French imports add depth to Del Mar Oaks

The presence of the French imports Miss Extra and Neige Blanche give Saturday’s competitive Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks international depth.

Miss Extra, who recently joined trainer Richard Mandella’s stable, won the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham at about a mile on June 19 at Chantilly for her third consecutive win and was later ninth of 11 at 20-1 in the Group 1 French Oaks at the same course on July 5.

Neige Blanche, now trained by Leonard Powell, won the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre on June 6 at Lyon and was shipped out of France a few days later. The French Oaks was not considered an option, Powell said.

“We thought the competition was going to be quite tough,” Powell said. “We wanted to have a fresh horse for the [Del Mar] Oaks.”

Neige Blanche won on turf for the first time in the Prix Cleopatre. A winner of 3 of 6 starts, she won twice on synthetic tracks in southern France before racing against a far more difficult field in the Prix Cleopatre.

Since joining Powell’s stable, Neige Blanche has had three workouts at Del Mar.

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“She’s been very straightforward,” Powell said. “She’s done everything we’ve asked of her.”

Neige Blanche is now owned by Madaket Stables, Laura De Seroux, Marsha Naify, and Powell’s wife, Mathilde. De Seroux, who has a long background as a bloodstock agent, is a retired trainer best known for guiding the career of Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year. Azeri was champion older dirt female from 2002-04.

The domestic runners in the 1 1/8-mile Del Mar Oaks are led by Laura’s Light, Guitty, and Warren’s Showtime, the first three finishers of the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes at a mile on turf July 25 at Del Mar. Powell trains Guitty, who closed from last of 10 to finish within three-quarters of a length behind Laura’s Light.

Warren’s Showtime will have her Grade 1 debut in the $250,000 Del Mar Oaks. Trained by Craig Lewis, Warren’s Showtime will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, who was aboard the four-time stakes winner for a five-furlong workout in 1:00 before racing at Del Mar on Aug. 14.

The Del Mar Oaks is the California and graded stakes debut of Trickle In, a stakes winner July 4 at Delaware Park.

The Del Mar Oaks is one of two Grade 1 races on Saturday’s blockbuster 11-race program.

The program is led by the $500,000 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles, the track’s top race for older horses. While the Del Mar Oaks drew a full field of 10, there are only six entrants in the Pacific Classic, which is expected to have five runners if Sharp Samurai starts in Sunday’s Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf.

Maximum Security, the champion 3-year-old male of 2019, will be a strong favorite in the Pacific Classic. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

There are three other graded stakes on the program.

United, runner-up in the BC Turf at Santa Anita last November, will be favored in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

The Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on turf drew a field of eight and will be the California debut of Chaos Theory, a sprint stakes winner on turf at Fair Grounds in February.

The Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at a mile on the main track has seven 3-year-old fillies, but none are stakes winners. The $100,000 race is the stakes debut of Harvest Moon, who won a first-condition optional claimer at a mile on July 27 at Del Mar.