Milestone day for trio of trainers at Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. – There were milestones for trainers Andrew Lerner, Mark Tsalagalakis, and Reed Saldana during Thursday’s program at Del Mar.

They all won for the first time at the track.

For Lerner, Be a Lady’s win in the first race was his first career win six months after he began training. Tsagalakis, who has a very small number of horses in training, won the third race with Arch of Troy. He first began training in the 1980s.

Saldana won an optional claimer in the seventh race with Cuddle Alert on the one-year anniversary of the day she was claimed for $10,000. This year alone, Cuddle Alert has won 3 of 8 starts and earned $178,773.

Lerner, 28, has six horses in training but no longer has Be a Lady, who was claimed for $12,500. Lerner has a background in commercial real estate and web design and is the co-owner of a staffing and recruiting company based in Santa Monica.

Lerner, who previously owned horses in partnership, worked for trainer Mike Pender for more than a year before he began training. Lerner said Friday he hopes to build his stable to 15 to 20 runners by the end of 2018.

Be a Lady’s win did not surprise him, but her winning price of $29.40 was higher than he expected.

“I didn’t think she was a 13-1 shot,” he said. “That’s okay. I’ve got to earn respect.”

Tsagalakis, 54, had his first winner of the year with Arch of Troy, his fourth starter. Tsalagakis splits his time between California and Lexington, Ky, where his family has a full-service farm acquired a few years ago.

Tsagalakis’s tiny stable has never had more than 22 runners a year since the early 1990s, which reduces his chances for a win at a tough meeting such as Del Mar’s.

“After all these years, I never could win one,” Tsagalakis said Friday. “It’s been a long time in the making. It was a cool day.”

Saldana, 36, rode in Arizona, California, and New York until 2009.

“I was too heavy and I wasn’t very good,” he said.

In partnership with Leopoldo Urbina, Saldana claimed Cuddle Alert last year. The mare was trained by Reed’s wife, Melissa, until earlier this year. Reed Saldana had his first win at Santa Anita in June.

He claimed two horses Thursday at Del Mar to bring his stable to eight runners.

Cuddle Alert won the Spring Fever Handicap at Santa Anita in February and will be considered for stakes at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita in coming months, Reed Saldana said.