Maiden races could produce starters in turf stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. - There were 19 2-year-olds entered in a one-mile maiden race on grass on Wednesday, so the race was split into divisions, which could propel at least two runners toward the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf on Sept. 3.

In race 3, trainer Doug O’Neill sends out first-time starter Gentrified, a son of Malibu Moon, as well as Farley, a Distorted Humor colt who finished last of eight at 5-2 odds sprinting on dirt in his debut on July 24.

“We thought he’d run a lot better first time out,” O’Neill said of Farley, who will take blinkers off for this race.
“We’ll try to settle and make one run."

Gentrified is starting out going long because he “needs two turns,” O’Neill said.

“He doesn’t have a lot of gate speed,” O'Neill said.

O’Neill also sends out The All Button in race 6, and had Muscavato land on the also-eligible list, as only nine can run.

The All Button is moving to turf after two dirt sprints because “when he was pelted by the kickback he wanted no part of it,” O’Neill said.

“We’ll try the grass because he’s way too good to have run like that,” He said.

An intriguing import in race 6 is Billy Big, who made three starts in Ireland, all on turf, before being bought privately and sent to trainer Phil D’Amato.

“I’ve only had him a couple of weeks,” D’Amato said. “He’s had two kind of easy, steady breezes. We haven’t asked him a lot. He has a surface edge over the rest. The last race he comes out of was a productive field.”

* With trainer Steve Miyadi serving a 30-day suspension, his horses beginning with Wednesday’s card will run in the name of Mark Rheinford, his assistant.