No More Ding Dongs tactical enough to deal with rail draw
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He may have a silly name, but No More Ding Dongs has a serious chance to win an allowance race for California-breds at 5 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos on Friday in his first start since September.
No More Ding Dongs drew the inside post of 11 in the day’s eighth race, the first of two divisions of an allowance race for statebreds.
Trained by Sean McCarthy, No More Ding Dongs is quick enough to be part of the pace, but can be effective as a stalker. If runners such as Its a Cinch, Jaguar Jon, and Regal Patriot show speed as expected, No More Ding Dongs could have a favorable trip.
Regardless, McCarthy wants No More Ding Dongs in a forward position.
“Being on the inside, we’ll have to be aggressive getting out of there,” McCarthy said. “He’s won laying third. The key is to break well and get into the race. If that’s being on the lead, or second or third that’s fine.”
No More Ding Dongs, who is by Idiot Proof and out of the mare No More Twinkies, won a maiden race for statebreds at six furlongs at Del Mar last August. Owned by the partnership of Victory Rose Thoroughbreds, Three Kings Racing, and Teresa Fasolino, No More Ding Dongs finished fifth in an allowance race for statebreds there last September, emerging from the race with a splint bone injury, McCarthy said.
Regal Patriot, trained by Steve Knapp, is an intriguing runner who has won 7 of 14 starts since his career began in January 2024. Regal Patriot was claimed for $25,000 at Santa Anita on May 2, the day he won a six-furlong turf race. Regal Patriot won first start for Knapp in a starter allowance at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on May 18.
Of his seven wins, Regal Patriot has won twice on synthetic tracks, twice on turf, and three times on dirt.
Friday’s ninth race is the second division of the allowance for California-breds at 5 1/2 furlongs, and will be the first start as a gelding for the 3-year-old Run for Kidder.
Trained by Adam Kitchingman, Run for Kidder won for the third time in his eight-race career in an allowance race at six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on April 20.
Kitchingman said Run for Kidder was gelded because of a tendency “to walk the stall.”
“He seems to have settled down a little more,” Kitchingman said.
Run for Kidder has finished second and third in two starts on dirt. Kitchingman said trying the surface at Los Alamitos should be within Run for Kidder’s reach.
“That dirt is about as close to grass as you’re going to get,” he said. “It’s tighter. You see it in the morning works; they run faster.”
Run for Kidder is effective as a stalker, an important point with runners such as Pokerknightatvees and Garry John capable of leading. Such a scenario may also help Binging, who has won twice from off the pace.
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