Ginobili wins Pat O'Brien, points to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
DEL MAR, Calif. - Ginobili finished his 2021 Del Mar summer season with an unbeaten record in two starts, the highlight of which was a first career stakes win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes for sprinters.
The win gives Ginobili a clear goal for the autumn – the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6. Ginobini earned a fees-paid berth to the Dirt Mile with Saturday’s win.
Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Ginobili had an ideal trip in the seven-furlong O’Brien, stalking pacesetter Brickyard Ride to the turn before taking a commanding lead.
Ginobili broke from the rail, but Van Dyke positioned the 4-year-old gelding to the outside of Brickyard Ride on the backstretch.
“That was the game plan,” Van Dyke said. “The horse was there for me.
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“I was able to get outside and do what I wanted to do. It was perfect.”
Ginobili ($12.80) was timed in 1:22.36 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102. Brickyard Ride set fractions of 22.05 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.38 for a half-mile before fading from contention.
C Z Rocket, the winner of the 2020 O’Brien Stakes, closed well from eighth in a field of nine to finish second, a head in front of 3-1 Flagstaff. Trainer Peter Miller said earlier in the week that he was unsure whether he would start C Z Rocket in the $202,000 O’Brien Stakes, expressing concern that the 7-year-old gelding’s closing style would not be successful on the track.
C Z Rocket, ridden by Florent Geroux, was the 2-1 favorite, and was beaten 1 3/4 lengths.
“You can’t make up any ground,” Miller said. “It’s frustrating. The horse ran great. Great ride. You can’t make up any ground in the stretch.”
C Z Rocket had finished well to be third by a neck in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs on July 31. Last fall, C Z Rocket finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
In the O’Brien, Flagstaff, the winner of the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 1, finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of fourth-place finisher Eight Rings. Classier finished fifth, followed by Howbeit, Mo Mosa, Surfing Star, and Brickyard Ride.
Moments before the start, Brickyard Ride got loose from the gate crew and ran about a quarter-mile down the backstretch. Jockey Juan Hernandez stayed aboard. Brickyard Ride was brought back to the gate by a pony rider.
The incident occurred after the front of Brickyard Ride’s stall door was opened to accommodate the loading process, track stewards said. Brickyard Ride powered past an assistant starter and ran down the track briefly.
Ginobili, a 4-year-old gelding by Munnings, races for Slam Dunk Racing, Jerry McClanahan, Michael Nentwig, and trainer Richard Baltas. On July 17 at Del Mar, Ginobili scored an impressive win by 9 3/4 lengths in an allowance race at a mile, a victory that ended a nine-race losing streak. Ginobili has won 3 of 13 starts and earned $279,825.