Luminance, Tara's Tango will clash in Debutante
DEL MAR, Calif. – The 2-year-old fillies Luminance and Tara’s Tango avoided one another Sunday, when they ended up in divisions of maiden races for their debuts, but they are on a collision course now for the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on Aug. 30 following their impressive victories.
Luminance (57.39 seconds) ran her five furlongs a tick faster than Tara’s Tango (57.40 seconds), which left Luminance with the track record at day’s end; Tara’s Tango, who ran earlier in the day, held it for about two hours.
“I’m glad they split the race and they ended up in different races,” said Bob Baffert, who trains Luminance.
Both fillies were favored in their races. Luminance, sent off at 1-2, prevailed by 2 1/2 lengths. She broke slowly but made a bold, assertive move on the turn and went right on with it under jockey Martin Garcia.
“When he asked her, it was all over,” Baffert said.
Luminance, owned by Kaleem Shah, is a daughter of Tale of the Cat who cost $320,000 as a yearling.
Tara’s Tango was sent off at 6-5 and won by 3 1/2 lengths under Mike Smith. She is one of two 2-year-olds whom trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has for Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables, which bred Tara’s Tango, a daughter of Unbridled’s Song.
Casse off to good start
Mark Casse-trained runners finished second in both of those maiden races for 2-year-old fillies on Sunday. Casse also finished second in a 2-year-old maiden race for colts on Saturday. And he ran second and third in the San Clemente Handicap for 3-year-old fillies on turf Saturday. So, it was a good news, bad news week for Casse, a newcomer to Del Mar. His horses ran well, but he failed to find the winner’s circle.
“Of course I’d love to win, but the only time I’m frustrated is if they don’t run well,” said Casse, who is here for the summer with 40 runners. “I knew coming out here they weren’t going to give us anything, and I was right, unfortunately. But we wanted to bring horses that we thought belonged, and so far, it looks like they do.”
Conquest Archangel, making her second start, was the runner-up behind Luminance, while first-time starter Diva Express was second to Tara’s Tango. Casse’s colt Kantune was second to the Baffert-trained Lord Nelson when both made their debuts Saturday.
After that race, Baffert said to Casse, “This is my house.”
“I know, I just wanted you to know I was here,” Casse replied.
“I’ve known Bob a long time. I sold him Chilukki, Isitingood. I have a great amount of respect for Bob, and for Jerry,” Casse said, referring to Hollendorfer. “At least they know we’re here.”
Casse’s fillies Tepins and My Conquestadory were second and third behind Istanford in the San Clemente. Both will be pointed toward the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 16.
“My Conquestadory ran better than it looked,” Casse said. “She had been at Woodbine, then went to New York for the Belmont Oaks, but I scratched her because she had hurt her hip over the winter, and I didn’t want to run her on soft turf. Then she had to go back to Woodbine, then to Louisville, then flew out here, and she ends up in the 12 hole. I think you’ll see a lot better horse in the Oaks.”
In addition to the 40 runners he has here, Casse has another 45 at Woodbine and about a dozen at Churchill Downs.
“It’s expensive to come out here, so I’m fortunate to work for people who support us and do what we want to do,” he said. “When people put that much trust in you, that’s pressure. You don’t want to let them down.”
Tarn well meant in U.S. debut
Tarn, who makes her first start in this country in a five-furlong grass race in race 6 on Friday, is ready to fire despite a layoff of more than a year, according to trainer Richard Mandella.
“She’s trained fabulous. I expect she’ll run pretty good first time,” Mandella said.
Tarn won her debut in June 2013 at The Curragh, defeating males. After one more start in Ireland, she came to the United States last fall.
“She kept getting sick, and she was immature, so we let her grow up,” Mandella said.
◗ The win by Plaza de Indias in the 10th on Sunday, the second of the day for trainer Peter Miller, gave Miller the 500th victory of his career.