McCarthy maidens figure to be factors
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DEL MAR, Calif. – Two-year-olds are featured Thursday at Del Mar in a pair of maiden special weight races that include first-time starters trained by Michael McCarthy. Both are morning-line favorites.
The filly Sudden Impact debuts at a mile on dirt in race 2, while the colt Repo Man sprints five furlongs on turf in race 3. Although the colt is primed for a winning debut in the turf sprint, the filly faces a challenge first time out in a dirt route.
Sudden Impact “has been ready to run for a while, entered multiple times, the race never filled,” McCarthy said. “I hate to just keep training and training. At some point, you have to run. I would have rather sprinted her one time, but this is the hand we’re dealt here.”
Umberto Rispoli rides.
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Sudden Impact, sired by Not This Time and sibling to multiple Grade 2 winner Forbidden Kingdom, faces four rivals. Those include Lunar Velocity, whose fourth-place sprint debut and gallop-out makes trainer Peter Miller optimistic that the Essential Quality filly will relish two turns.
“I thought it was a better-than-looked race,” Miller said. “She missed the break, finished up nice, galloped out good. I think she’ll like the distance, and I think she has a lot more speed than she showed. She’s supposed to run long, and she gives every indication [she will].”
Lunar Velocity will be ridden by Ricky Gonzalez. Others in race 2 include Danielle, Luxor Magic, and Ms Liu.
Race 3, the turf sprint for maiden 2-year-olds, came up deep. Thirteen are entered and nine can start. All six first-time starters are in the body of the field, including McCarthy-trained Repo Man.
“Acts like he’s got some speed,” McCarthy said. “Being by Golden Pal, five-eighths on the turf [suits him]. This is what he wants to do.”
Two-year-olds by Golden Pal have won 9 of 44 first time out, according to Formulator, a 20 percent win rate that is nearly double the average. Rispoli rides Repo Man, who outworked stablemate King Anunoby one week ago on dirt. Repo Man, if he runs on turf as well as he trains on dirt, could be long gone.
Bob Baffert entered a pair of first-time starters. Hoaxer and San Mortiz worked in company Aug. 16 and received the same 59.80-second time for the five-furlong dirt drill. San Moritz, outside his mate in the workout, appeared to go best.
Hoaxer is a Charlatan colt whose rider is Juan Hernandez, while San Mortiz is a Not This Time colt has Drayden Van Dyke aboard. Others in the race 3 field include Sir Rockatan, a well-regarded Early Voting colt trained by Jeff Mullins, and Movingwithpurpose, a Twirling Candy colt trained by Richard Baltas.
Nominations close Thursday for the closing-week stakes, including six stakes for 2-year-olds. The highlights are seven-furlong Grade 1s – the Del Mar Debutante for fillies on Sept. 5 and the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 6.
Nominations to the Debutante and Futurity will be headed by Baffert trainees. His candidates for the Debutante include Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes winner Holmby and debut winner Miss Monica, who earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort. Futurity candidates trained by Baffert include Grade 3 Best Pal winner Hughes and debut winner Domus.
Others under consideration for the Futurity include Inshallah, the John Sadler-trained Flightline colt who earned a 90 Beyer winning his debut. Sadler said Inshallah will be nominated to the Futurity, but a decision is pending whether or not he starts.
The horse Inshallah defeated, runner-up Icanthelpmyself, also is under consideration for the Futurity. Icanthelpmyself is by Mo Town.
McCarthy’s 2-year-old roster also includes winners. CTBA Stakes winner Free Closer will be nominated to both the Debutante and Generous Portion Stakes for Cal-bred fillies on Sept. 4. Plans are fluid for the McCarthy-trained filly Ogle, an impressive turf-route debut winner.
The options for Ogle, an Oscar Performance sibling to Grade 1 winner Stark Contrast, include the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 6. She is already nominated to the $750,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 7.
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