Del Mar: Reneesgotzip eyes Breeders' Cup race
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DEL MAR, Calif. - Reneesgotzip, winner of the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap in track-record time last Sunday, will make her next start in a Breeders’ Cup race at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 or 2. A decision on a specific race may not be made until the preceding weekend.
Trainer Peter Miller said the BC Turf Sprint against males is preferred over two main-track races – the Filly and Mare Sprint or the Sprint against males. Last year, Reneesgotzip finished third in the BC Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
“We’ll probably pre-enter in all three and then make a decision,” he said.
[DEL MAR 2013: Complete meet coverage, schedule, race replays]
Owned by Debbie Lanni, Reneesgotzip ran 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.48 in the Rancho Bernardo, winning by 4 1/4 lengths.
Seven likely for Del Mar Handicap
A field of seven is expected for Saturday’s $200,000 Del Mar Handicap over 1 3/8 miles on turf.
Vagabond Shoes, second in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes on July 20, will try to win his first stakes in the United States. Trained by John Sadler, Vagabond Shoes won two stakes in France, one in 2011 and one in 2012.
Other probable starters are Fire with Fire, Huntsville, Lucayan, Mr T Bird, and Old Time Hockey. Holding Glory will be entered, but trainer A.C. Avila said he is leaning toward running him in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Sunday.
Claim of the year
Jerry Hollendorfer trained Romance Is Sosa for the first two starts of his career, then lost him to trainer Andy Mathis for $16,000 in July 2012 at Sacramento. Five races later, in May, Romance Is Sosa was in a $5,000 claiming race at Golden Gate, so Hollendorfer and owner George Todaro decided to claim him back.
It has been the claim of the year in California. Romance Is Sosa has won three times in four starts for Hollendorfer while showing significant improvement. Last Friday, he won a one-mile first-level allowance race restricted to California-breds after having defeated $35,000 claimers two starts prior. He has now won 7 of 11 starts overall and is unbeaten in four races around two turns.
“When we claimed him back, he had won a couple of races cheaper, so we thought we’d take a chance,” Hollendorfer said. “The guy we claimed him from did the right thing, bringing him back cheap after a long layoff. He won a couple of races for him. We just got lucky. We got him at the right time.”
◗ Trainer Jorge Periban was fined $500 by Del Mar’s stewards as a result of his horse Queen of the Hill testing for an excess amount of the legal medication phenylbutazone (Bute) when working out to get off the veterinarian’s list in a drill at Santa Anita on July 10.
- additional reporting by Jay Privman