Miller takes four shots at Del Mar Juvenile Turf
Get Her Number is one of four runners for leading trainer Peter Miller in Monday’s $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile.
There are 13 in the field, and Miller very nearly will have the field surrounded – at least at the start. Get Her Number breaks from post 2, while Herd Immunity starts from post 6, None Above the Law from post 8, and Ebeko from the outside.
Herd Immunity, sixth in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 8, and None Above the Law, fourth in the Graduation Stakes for California-breds on Aug. 2, have stakes experience. Ebeko won a maiden race in Ireland in July.
Bettors will look favorably on Get Her Number, who won his debut in a maiden special weight race at five furlongs on turf Aug. 14. Get Her Number raced near the front and won by a half-length. Runner-up Commander Khai won a maiden race on turf Friday.
“We were definitely impressed with his race,” Miller said of Get Her Number. “We feel like he wants to run long. He’s definitely one of my better chances.”
Aside from a longer distance, the most significant difference is a jockey change. Flavien Prat rode Get Her Number in the maiden race, but rides Caisson in the Juvenile Turf. Abel Cedillo rides Get Her Number, a colt by Dialed In owned by Gary Barber.
Caisson won a maiden special weight race at a mile on turf by the narrowest of noses Aug. 15. For Monday’s race, Caisson will be fitted with a pair of blinkers for the first time.
“He tends to get distracted,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “I put some blinkers on him to get him a little more focused.”
Caisson has started twice. He was fourth in his debut July 25 to Rombauer, who flew through the final furlong to win a maiden special weight race at a mile at 16-1 for trainer Michael McCarthy. Rombauer will have his second start in the Juvenile Turf.
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The race is likely to have 12 starters. Inner Beauty also was entered in Sunday’s Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf and is expected to start in that race, according to co-owner Tim Cohen.
The lone maiden in the field is Ambivalent, who breaks from the rail. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Ambivalent finished third in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs on dirt Aug. 8, but was disqualified and placed fourth for causing interference to the O’Neill-trained Sonic Brees in the stretch.
Sonic Brees won a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos in July and will have his grass debut in the Juvenile Turf.
“With Sonic Brees, the owners and I had been talking the grass with him,” O’Neill said.
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Ambivalent was second by three-quarters of a length in a maiden special weight race at a mile on dirt Aug. 29 and makes a rapid turnaround for the Juvenile Turf. He will be fitted with blinkers.
“We’re hoping he can run a better race,” O’Neill said. “We’re thinking he wants the grass.”