Itsinthepost to get a break

Itsinthepost, the dominant older male on turf in California in the last 18 months, is on the verge of a vacation after two disappointing performances at Del Mar this summer.

Trainer Jeff Mullins said that Itsinthepost will be sent to a local farm on Saturday for a brief rest. Itsinthepost is expected to resume racing in 2019.

“We’ll see how he likes being at the farm,” Mullins said. “Sometimes, they like being at the racetrack.”

Owned by Red Baron’s Barn, Itsinthepost won seven Grade 2 stakes from March 2017 to May of this year, but was ninth in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 22 and seventh in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 18. Last November, Itsinthepost was seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar.

The 6-year-old gelding has won seven Grade 2 stakes, six at Santa Anita and one at Keeneland – the Elkhorn in 2017.