Irish Surf targets Pacific Classic
DEL MAR, Calif. – Irish Surf is a candidate for the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 24 after winning the first stakes of his career in Friday’s $100,750 Cougar II Handicap in track-record time.
Irish Surf ($17.60) took charge of the Grade 3 race over 1 1/2 miles after a half-mile, led by eight lengths on the backstretch, and won by 8 1/4 lengths over even-money favorite Sky Kingdom. Irish Surf was timed in 2:29.01, lowering the previous mark of 2:29.22 set by Richard’s Kid in the 2012 Cougar II Handicap.
The Pacific Classic, the richest race of the meeting, will be the first Grade 1 appearance for Irish Surf since a ninth-place finish in the Hollywood Derby on turf last December.
Trainer Dan Hendricks said Saturday that Irish Surf is better suited to Del Mar’s Polytrack surface than turf.
“What else do you do?” he said. “His style isn’t as good on the turf because he doesn’t have a quick move. We’ll look at the Pacific Classic.”
Irish Surf ended an eight-race losing streak in the Cougar II dating back to an optional claimer on turf here in July 2013. A 4-year-old colt by Giant’s Causeway, Irish Surf ran in five turf stakes in the last year, with his best finishes fourth-place results in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup last December and the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita on May 24.
“He was a big, immature 2-year-old,” Hendricks said. “He didn’t mature until this year.”
Irish Surf has won 3 of 18 starts and earned $213,660. He races for Gainesway Stable and Erik and Pavla Nygaard’s Thor-Bred Stables.
Sky Kingdom is a candidate for the Pacific Classic, though trainer Bob Baffert stopped short of committing the 5-year-old horse to that race.
Friday’s race was not without incident. Longview Drive, the winner of the Oak Tree Handicap at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton on June 21, suffered sesamoid injuries a half-mile into the race and was euthanized, according to track officials.
Longview Drive was the second horse euthanized as a result of injuries sustained during Friday’s program. In the sixth race, the 4-year-old filly Yes She’s Unusual broke down in a turf sprint.
Jockey Brice Blanc, who rode Yes She’s Unusual, was hospitalized Friday evening but released a few hours later, according to his agent, Susan McBrayer. Blanc took off his lone mount Saturday, she said.
Three other horses were affected by the injury to Yes She’s Unusual. Jockeys Drayden Van Dyke and Tyler Baze were unseated from Antiquity and Bosserette, while Tarn was pulled up by jockey Victor Espinoza.
The other runners and riders were not injured.
◗ The Hendricks-trained Story to Tell will run in the $200,000 Best Pal Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs Aug. 3. Owned by Cecil Peacock, Story to Tell won the W.L. Proctor Memorial Stakes over six furlongs at Los Alamitos on July 13, beating Bad Read Sanchez, another candidate for the Grade 2 Best Pal. Other possible starters in the race for 2-year-olds include Conquest Big Luck E, Holiday Camp, Peacenluvpeacenluv, and Two Six Wins.