Instagrand skipping Futurity, rerouted to American Pharoah

DEL MAR, Calif. – Instagrand, the unbeaten leading 2-year-old in California, will not start in Monday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity and will be pointed for the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 29, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said on Friday.

Instagrand, owned by Larry Best, would have been favored in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity.

“Larry Best did not want to run,” Hollendorfer said.

Hollendorfer said the decision to skip the Del Mar Futurity with Instagrand was made on Friday morning.

“The horse is in good condition,” Hollendorfer said.

The Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs and the $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles are key preps for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. The American Pharoah Stakes was previously known as the FrontRunner Stakes.

The Best-Hollendorfer team will start Rowayton in the Del Mar Futurity. Rowayton was the sharp winner of a maiden special weight race at five furlongs on July 21 in his career debut. Drayden Van Dyke will ride.

Van Dyke, the leading rider at the summer meeting through Thursday, rode Instagrand to a maiden-race win by 10 lengths at Los Alamitos on June 29 and to an easy win by 10 1/4 lengths at 1-10 in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs here on Aug. 11.

Instagrand, by Into Mischief, was purchased for $1.2 million at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale in Florida in March.

The Del Mar Futurity has a projected field of seven, with no stakes winners. Others expected to run are Game Winner, Sigalert, Sparky Ville, Spin Lightning, Roadster, and Savagery. Sparky Ville was second in the Best Pal Stakes.