Mid-week allowance filled with stakes-class runners

DEL MAR, Calif. – Weekday allowance races do not typically diminish a weekend graded stakes, but that is somewhat the case in the featured seventh race Thursday at Del Mar.

Seven who are entered in the turf allowance nominated to the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile, a $300,000 race Saturday on the Pacific Classic undercard. The Mile field is likely to include Du Jour, Bran, and First Peace, all good horses. So are the stakes winners in the $81,000 allowance Thursday.

Front-runner Air Force Red, last-out runner-up Sumter, second-start-back Watsonville, and comebacker Mi Hermano Ramon are among seven stakes winners in the nine-horse field. The others are Cabo Spirit, War At Sea, and Packs a Wahlop.

The horse to catch is Air Force Red, whose last-out blinkers-on experiment did not go to plan.

“He got too keen and the pace didn’t help,” trainer Leonard Powell said. “I thought putting blinkers on him he would be a bit more comfortable, a bit more focused. It kind of backfired.”

Air Force Red dueled three wide through the fastest turf-mile fractions of the meet – 45.09 seconds and 1:09.59. He cracked and finished eighth. Blinkers are off Thursday, and jockey Juan Hernandez is on. Most important, the pace scenario is moderate.

“He’s got enough natural speed to get the lead going a mile and a sixteenth,” Powell said. “I think anybody would be foolish to go with us early.”

Cabo Spirit dueled with Air Force Red last time, but that is not Cabo Spirit’s typical style. If he takes back, Air Force Red could be loose.

Sumter may vie for favoritism off his recent runner-up finish behind Del Mar Mile contender Bran.

“I thought that was one of his better races,” said Sumter’s trainer, Richard Mandella.

Kazushi Kimura rides Sumter, whose most recent win was 16 starts ago in April 2022. He has run well since against good company, but drew the outside post Thursday.

Mark Glatt trains Grade 2 winner Watsonville and stakes winner Mi Hermano Ramon, who is returning from a 14-month layoff. Watsonville has the edge on current form; he was fifth last month in his first start since winning the Grade 2 Mathis Mile in December at Santa Anita.

“I don’t know if he needed [the comeback] physically as much as he needed it mentally,” Glatt said. “He’d had a pretty good campaign. We decided that going into his 4-year-old year, if he was going to maintain at the same level, we would need to give him a little break.”

Watsonville makes his second start back Thursday, with jockey Antonio Fresu aboard. Glatt expects an improved effort. But the second Glatt starter also is “live” in his first start since June 2023.

“He’s training lights-out,” Glatt said, adding that Mi Hermano Ramon’s debut victory as a 2-year-old at Del Mar alleviates concerns about firing fresh.

“I don’t think the layoff is going [compromise] him. I think it’ll simply be if he is good enough or not,” he said.

Umberto Rispoli rides Mi Hermano Ramon.