Om may control pace again in Twilight Derby
ARCADIA, Calif. – Om on the lead proved unbeatable in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 6. Nearly seven weeks later, the same scenario could take place in Saturday’s $200,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita.
The race conditions are nearly identical – 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-olds. Once again, the field lacks pace. Om will be the target for nine rivals in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby.
“I expect him to be on the lead or very close to it if someone goes too fast,” trainer Dan Hendricks said.
Om is the only graded stakes winner in the field, which includes Soul Driver, who won the restricted Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar on July 16 but was fifth in the Del Mar Derby, and Daddy D T, who won the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf at Del Mar in September 2014.
While Om seeks his second consecutive stakes win, the race has been overshadowed by a tragedy in the family of Om’s owner, K.B. Sareen. On Wednesday, Sareen’s son, Marine Major Taj Sareen, was killed when his fighter jet crashed in the English countryside. Taj Sareen was transporting the plane from England to a base in Southern California.
His death was prominent on Hendricks’s mind on Thursday.
“Hopefully, this will give them something else to think about for a few minutes,” Hendricks said of Saturday’s race.
Twilight Derby, Race 7
KEY CONTENDERS
Om (Last 3 Beyers: 97-90-93)
The Del Mar Derby was Om’s first stakes win, preceded by a second and a third in stakes at Santa Anita and Del Mar earlier in the summer. In recent training, Om has performed well, Hendricks said.
“He’s coming into this race as good or better than he was at Del Mar,” Hendricks said. “We’re hoping for the same result so we can point for the Hollywood Derby.”
The $300,000 Hollywood Derby will be run at Del Mar on Nov. 28.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Om. Trainer Dan Hendricks is 22-3-3-5 with a $1.29 ROI over the past five years with last-out winners on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Ground Rules (Last 3 Beyers: 85-88-NA)
Ground Rules will race on turf for the first time in the Twilight Derby, but trainer Clifford Sise expects the colt to handle the surface. Sise said he was encouraged by recent turf workouts from Ground Rules.
“He’s by Smart Strike, and they like the turf,” Sise said. “He looked good finishing the other day. The mile and an eighth helps my horse.”
Ground Rules has won 2 of 5 starts and was second in an optional claimer on dirt here Oct. 8.
Soul Driver (Last 3 Beyers: 79-91-94)
Soul Driver won consecutive stakes on turf this year, taking the minor Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita in June before the Oceanside. In the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, Soul Driver was away slowly and was not a factor, losing by eight lengths.
Royal Albert Hall (Last 3 Beyers: 76-92-84)
Royal Albert Hall was second to Om in the Del Mar Derby but was sixth of 11 in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 3. The Hill Prince was run on soft turf. Firmer conditions on Saturday may suit him.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 9 Second Summer. Trainer Peter Eurton is 19-5-3-0 with a $3.58 ROI over the past five years on turf with last-out maiden winners.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan