Hit the Road takes step toward derby in Oceanside

The vibe is muted most everywhere this summer, including Del Mar, which begins 2020 with no ontrack spectators and a pared-down schedule of racing just three days a week, Friday through Sunday, plus closing day.

Yet many Del Mar customs endure – a seaside setting that looks charming even on television and computer screens, colorful jockey statues in the paddock, and a traditional opening-day stakes to set the table for an eight-week season though Monday, Sept. 7.

Turf races account for more than 40 percent of the Del Mar program; 17 of 38 summer stakes are on turf, including a three-race series for 3-year-olds that begins with the $100,000 Runhappy Oceanside Stakes, the ninth race Friday.

The one-mile distance of the Oceanside is unchanged, and it still leads to a pair of graded turf stakes for 3-year-olds. But this year, the Oceanside might be more significant than usual, at least for favorite Hit the Road.

Pending the Oceanside, Hit the Road could continue to campaign on turf. Or, he could take a shot on dirt next month to determine which Derby to aim for – the Kentucky Derby on dirt Sept. 5, or the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on turf Sept. 6.

Chances are Hit the Road, by More than Ready, is a turf horse. But his stakes-winning juvenile campaign, an impressive comeback against older allowance rivals, and his main-track works since then give trainer Dan Blacker reasons to consider all options.

“His female side is all European grass; most likely he’s grass,” Blacker acknowledged. “But he’s training really well on the main track, and I’d like to put my mind at rest. If I’m going to give him one shot on the dirt, it’s probably going to be the Shared Belief.”

First things first. The immediate focus is the Oceanside. Hit the Road, 7-2 favorite by new Del Mar linemaker John Lies, drew post 7 in the 12-horse field. El Tigre Terrible, stretching out after a brutal trip finishing second in a sprint stakes, is 4-1.

The field includes Alcatraz Stakes winner Kandarel and runner-up Ajourneytofreedom; and stakes-placed Margot’s Boy, Heywood Beach, and K P All Systems Go.

Hit the Road came around early last summer. He won a maiden turf mile at Del Mar and a $100,000 turf stakes in autumn at Santa Anita before finishing seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and fourth in the Grade 3 Cecille B. DeMille at Del Mar. That was it for the season. Would he be as good at age 3?

“When you have a horse that does so well as a 2-year-old and is very precocious, it’s always a concern whether they’re going to be as good or better as an older horse,” Blacker said. “I’m thankful he came back and seems even better.”

Hit the Road returned May 22 in a second-level allowance against older at Santa Anita. Tough spot for a 3-year-old returning from a five-month layoff, but no problem for Hit the Road. He ran faster each successive quarter, finished in 23.32 seconds, and won going away.

Umberto Rispoli rides Hit the Road; Blacker deferred further speculation regarding his summer campaign until after the Oceanside. The $100,000 Shared Belief, expected to include Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P., is Aug. 1 at 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

The chief Oceanside rival for Hit the Road has never raced two turns. El Tigre Terrible’s form is similar to Hit the Road – a 3-for-6 stakes winner who ran well in his comeback.

Peter Miller trains El Tigre Terrible, who was sidelined after winning a $100,000 turf sprint stakes in October.

“He’d run hard as a 2-year-old. We thought he deserved a break,” Miller said. “So, we let him mature, and it seems to have done him a world of good.”

El Tigre Terrible returned June 6 in a turf-sprint stakes and was blocked from the five-sixteenths to deep stretch. He finished fast once clear and was undoubtedly best while finishing a half-length behind stablemate She’s So Special.

Flavien Prat takes over Friday on El Tigre Terrible; Miller is relatively confident he can stay a mile.

“The way he rates and finishes, what he’s showing me is that he’ll be able to do it,” he said.

Miller also starts the sprinter Silardi.

“He’s got a lot of speed, so he’s going to be tough to catch,” Miller said. “My gut tells me he may be more of a sprinter and El Tigre Terrible will get the distance. But that’s just a gut feeling.”

Silardi will have company on the front end with stretch-out sprinters Rookie Mistake and Howbeit also entered. The next race in the 3-year-old turf series is the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap on Aug. 9.