Downgraded Eddie Read Stakes still draws strong field

DEL MAR, Calif. – The turf course at Del Mar is sort of where it all started for three leading contenders in the Eddie Read Stakes on Sunday.

Del Mar is where Midnight Storm won his first graded stakes, where Finnegans Wake won his first California graded stakes, and where Bolo launched his career at 2. They meet Sunday for a $250,000 purse in the 1 1/8-mile Read, downgraded this year to Grade 2 status. The timing of the downgrade is ironic because the field is strong.

Among the Grade 2 winners in the Read are Flamboyant, a comebacker with a history of firing fresh; Ashleyluvssugar, stretching out from a solid comeback; and Si Sage, an upset winner last out. The up-and-coming Ohio, an allowance winner last out, gets tested for class.

Nine are entered; the sharpest in the field is Midnight Storm. He won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile last month, and at that time, trainer Phil D’Amato speculated he would not run back until the middle of the summer. Midnight Storm would have none of that.

“He came out of it like he really didn’t even run,” D’Amato said. “I think he’s even put on more weight since his race. He just looks a picture of health, so we’ll strike while the iron is hot.”

Midnight Storm is expected to set the pace, pressed by Bolo and Si Sage. The last time Midnight Storm got loose over a firm Del Mar turf course, he wired the Del Mar Derby in 2014.

Bolo is good enough when he fires, but he returns with uncertain form. His most recent start was two months ago at Churchill Downs, where he finished 10th in a Grade 1 race.

“Let’s just say it was a tough trip,” trainer Carla Gaines said.

Bolo, who won a Grade 2 turf mile in 1:33.09 in February, got annihilated leaving the gate at Churchill. It got worse from there. “Was he scared? Angry? Whatever it was, he just took off,” Gaines said. He pressed a fast pace and surrendered. Gaines believes Bolo is ready to fire.

Eddie Read Stakes

KEY CONTENDERS

Midnight Storm, by Pioneerof the Nile
Last 3 Beyers: 110-92-96

◗ His last-out Beyer ties for the highest of 2016 on turf. Midnight Storm and Flintshire both earned 110s in Grade 1 wins.

◗ Midnight Storm’s Achilles’ heel is soft ground. He finished fifth in the 2015 Read on a wet course labeled “good.” The course on Sunday will be firm.

◗ Rafael Bejarano rides. “It looks like there’s not too much speed,” Bejarano said. “If I can get to the lead and get him comfortable and relaxed, we’ll go from there.”

Bolo, by Temple City
Last 3 Beyers: 74-100-106

◗ Jockey Mike Smith thought Bolo might have been seriously injured when he finished 10th last out in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill. Fortunately, it was not that bad.

“Mike was worried, but it wasn’t hugely significant in terms of a laceration,” Gaines said. “It was a laceration on a hind leg, and it wasn’t that bad.”

◗ Bolo was slammed leaving the gate and encountered more trouble late in the race while tiring. His best race puts him in the hunt; he could get a good trip positioned second.

Flamboyant, by Peer Gynt
Last 3 Beyers: NA-97-105

◗ The Read is the first start for Flamboyant since a fifth-place finish in a $6 million Dubai turf race in March.

◗ Flamboyant runs well fresh. He won a minor stakes in April 2014, when he made his U.S. debut following a layoff; he won a Grade 2 in January in his first start back from a layoff.

◗ Flamboyant is trained by Paddy Gallagher, who said Flamboyant “seems to be acting the way he was before he went to Dubai.” Flavien Prat rides Flamboyant for the first time.

Ohio, by Elusive Quality
Last 3 Beyers: 99-41-97

◗ From a traditional handicapping perspective, Ohio is in tough. An import from Brazil, he is unproven in graded stakes but has won 6 of 10, including a visually impressive allowance last out.

◗ Paulo Lobo trains Ohio, scratched from the $75,000 Wickerr Stakes on Saturday to run in the tougher Read. Brice Blanc, who was the regular rider for Flamboyant, rides Ohio.

Finnegans Wake, by Powerscourt
Last 3 Beyers: 95-93-90

◗ A 7-year-old with earnings of more than $1.5 million, Finnegans Wake won the Grade 1 Turf Classic in 2015 at Churchill Downs and then was winless until last month, when he dropped into a small-field allowance and won going away.

◗ Peter Miller trains Finnegans Wake, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in 2014 at Del Mar. Tyler Baze rides.