Hovdey: Opening Saturday at Del Mar a mini-Baltas-Con

For all its cheery bluster and summertime sizzle, the racing at Del Mar must take a backseat opening week to the wild things down the road in San Diego at Comic-Con International, an epic cross-breeding of costumed fanatics and studio ghouls feasting on the lucrative world of make-believe.

Were I so inclined, I’d don my Vision outfit hanging in the back of the closet and attend one of the prime Comic-Con panel sessions, hard-pressed to choose from among “Thirty Years of Dark Horse Manga,” “Badass Female Scientists,” and “Let’s Get Real About Fantasy.”

Thankfully, Del Mar will counter on Saturday with a San Diego institution of its own – the 77th running of the San Diego Handicap. From its three-peat by Native Diver in the 1960s, through handsome champs like Bates Motel and Skywalker, on to more recent winners Well Armed, Giacomo, and California Chrome, the 1 1/16-mile main track event has produced some of the most satisfying sport of the season.

Last year’s San Diego filled the seats when superstar Arrogate returned from his memorable Dubai World Cup victory to commence a highly anticipated curtain call. Something went wrong, though, and Arrogate lumbered through a disinterested fourth, while surrendering the stage to Accelerate.

Accelerate finished his 2017 campaign with two disappointments of his own, in the Pacific Classic and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The page turned, and this year the son of Lookin At Lucky has driven the conversation in the West Coast older division, with victories in the Santa Anita Handicap, Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and San Pasqual. Back for another bite at the San Diego, for his sins Accelerate must carry top weight of 125 pounds. Arrogate carried 126.

Accelerate need not run out of his mind like he did winning by 8 1/2 lengths last year, but he’d better be on his toes. Dr. Dorr gave honest chase at 10 furlongs in the Gold Cup and is back in his comfort zone, while Accelerate’s exciting stablemate Catalina Cruiser has been entered in the San Diego after only two starts. Prince of Arabia, Curlin Rules, Dabster, and El Huerfano are all solid citizens waiting for a big break, while Islein Stakes winner Harlan Punch brings a little Eastern spice to the proceedings.

Richard Baltas, who shared his first Del Mar training title last summer with Phil D’Amato, will try to kick-start another good meet in the San Diego with former claimer Two Thirty Five. Before he was taken in January for $25,000 by Baltas and the Slam Dunk Racing partnership, the 4-year-old gelding raced eight times for his two previous trainers and won once. He has now won three of his last four.

“To that point he’d been only sprinting,” Baltas recalled. “I claimed him with the intention of running him long, being a son of Stay Thirsty out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. He had a very decent sheet number a couple races back before I claimed him. So I took the blinkers off, and since then he’s reminded me of a horse from a while back that I claimed and stretched out – Freedom Crest.”

As memories go, that one lingers for Baltas. Freedom Crest emerged from the claiming level to win the 2001 Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita and take his trainer to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Baltas has become known lately for his well-stocked stable of grass-crazy fillies and mares. On Saturday, about a half-hour after Two Thirty Five tries the Grade 2 San Diego, the trainer will saddle three fillies in the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes. Ms Bad Behavior won the China Doll Stakes and was second in the Providencia. Flammetta makes her stakes debut after consecutive allowance wins, and Dulce Ride stretches out to the San Clemente’s mile after winning a maiden race down the hill at Santa Anita.

Baltas, who won the San Clemente the past two years with Madam Dancealot and Mokat, does not mind being typecast, especially since there is a logical explanation for the trend in his success.

“I’ve got owners who buy grass fillies for their residual value,” he said. “They want to turn them around.”

Baltas and D’Amato will get plenty of competition for the summer title from the likes of John Sadler, Bob Baffert, Peter Miller, Doug O'Neill, and Jerry Hollendorfer.

“Obviously, I’ve got a lot of grass horses, and when I have three in a race like the San Clemente only one can win,” Baltas said. “I’ve got some nice 2-year-olds, though, and a few claimers for the people who want action. I don’t know if we can do what we did last year, but we’ll try.”

As for Two Thirty Five, his most recent effort was 4 1/2-length allowance score going the San Diego distance at Santa Anita on June 17, then Baltas and his owners should have some fun. His performance was highly rated, and he did it under 123 pounds. On Saturday, he carries 116, mostly made up of jockey Franklin Ceballos.

“I don’t know if he’s going to bounce off that race or not,” Baltas said. “But he’s has won three out of four going long, so that looks like what he wants to do. I’ve seen horses sometimes when they find out what they really want to do, they can keep improving. The question is always where they level off.”