Espinoza climbs aboard Lammas for first time in Bull Dog

For a horse he has never ridden in a race, jockey Assael Espinoza is well-acquainted with Lammas, his mount in Sunday’s $50,000 Bull Dog Stakes at the Big Fresno Fair in central California.

Twice last spring, Espinoza was beat by Lammas in allowance races at Golden Gate Fields. More recently, Lammas won the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf at Golden Gate Fields in April and the Pleasanton Mile on dirt at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton in July.

Espinoza rides Lammas for the first time in a race in the Bull Dog at 1 1/8 miles. Last Sunday, Espinoza was aboard Lammas for a five-furlong workout in a quick 59.20 seconds at Pleasanton for trainer Manny Badilla.

“He did it easily,” Espinoza said.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

A win in the Bull Dog Stakes is unlikely to be easy. The race has drawn a field of 10, including the erratic Salesman, winner of the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at 1 5/8 miles at Santa Anita last November; Mucino and Honos Man, who were first and third in the Humboldt County Marathon at 1 5/8 miles on Sept. 8 at Ferndale; and Shortman, the expected pacesetter who has won three consecutive allowance races in Northern California since mid-June.

Lammas, owned by Ron Charles and Samuel Gordon, was fifth by two lengths in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf Aug. 31 in his most recent start, encountering slight traffic issues in the stretch.

The Bull Dog presents a distance challenge for Lammas, who has won 11 of 32 starts. Lammas was fourth by 4 3/4 lengths in the 2022 Bull Dog in his only previous start at the distance. His form has improved remarkably since then.

“I think the mile and an eighth is a question mark, but I don’t think it will be a problem,” Espinoza said. “He’s done well at a flat mile. He’s been running big races.

“I love the way he has that turn of foot. He comes home running.”

Espinoza is hopeful that Shortman, Salesman, and the Emerald Downs stakes winner Arma d’Oro contribute to a quick early pace.

“It should set up well,” Espinoza said.

Salesman, trained by Richard Mandella, was third by 18 lengths in the Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on dirt at Del Mar on July 25, his first start since a last-place finish in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March.

Mandella had hoped to run Salesman in the Tokyo City Handicap at 1 1/2 miles at Santa Anita last weekend, but the race failed to draw sufficient entries.

“When he’s right, he runs a helluva race,” Mandella said. “I expected him to run really good.

“He’s like to be out front. I hope he gets there.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.