Del Mar: High hopes for high-priced juveniles
Time will tell if the California 2-year-olds of 2022 leave a lasting impact, but this much is certain – they are among the most expensive to prepare for a Del Mar summer.
Among the scores of unraced colts who could debut at Del Mar are a handful of seven-figure 2-year-old purchases: $3.55 million Hejazi (Bernardini), $2.3 million unnamed (Uncle Mo – Borealis Night), $1.75 million Ultimate Gamble (Medaglia d’Oro), $1.2 million Don Corleone (More Than Ready), and $1.55 million yearling Nuclear (Justify).
Unraced juvenile fillies purchased at auction include $1 million 2-year-old Muteki (American Pharoah) and several high-ticket yearlings: $950,000 unnamed (Medaglia d’Oro – Naples Princess), $825,000 Conquistar (Quality Road), $725,000 Justique (Justify), $750,000 Llorona (Mendelssohn), and $700,000 Window Shopping (American Pharoah). Chances are a future star will debut this summer.
Del Mar 2-year-old races are among the most anticipated contests of summer; the upcoming meet is no exception. Experienced runners include stakes-winning fillies Absolutely Zero, Stone Silent, Tom’s Regret, and Vegas Magic, along with runaway maiden winner Procrastination. Among the list of maiden-winning colts are Agency, Arman, Straighten Up, Tahoma, and Wizard of Westwood.
The summer stakes program for 2-year-olds culminates with two seven-furlong Grade 1s – the Del Mar Debutante for fillies on Sept. 10 and Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 11. Early graded stakes are the Grade 2 Sorrento for fillies on Aug. 13 and Grade 3 Best Pal on Aug. 14, both at six furlongs. A pair of mile turf stakes are the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 10 and Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 11.
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The quartet of $125,000 California-bred juvenile stakes are the CTBA for fillies on Aug. 7, Graduation on Aug. 12, Generous Portion for fillies on Sept. 5, and I’m Smokin on Sept. 9. Combining all categories, Del Mar offers 10 summer stakes for 2-year-olds.
The juveniles previewed here include those by promising first-crop sires Bolt d’Oro, Justify, Sharp Azteca, and Good Magic. Based on interviews with trainers, auction results from yearling and 2-year-old sales, and review of work tabs, many could see action at Del Mar. It figures to be an interesting summer.
Bob Baffert
Baffert declined to discuss his 2-year-olds. It’s a deep group. Baffert trains at least 38 juvenile colts who were purchased at auction for more than $20 million combined. The most expensive is Hejazi (Bernardini), purchased by Zedan Racing for $3.55 million at a 2-year-old sale. Hejazi’s early work pattern is similar to the pattern last summer by 2021 champion juvenile colt Corniche, who won his career debut in September at Del Mar.
An unnamed $2.3 million 2-year-old colt (Uncle Mo – Borealis Night) commenced works in early July. Another unnamed colt (Quality Road –Justwhistledixie), listed as a $1.9 million yearling buyback, is a sibling to graded winners New Year’s Day and Mohaymen. The colt’s work pattern began in May.
Cave Rock (Arrogate) and Newgate (Into Mischief) both have worked a bullet five furlongs from the gate. Hard to Figure (Hard Spun) posted back-to-back bullet drills at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita in July. Dillinger (Into Mischief) also worked fast. An unnamed (Bolt d’Oro – Colby Cakes) colt worked a bullet half from the Santa Anita gate.
Other colts trained by Baffert include Carmel Road (Quality Road), Fort Bragg (Tapit), Gandolfini (Justify), Gilmore (Twirling Candy), Idealist (Empire Maker), Jackstown (Speightstown), Massimo (Uncle Mo), Rapacious (Into Mischief), Reincarnate (Good Magic), Truehood (Nyquist), and Yangarra (Twirling Candy).
Baffert trains at least 18 juvenile fillies who were purchased at auction for more than $6 million combined. Among the most expensive are $1 million 2-year-old Muteki (American Pharoah) and unnamed (Medaglia d’Oro – Naples Princess) purchased as a yearling for $950,000. She posted a fast gate work in early July at Santa Anita.
