Ellis not worried about Quit Kvetching

DEL MAR, Calif. – There might not be a trainer who has made more with what he has this summer at Del Mar than Ron Ellis.

From a mere 16 starters through the end of racing on Sunday, Ellis has sent out five winners and has seen 10 of his runners finish in the money. He is tied for 11th in the trainers’ standings, with far fewer starters than anyone else with at least that many wins. Everyone else with five winners or more this summer has had at least 27 starters.

“It’s been a really good meet,” Ellis said at his barn. “They’ve all run well. Even if they haven’t won, they’ve run well.”

Ellis will be looking to improve on his dazzling strike rate on Thursday, when he sends out Quit Kvetching in the featured seventh race, an optional-claiming sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs for California-bred females.

Quit Kvetching was fourth in a similar spot going six furlongs on Aug. 4 after breaking poorly from an inside stall, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 68. It was only her second start, following a maiden win on debut at Los Alamitos on July 6. On Thursday, she benefits from far better draw, landing post 5 in the field of eight.

“I think she needed her first start against winners,” Ellis said, “and the extra distance should help. The post should help, too. I think she’s getting better with each race.”

Drayden Van Dyke will take over on Quit Kvetching, replacing Aaron Gryder, who rode Quit Kvetching in her first two starts but has opted for Takethediamondlane, whom Gryder rode to a narrow debut win against maidens here on Aug. 8. She got a Beyer Figure of 62.

“She’s going to have to step her game up,” said Brian Koriner, who trains Takethediamondlane. “She had worked so many times and never had any pressure that I think it took her awhile figure out, Oh, I’ve got to go after those horses. I hope that first race woke her up.”

Quiet Kvetching and Takethediamondlane, both age 3, are two of five runners in the race using their first-level allowance condition. Three others are in for the optional $20,000 claiming price, including Dreamy Gal and Princess Dorian, both of whom are tumbling in class after facing open company.

Wishful was third, three-quarters of a length in front of Quit Kvetching, in the Aug. 4 optional claimer. She adds blinkers and Flavien Prat.

D’s Lovely Sophia owns the best last-out fig, an 80, earned when beating a starter-allowance field Aug. 7 for her second win without a defeat. Ruby Bradley faced stakes-class rivals in her last two starts. Algorhythmic turns back off a two-turn turf race for only her third try on dirt.

The eight-race program begins at 2 p.m. Pacific.