Perfect spot for Bring the Heat
DEL MAR, Calif. ? Bring the Heat and trainer Wesley Ward can share a milestone with a win in Monday's $100,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar.
A victory would mark the first stakes win for Bring the Heat and give him an unbeaten record after three starts. Ward is searching for his first stakes win at Del Mar.
The Real Good Deal, restricted to California-breds who have not won two first-place purses of $50,000, is run over seven furlongs and is an ideal spot for Bring the Heat's stakes debut.
By In Excess, Bring the Heat won a six-furlong maiden race by 2 1/2 lengths at Hollywood Park on June 24 and returned to win a six-furlong allowance race for California-breds at Del Mar on July 26.
"He's a very intelligent horse," Ward said. "He showed the other day that he can run."
Bring the Heat may go favored against six others, including Swordfish, who has placed in three stakes; and Speedy Pick, a flashy maiden winner at Hollywood Park.
Swordfish was second in the restricted Sham Stakes last February and finished sixth in the Grade 2 San Rafael Stakes last March before being sidelined. He returned to finish fifth behind Bring the Heat on July 26. Trained by Craig Lewis, he is likely to stalk the pace set by Bring the Heat or Affairintheforest.
Bring the Heat led throughout in his maiden race, but was second in the first half-mile of his July 26 win.
"I think it's a good asset that he's got tactical speed," Ward said. "I think he could come from fourth or fifth if you'd like him to do that."
Speedy Pick is dropping back in distance following a third in a one-mile allowance race for California-breds on July 25. He also has tactical speed and figures to be closer to the lead than Stoney, a contender who returned from a six-month break to finish a respectable third in an allowance race at Hollywood Park on July 13.
Both will be chasing Bring the Heat, who will be ridden by Mike Smith.
"I think the horse is going to run his best race this time," Ward said. "I brought him to Santa Anita after his last race and he worked in
58.80 seconds last Tuesday. He did it very easily. I don't think there will be a distance limitation to the horse. He's a picture-perfect horse with a great mind."