Halosnheaven (Curlin), a homebred produced by champion Indian Blessing, bullet-worked five furlongs from the Santa Anita gate in mid-July. Home Cooking (Honor Code) and Doinitthehardway (Street Sense) also posted fast early works. Baffert-trained debut 2-year-olds typically are live first time out.
Simon Callaghan
Arman (Bolt d’Oro) scored an impressive debut victory as the favorite in a maiden race June 23 at Churchill Downs. Now training in California, the Kaleem Shah-owned colt is among the early choices for the Best Pal. Don Corleone (More than Ready) is a $1.2 million 2-year-old owned by Shah who could debut later in the meet. Unraced fillies who Callaghan said “look nice” include Moonlit Mischief (Into Mischief) and an unnamed (Street Sense – Katie’s Keepsake) expected to debut on turf.
Mark Glatt
Agency (Bolt d’Oro) rallied to an off-the-pace debut win at five furlongs and should benefit stretching to six furlongs for the Best Pal.
A highly regarded Glatt prospect is $1.75 million 2-year-old Ultimate Gamble (Medaglia d’Oro), a sibling to champion sprinter Drefong. Ultimate Gamble will debut in a sprint, but Glatt believes his best races will be longer.
“He’s definitely a two-turn horse,” Glatt said. “We’re waiting for a six and a half, we want to give him a little ground to work with. He’s been real steady, a real classy colt who does everything right. He’s a two-turn-looking horse.”
I’m Still In It (Empire Maker) is a filly likely to run long on turf, while Show Your Cards (Good Magic) needed extra time coming out of the 2-year-old sale at which he was purchased for $400,000. If he runs this summer, it will be near the end of the meet.
“I’m not terribly aggressive with the 2-year-olds in the early races,” Glatt said. “We’ve got some really nice 2-year-olds. We’re talking Del Mar, though. Talk to me this fall.”
Richard Mandella
Mandella said his summer 2-year-old starters are “ones that mature quick enough, a lot of them aren’t mature enough.” His early runners could include fast-working colt Seal Team (War Front), whose dam was a Grade 2 turf winner. The filly Ice Dancing (Frosted) also has shown promise, according to Mandella.
Others will not be rushed. Those include fillies Teena Ella (War Front), produced by Beholder; $750,000 yearling Llorona (Mendelssohn), a sibling to 2021 champion juvenile Corniche; Mizztify Doll (Mizzen Mast), who could debut in late August; Three Strands (Empire Maker), a sibling to a Grade 1 winner; and $700,000 yearling Window Shopping (American Pharoah).
Michael McCarthy
McCarthy typically starts 2-year-olds later in summer, but this year he won with a pair in early July. The filly Procrastination (Not This Time) won by eight lengths first out and could target the Sorrento. The colt Wizard of Westwood (Tu Brutus) won a dirt sprint first out, but McCarthy said he has a “classic, turf-horse look to him.” He is a two-turn prospect.
The colt Alexander Helios (Cairo Prince) is a homebred sibling to Preakness winner Rombauer. Happy Tears (Into Mischief) worked fast before his postponed debut. Other colts are Jam Session (Maclean’s Music), Secret Treasure (Arrogate), and Lollipop Gumdrop (Twirling Candy). Fillies include $650,000 yearling Jennifer’s d’Light (City of Light), Right Reasons (Into Mischief), Spicybug (Speightstown), and $400,000 yearling Tea N Conversation (Candy Ride), a sibling to Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity winner Nucky.
Peter Miller
Miller-trained juveniles that merit attention include three by Arrogate – unraced filly And Tell Me Nolies and unraced colt Adventuresome, along with debut runner-up colt Abeliefinthislivin. Candy Caramel (Candy Ride) finished fifth with trouble in her debut. The colt Rich Gold (Bolt d’Oro) has s solid workout pattern at San Luis Rey Downs.
Doug O’Neill
More than two dozen O’Neill-trained juveniles are in training and will see plenty of action in summer. O’Neill already won stakes with fillies Vegas Magic (Good Magic) and Absolutely Zero (Nyquist), and maiden races with colts Jin Tong (Goldencents) and Tahoma (Justify).
