Del Mar notes: Include Me Out has solid work for Hirsch Stakes

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DEL MAR, Calif. – Include Me Out looks like she’s all set to defend her title in the Grade 1, $300,000 Clement Hirsch Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar. On Monday, she worked a half-mile in 46.80 seconds under regular rider Joe Talamo, and while the time equaled the fastest of 47 at the distance, she did it effortlessly.

“Just breezing,” trainer Ron Ellis said. “It was a good work, getting her over the track and reacquainted with it. She cooled out in 10 minutes.”

It was a cool, overcast morning, which helped keep the Polytrack surface the way Include Me Out prefers, Ellis said.

“As long as it stays like this, I’ll like it,” he said. “When it gets hot and gummy, she doesn’t like it. My long-range forecast is it stays like this.”

Samantha Siegel, who owns Include Me Out, watched the work and was almost shaking when it was completed.

“Get out the force field and the bubble wrap,” she said.

Include Me Out returned from a seven-month layoff to win the Desert Stormer at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 16 in her lone start this year. She has won 7 of 14 lifetime and is 2 for 3 at Del Mar.

The Hirsch is shaping up as a terrific race. The other older fillies and mares expected to be entered Wednesday for the 1 1/16-mile race are Byrama, Lady of Fifty, More Chocolate, Quiet Oasis, Sister Kate, Sisterhood, and Via Villaggio.

Comma to the Top has foot bruise

Comma to the Top, who finished fifth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes on Sunday, came out of the race with a “badly bruised foot,” trainer Peter Miller said.

“He’ll undergo a nuclear scan to make sure there’s nothing more there,” Miller said. “We’ll just let it grow out.”

Comma to the Top, 5, has won 14 of 33 starts and $1.35 million. He had won two of his last three starts heading into the Crosby. He’s 2 for 6 lifetime at Del Mar but has finished out of the money in all four of those losses.

Comma to the Top was the third choice in the six-horse field but was the subject of a $200,000 show bet placed from Santa Anita, stewards said. A similar show bet, for $250,000, was made Saturday from Santa Anita on the filly Doinghardtimeagain, who also finished out of the money.

Ballard Ruler returns for Sadler

Ballard Ruler, who defeated maidens here last summer in his debut and went on to finish second in the California Cup Juvenile, makes his first start since November on Wednesday in the sixth race, a six-furlong optional claimer against California-breds. His trainer, John Sadler, said he’s been training well.

“I’m looking forward to getting him started,” Sadler said. “He had time off because he came out of his last race a little sore, and one shin lit up when we did a nuclear scan. We gave him 90 days off at Rancho Paseana. The neat thing is that even though he’s run in stakes, he comes back with conditions, a Cal-bred non-winners of one.”