Del Mar notes: Turf course aerated, watered extensively
DEL MAR, Calif. – Del Mar’s turf course was aerated Monday and extensively watered overnight, all designed to keep the course in excellent shape through the final week-plus of the meet.
“We’ve been heavily watering it once a week,” Leif Dickinson, the turf course and grounds superintendent at Del Mar, said Tuesday.
Racing was suspended on Del Mar’s turf course twice this meet, owing to injuries. The performance of the course has improved since it has been aerated and heavily watered on a regular basis.
◗ Jorge Alvarez, a well-known exercise rider for trainer Bob Baffert who gets on some of Baffert’s best runners, was fortunate to escape serious injury Tuesday morning after being caught in the reins of the horse he was on, falling, and being briefly dragged down the stretch. Alvarez was able to extricate himself and walked away under his own power.
◗ Jockey Stewart Elliott, who fractured a rib when kicked by a horse two weeks ago, is scheduled to be back in action this week. His biggest mount of the meet comes closing day aboard Skyway in the Futurity.
◗ Stormy Lucy, one of the leading contenders for the Yellow Ribbon, worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Polytrack on Tuesday for trainer Ed Moger Jr.