Planetario, Offlee Naughty go another round in San Juan Capistrano

Planetario and Offlee Naughty are 6-year-old turf marathoners with predictable styles. Do not expect much from them until the final turn. From there, they often command attention.

Last June, Planetario and Offlee Naughty were first and second in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita. They meet again in the same race Sunday, their third consecutive encounter, both seeking their first wins of the year.

Planetario and Offlee Naughty were second and third in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on March 23, and third and fourth in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on May 4. The winners of those races – Missed the Cut and Gold Phoenix – are respectively bound for Royal Ascot in England next week or waiting for the Del Mar summer season.

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Without those rivals, Planetario and Offlee Naughty are expected to dominate the $100,000 San Juan Capistrano, which drew a field of six.

The San Juan Capistrano is one of two stakes on a marathon 12-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, and marks the final day of the winter-spring meeting. Los Alamitos begins its summer meeting on June 22. Del Mar’s summer meeting starts on July 20.

Planetario is winless in three starts since a neck victory in the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar last November. He has not been worse than second this year.

“I’ve got no complaints,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “He tries hard every time. He needs a little luck, like any other race.”

Planetario, owned by Red Rafa Stud Inc., will attempt to become the fourth two-time winner of the San Juan Capistrano this century, joining T.H. Approval (2005-2006), Bourbon Bay (2010 and 2012), and Acclimate (2019 and 2021).

Offlee Naughty is winless in five starts since the San Luis Rey Stakes in May 2023. The San Juan Capistrano was Offlee Naughty’s third start of 2023 and will be his third start this year. Still, trainer Michael McCarthy said Offlee Naughty approaches Sunday’s race in brighter condition.

“He’s a little fresher horse this year,” he said.

With such a long race, stamina plays a crucial role in the outcome. The field lacks a clear front-runner, although the Northern California shipper Rimprotector may be close to the front. Rimprotector, the winner of two allowance races at Golden Gate Fields this year, was third in the 2023 San Juan Capistrano.

The other runners are Bee Catcher, Order and Law, and Rockemperor.

Sunday’s race is the second start for Rockemperor since he was transferred from trainer Chad Brown to Phil D’Amato, who trained Acclimate. Rockemperor was sixth by 1 3/4 lengths in the Whittingham Stakes on May 4 after racing in traffic at times through the final quarter-mile.

This is Rockemperor’s longest race, but the 8-year-old gelding did win the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Belmont Park in 2021.

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