John Martin planning for Del Mar string

John Martin, a leading trainer in Northern California, will have about a dozen horses at Del Mar this summer, his largest stable there.

Martin, who won training titles at two meetings at Golden Gate Fields last year, said Sunday that he was finalizing the runners who will be sent to Del Mar and expects to send 12 to 14 horses total. The summer season begins July 18 at Del Mar.

“It’s a meeting I need to be at, and I need to make it work,” Martin said. “I have some nice horses, but I need to place them strategically.”

Martin, 59, has had runners at Del Mar each summer annually since 2013 and at least one winner in the last three years. In 2017, he had one win from six runners.

Martin said the roster of horses he will have at the start of the meeting could be significantly different than the composition of his stable on closing day, Sept. 3.

“I need to claim some when I get there,” he said. “There are some big shakes and a person needs to get lucky to replace the ones we’ll lose.

“It’s a slow process of growing. I’m based in Northern California. It gives me a chance to have better horses overall and to have my presence there.”

Martin said Mended, second in the Iowa Distaff on July 5 at Prairie Meadows, will be part of the stable. She is a candidate for the $75,000 Tranquility Lake Stakes for fillies and mares Aug. 24. Last July at Del Mar, Mended won an allowance race with a $62,500 claiming option that was her seventh victory in a 10-race winning streak.

Earlier this year, Mended was second in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita.