup Derby on dirt at Santa Anita in January 2019.

Galilean, trained by John Sadler since last winter, has never raced on turf in a nine-race career that includes four wins, all in stakes.

Galilean worked five furlongs on turf in 1:01 at Del Mar last Sunday.

“He handled it beautifully,” Sadler said. “If he’s good on the grass, this will give us more options.”

By Uncle Mo, Galilean was purchased for $600,000 at the Barretts sale of 2-year-olds in training in 2018, the most expensive horse of the auction.

“I think the breeding is okay on turf,” Sadler said. “The Uncle Mos run pretty good on grass.”