Dreamfyre brings Eplin family together
?q=100)
DEL MAR, Calif. - Until the weekend, California horse owner Danny Eplin thought there were only two certain ways to get a family together – weddings and funerals.
Eplin found a third at Del Mar on Saturday, for the right reasons.
Eplin’s four children and his sister accompanied the Northern California-based owner to watch Dreamfyre remain unbeaten in two starts with an impressive win in the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
The collection of family made for a large gathering in the winner’s circle. The result was a first-ever graded stakes win for Eplin and his trainer, O.J. Jauregui.
“I’ve had years of getting my butt kicked,” he said. “I know it’s tough.”
So is Dreamfyre.
Bought for $140,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale in Florida in April, Dreamfyre won her debut against males in the $75,900 Everett Nevin Stakes at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif., on July 9.
Dreamfyre led throughout the race at 5 1/2 furlongs and won by 3 1/2 lengths. In the $201,000 Sorrento Stakes, Dreamfyre ($9.20) was sent to the front by jockey Hector Berrios and led throughout, winning by 3 1/2 lengths again.
Eplin, who owns a body shop in San Leandro, Calif., thought Dreamfyre was exceptional when he saw her win the Nevin.
“Watching her at Pleasanton, I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me,” he said.
Dreamfyre, by Flameaway, caught Jauregui’s attention before the Nevin, enough for him to urge Eplin to pay $300 for a nomination to the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante in early June.
The $300,000 Del Mar Debutante at seven furlongs on Sept. 9 is Dreamfyre’s next start. The race will be tougher, with additional fillies joining the division who were not part of the Sorrento field.
“The pool keeps getting bigger,” Eplin said of the competition.
Eplin, 59, has a 20-year involvement with Juaregui, often with modest claiming horses in the north.
The success on Saturday afternoon with family was even more meaningful for Eplin, who two years ago underwent heart bypass surgery, he said. It also provided a brief distraction from racing news in Northern California.
The recent announcement that Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif., will close in December has hit Eplin, leaving him to question whether many of his runners would fit on Southern California’s tougher circuit.
Golden Gate Fields is owned by 1/ST Racing, the parent company of Santa Anita in Arcadia. The company has stated that it plans to close Golden Gate Fields to consolidate California racing to Santa Anita.
Eplin said the news has caused widespread confusion for participants in racing in Northern California and forced him to reassess his investment.
“I may cut back,” he said.
With that uncertainty in the background, Dreamfyre has emerged as his finest runner, a contrast to many of his horses in the past.
“I’ve been claiming horses for $4,000 and he’d improve them to $12,500,” Eplin said of his success with Jauregui. “This is a big jump for me.”
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.