M One Rifle headed to Cal Cup

DEL MAR, Calif. - M One Rifle won his stakes debut in Friday's $100,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for statebred sprinters, the sort of races that are firmly in trainer Bruce Headley's plans for the gelding this fall.

Saturday, Headley said that M One Rifle is a candidate for the $100,000 California Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Oct. 3.

"Once I get him in a sprinting mode, I'm not one to experiment," Headley said.

Friday, M One Rifle used his speed on a track that favored such horses to win the Real Good Deal.

Ridden by Mike Smith, M One Rifle ($5.40) led from the start, set fractions of 22.72 and 45.64 seconds and was never bothered, winning by 3 1/2 lengths over Korban. J P Jammer was third in the field of nine 3-year-old California-breds.

M One Rifle was timed in 1:22.32. Smith knew that M One Rifle's speed would be an asset on Friday, a day in which front-runners dominated main-track races.

"Being inside of the other speed, there was no other choice," Smith said. "When I caught a flyer at the start, it was best to put him on the engine. He did it so easy and gets under himself pretty fast."

Owned by a partnership that includes Headley, M One Rifle has won 2 of 3 starts and $110,100. "He's a nice California-bred, that's for sure," Headley said. "He's a pretty fast horse."

Well Monied likely Oaks favorite

Well Monied, the runner-up in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Hollywood Park last month, will be favored to win her first Grade 1 in the $350,000 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday.

Trained by Howard Zucker for C.T. Grether, Well Monied has won 3 of 6 starts and $293,060. She won her stakes debut in the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap at Hollywood Park on May 31.

The Del Mar Oaks, the richest race at Del Mar in the coming week, is expected to include the first three finishers of the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap - Starlarks, Strawberry Tart, and Hameildaeme. The Oaks is run over 1 1/8 miles on turf. Other probable starters include Dreamalong, Hermione's Magic, Lexlenos, and Nan. The European import Ciel Rouge is a possibility.

Ciel Rouge, scheduled to arrive from Europe on Tuesday, is also nominated to the $85,000 Sandy Blue Handicap over a mile on turf for 3-year-old fillies on Friday.

In-foal mare wins claiming race

Chelcee's Hope, who was bred to Old Topper earlier this year and is believed to be in foal, won a $40,000 claimer on Friday in what is likely to be her second-to-last start.

Trainer Mike Mitchell said he is comfortable giving Chelcee's Hope one more race before the Del Mar meeting ends on Sept. 9 and then sending her to owner Nick Alexander's California farm.

Chelcee's Hope was bred while turned out following a poor performance at Golden Gate Fields last fall. A winner of 4 of 30 starts and $231,123, Chelcee's Hope, 7, has 1 win in 4 starts this year.

Chelcee's Hope ($15) won by 1 3/4 lengths, running a mile on turf in 1:34.60.