Hammersly: How I'd play Del Mar on Wednesday, Sept. 3
Closing day, a last chance to take a swing. Well, at least until the fall, when you get a crack at the new fall meet here.
But first things first. The difficult aspect to the early portion of the card is that the favorites look solid. Race 1 has THREE BLONDES and SUSAN B GOOD, who have been swapping decisions and look best. SEEKING THE SHERIF looms a heavy favorite in Race 2, dropping out of a Grade 1; ditto for RENEESGOTZIP in Race 4, as she drops out of a strong Grade 3.
FIGHTER SQUADRON (Race 3) could be useful. He won’t be a longshot, as he was a sharp second while routing here July 19 for $20,000. He was claimed that day by Bob Hess Jr. and came back to be a respectable fourth against tougher. He’s back in for a tag, and Kent Desormeaux rides. Desormeaux has ridden 13 of Hess’s 14 winners at this meet.
ZIP CAT (Race 5) hasn’t run since Nov. 8, when he was a sharp second at Hollywood Park. However, trainer Peter Miller is superb off the bench and has been going strong of late to get right into the battle for the training title. And Zip Cat looks like the controlling speed. Again, the favorites all look solid.
Some options later may bring a better payoff. DALLAS SKYLINE and SKY PREACHER are the ones to beat in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf, but HIGHWAY BOSS is interesting. A stakes winner on dirt at Pleasanton, he was not disgraced when fourth in the Grade 2 Best Pal here Aug. 3. This is his first try on grass and his first route, but so far, the Street Bosses have been wonderful when moved to turf. The price will be there to use him on top and underneath the two favorites.
SKYWAY may be the one to beat in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity, but Bob Baffert’s Holiday Camp merits major consideration. He cost $700,000 at auction and came out firing to easily win his debut at Santa Anita on June 7. That earned him even-money favoritism in the Santa Anita Juvenile on June 22, but he was between horses and backed out of it, finishing last of six.
He’s been given time to regroup, has been working splendidly, and it’s most encouraging that Baffert picked a spot like this (he knew whom he’d be up against) for the colt’s first start since.
Finally, VANLOSE STAIRWAY could be key in the finale. The daughter of top-class turfer Leroidesanimaux was a fine second in a race like this at Santa Anita on May 24, and the gal she chased (Magic Spot) came right back to win. She was freshened and returned here July 27, but that race was taken off the turf, and she failed to flourish, finishing sixth. She’s back to sod today, and that may be key.
Her odds may float up with the presence of TASTE LIKE CANDY (Grade 1-placed, tries grass for the first time, for which she’s bred) and DISREGARDED (fourth in the Grade 3 Senorita on turf at Santa Anita, second to the promising Alexis Tangier in a race like this here Aug. 20). Both can be used with VANLOSE STAIRWAY as well as outsider GABBY’S PURIM (a smashing winner over restricted claimers on the Arlington turf, claimed by Bob Hess Jr., bullet work Aug. 25).