Del Mar: Appealing Tale back sprinting in O’Brien

DEL MAR, Calif. – Appealing Tale nearly pulled off an upset in the San Diego, but he’s a sprinter at heart, and it is sprinting to which he will return on Saturday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Pat O’Brien at seven furlongs, a race for which he tuned up with an easy three-furlong drill in 37.80 seconds Tuesday morning.

Appealing Tale lost the San Diego by a head to Catch a Flight after battling for the early lead with Bayern.

“Heartbreaking. That was tough,” trainer Peter Miller said Tuesday.

A small field was expected for the O’Brien, perhaps as few as five, with Kobe’s Back and Wild Dude the marquee names. It is part of the Pacific Classic undercard, as is the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf, in which Ashleyluvssugar and Finnegans Wake are the topweights at 123 pounds.

Though around one turn, the O’Brien is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The Del Mar Handicap is a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah jogged on Tuesday, standard operating procedure for him two days after a workout.

 Jockey James Graham was fined $500 for excessive use of the whip while piloting Sharla Rae to victory in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday. Jockey Tyler Baze also received a $300 fine for whip use during a losing effort on Saturday in another race.

 Trainer Bill Spawr was fined $1,000 on Sunday for excessive use of the legal medication flunixin from a race three months earlier at Santa Anita. He was also cited for using two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.