Pharoah's sister will have crowd's attention
DEL MAR, Calif. – American Cleopatra begins her career on Sunday with a built-in fan base. The 2-year-old filly is a full sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year American Pharoah. American Cleopatra will be the center of attention in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs.
“It will be the first time I’ve saddled a Triple Crown winner’s sister,” trainer Bob Baffert said Friday.
American Cleopatra (Pioneerof the Nile-Littleprincessemma, by Yankee Gentleman) is owned by breeder Ahmed Zayat and his family, who owned American Pharoah. American Cleopatra arrived at Baffert’s stable in the spring and has trained forwardly for her debut.
Stewart Elliott has the mount. Elliott worked American Cleopatra at Santa Anita earlier this summer and was aboard a stablemate of the filly’s during an in-company work at Del Mar.
“She seems like she’s been doing really well,” Elliott said. “She’s got a good mind. She’s kind of laid-back. For a first-timer, you don’t know what to expect.”
Baffert, who trained American Pharoah, said American Cleopatra will be better with the start. The filly had three consecutive gate works earlier this month at Santa Anita and at Del Mar, and a three-furlong breeze in 35.60 seconds at Del Mar on Tuesday.
“We haven’t set her down,” Baffert said. “I think five and a half furlongs is a little short. I want a nice, positive race out of her. I think the race will wake her up.”
Baffert has two runners in the field of eight. He starts Jeweled, a filly by Sidney’s Candy who will start from the outside post. Last Monday, Jeweled worked five furlongs from the gate in 58.80 seconds, the fastest of 52 works at the distance.
“She’s quick,” Baffert said.
The maiden race has five first-time starters, including Union Strike, who was purchased for $375,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s sale of 2-year-olds in training in Florida in April. Union Strike is owned by Mick and Wende Ruis and is trained by their daughter Shelbe.
Mick Ruis said Union Strike has been the most forward of the approximately 15 2-year-olds he has at Del Mar this summer. On July 24, the Ruis-owned Midnight Pleasure won a maiden race for 2-year-olds. Union Strike outworked Midnight Pleasure earlier this summer, Mick Ruis said.
“She left him standing still,” Ruis said. “We think she’s super precious.”
Setback for Melatonin
Melatonin, the winner of the Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita earlier this year, came down with a temperature earlier this week that prevented a scheduled workout at Del Mar on Friday, trainer David Hofmans said.
Hofmans said the setback is not severe and may not prevent Melatonin from starting in the $1 million Pacific Classic, the top race of the Del Mar summer meeting.
“We’ve got time, if I can get three works in him,” Hofmans said Friday. “I was going to breeze him this morning. He had a high temperature.”
Although he has not worked since winning the Gold Cup on June 25, Melatonin does not typically require many works to prepare for a race. He has been training regularly. The Friday workout would have been his first breeze in preparation for the Pacific Classic.
Owned by Susan Osborne, Melatonin, a 5-year-old gelding, has won 5 of 13 starts and has earned $1,218,552.
The Pacific Classic field is expected to be led by California Chrome, who won the San Diego Handicap on July 22 in his first start since winning the $10 million Dubai World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in March. California Chrome will have his first workout for the Pacific Classic sometime in the next week, trainer Art Sherman said Friday.
The workout was tentatively scheduled for Monday at Los Alamitos, but Sherman has postponed the exercise until later in the week. He said California Chrome may have three works before the Pacific Classic.
“He’s been galloping strongly about two miles a day,” Sherman said.
Accelerate breaks through
After losses in three maiden races for sprinters earlier this year, Accelerate showed Thursday that he likes two turns.
The 3-year-old Accelerate won at a mile by 8 3/4 lengths in 1:34.63, leading trainer John Sadler to consider a stakes for the colt next month.
In Thursday’s race, Accelerate stalked the pace before taking the lead on the turn and quickly drawing clear under jockey Tyler Baze. Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis, Accelerate was second, fourth, and third in three sprints from mid-April to mid-June.
“He was very impressive,” trainer John Sadler said of Thursday’s race. “We probably sprinted him one more time than we needed to. Being by Lookin at Lucky, we always thought he’d like two turns.”
Sadler said Accelerate will be considered for the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on Aug. 26.
Trojan Nation returns
Trojan Nation, second in the Wood Memorial at 81-1 in April, but soundly beaten in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, starts on turf for the first time in Sunday’s first race.
The maiden race at 1 1/8 miles will be Trojan’s Nation’s ninth start, and a bit of an experiment because of the surface, trainer Paddy Gallagher said.
“It will be trial and error to see if it works,” Gallagher said.
Owned by Aaron Sones and Julie Gilbert, Trojan Nation was 16th in the Kentucky Derby and 10th in the Belmont Stakes. In the Wood Memorial, Trojan Nation was beaten a head after racing in traffic in the stretch.
Trojan Nation has eight rivals on Sunday, including Bedeviled, beaten a nose in a $75,000 claiming race for maidens at Santa Anita on June 18.
– additional reporting
by Brad Free