Colt prospects include $485,000 2-year-old Precision Strike (Gun Runner), and unnamed colts (Ransom the Moon – Wild Catomine) and (Honor Code-Spoken).
O’Neill’s roster lists colts Air Kenney (Goldencents), Golden Sombrero (Medaglia d’Oro), and Mucino (Nyquist). Maiden colts who can improve second out are Hacking It Up (Nyquist), I Am Not Uncertain (Will Take Charge), Odonata (Laoban), Eddie’s Last (Square Eddie), and Giovinazzo (Sharp Azteca).
Shelbe Ruis
The nation’s leading first-crop sire is Bolt d’Oro, who won a pair of Grade 1s for Ruis’ father, Mick Ruis, in 2017. His first crop already includes eight winners through mid-July. Shelbe Ruis trains nine Bolt d’Oro progeny, including filly Bolts N Rainbows (Bolt d’Oro), who won first out for trainer Chris Hartman in Kentucky before returning to California to aim to the Sorrento for Ruis.
The colt Nak Nak Bolt (Bolt d’Oro) may have more ability than two unplaced finishes in Kentucky suggest. Bolt’s Broad (Bolt d’Oro), a filly sibling to stakes winner One Fast Broad, is nearing a sprint debut.
“She’s not super quick,” Ruis cautioned, “but she should be closing.”
Bolt for Allison (Bolt d’Oro), a filly sibling to graded-placed turf mare Sedamar, could debut in a turf route. Bolt for Heaven (Bolt d’Oro) is likely to debut early in the meet; he outworked a stablemate from the Santa Anita gate in early July.
“I have a few more Bolts, they’re just not quite ready,” Ruis said.
John Sadler
While undefeated older horse Flightline leads the stable, indications are Sadler will be a force in the summer 2-year-old division.
“We were more active in the [2021] yearling market,” Sadler said. “You can tell by the price they were good-looking horses.”
The $1.55 million yearling colt Nuclear (Justify) ranks near the top of unraced prospects. He worked his first three-eighths in early July at Santa Anita.
“He’s shown a lot of promise right off the bat, he’s going to come to hand pretty quick,” Sadler said. A late August debut is possible.
The colt Pure Fire (Practical Joke), third in a stakes first out, is expected to start early in the meet. Storming Machine (Cloud Computing), a $560,000 2-year-old colt, “has trained very well” Sadler said. He also is likely to run early.
Riverside (Bernardini) also will run early, but the trainer said the colt “is going to be a two-turn horse.”
Hawker (Justify), a colt sibling to multiple graded winner Commissioner, is expected to be an early starter. Others with potential include colt Game Time (Not This Time), along with fillies Hot Date (Cairo Prince) and late August probable Electric Glide (Accelerate). Stone Silent (Adios Charlie) won her career debut in a stakes race.
“This is a little bit earlier crop for me than I might have had in previous years,” Sadler said. “We have a mix of sprinters and routers. They’ll start short, some are going to be fast, some are two-turn horses. They’re fairly well along, so they’re going to run and maybe be better going long.”
John Shirreffs
“We’re kind of stepping it up with the 2-year-olds a little bit, get going a little earlier,” Shirreffs said. Early signals are positive. Skinner (Curlin) is a $510,000 2-year-old colt produced by a graded sprint winner who was okayed from the gate in a half-mile work in early July. Shirreffs expects him to be an early starter at Del Mar.
The trainer said Justique (Scat Daddy) “is a really nice filly who is going to run early in the meet, too.” The $725,000 yearling is a sibling to Grade 1 winner Mo Town. Shirreffs also mentioned the colt Momad (Nyquist) as one of several for owner Jerry Moss. The colt Mavcity (City of Light) is a Moss homebred sibling to a Grade 2 winner. Tender shins will postpone Mavcity’s debut.
Shirreffs has a reputation for training late developers, but past 2-year-olds who won in summer at Del Mar include subsequent Grade 1 winners Express Train, Gormley, and Tarlow.