Formful Canto Della Terra can improve on her last

DEL MAR, Calif. – Friday at Del Mar is not yet crunch time for trainer Phil D’Amato, but the featured seventh-race allowance may provide momentum for important Saturdays ahead.

D’Amato-trained Canto Della Terra looks solid in race 7, a turf mile for second-level allowance fillies and mares. She should win if she reproduces her recent runner-up finish at the same level in the first route of her six-start career.

“She didn’t have the greatest post going a mile and a sixteenth, and kind of had the overland trip the whole way and got beat a length,” D’Amato said. “The [winner] saved every inch of ground, got up the rail, and just out-tripped us. I thought it was a creditable effort first time long.”

Canto Della Terra’s chief rivals are droppers Raw Ability and Tahini. Both already have won the second-level condition and both are entered for the $100,000 optional claim tag. Late-runner Raw Ability finished fourth by a length in the Osunitas Stakes last out. Front-runner Tahini stretches out after finishing third in the five-furlong Daisycutter Handicap.

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The turf rails will be at the outermost 30-foot setting on Friday, which has not influenced the two-turn profile this summer. Six rails-out turf routes at varying distances have produced three winners from the back of the field, two who set the pace, and another who pressed from third position.

However, the rail setting has influenced the sprint profile. With the turf rails at 30 feet, speed holds the advantage this summer. Eight rails-out turf sprints have produced five winners who led gate to wire, and two who pressed from second or third. The speed-friendly profile is a consideration Friday in all three turf sprints, races 1, 3, and 5.

Canto Della Terra, the likely race 7 favorite, will be ridden by Ricky Gonzalez, whose 31 turf mounts this summer have produced one win and four seconds. D’Amato, likewise, hopes his second-place finishes become wins. D’Amato entered the week with 10 wins and 10 seconds. He ranked second in the standings behind Doug O’Neill, who has 17 wins.

“My horses have run well, but I’ve finished a lot of seconds,” D’Amato said. It was not a complaint. “I’m a second or two away from having a good meet. I’ve had a few tough-beat seconds.

“Crunch time is the 22nd and 29th, that’s when I have a lot of stakes to hopefully win,” D’Amato said.

His Saturday entrants include Motorious in the Green Flash Handicap, Kensington Lane in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, and King of Gosford in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile.

His stakes candidates Aug. 29 include Gold Phoenix in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, and a handful of candidates for the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes. D’Amato plans to nominate Stronghold, Iron Man Cal, and Shea Brennan to the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien.

The turf sprints Friday include race 3, a nonwinners-of-two $25,000 claiming race in which D’Amato-trained Luck Lucky is a tepid choice with a pressing style that matches the course profile. Antonio Fresu rides Luck Lucky; the D’Amato-Fresu combo this summer is 1 for 18.

Races 1 and 5 are turf sprints for maidens, 3-year-olds and up. Race 1 is open to males and led by the Bob Baffert-trained firster Smashing Machine, whose rider is Drayden Van Dyke. His main rival is the Peter Miller-trained firster Michael, with Joel Rosario.

Race 5, for maiden fillies and mares, is led by the John Sadler-trained first-time starter Autumn Leaves, a daughter of Tiz the Law.

“She’s a filly that got to the races late,” Sadler said. “She’s a nice, big filly. I wasn’t thrilled with the draw” – post 1 – “but looking forward to getting her going. By breeding, she can probably run on either [dirt or turf], and probably longer.”

The main rival for Autumn Leaves is the Mark Glatt-trained first-time starter Ardente, a Mendelssohn filly who appears to have trained well.

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