Prize Exhibit tough with repeat of last
DEL MAR, Calif. – When Prize Exhibit swooped from fourth to first in the final furlong of the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar on July 19, the performance ranked as the best of her career in the mind of trainer Jim Cassidy.
He was not alone in that assessment.
“I had all my colleagues come up and say she was flying,” he said. “She was impressive.”
The win makes Prize Exhibit the favorite for Saturday’s $300,000 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Owned by Deron Pearson, Prize Exhibit tries to win her third consecutive race in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks. Her win streak began in the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Santa Anita on June 27.
Prize Exhibit is one of four stakes winners in a field of eight. The Del Mar Oaks is the top race for 3-year-old fillies at the summer meeting.
KEY CONTENDERS
Prize Exhibit (Last 3 Beyers: 94-96-79)
◗ Prize Exhibit is the most experienced runner in the field, having made 15 starts, including eight in England in 2014 before she arrived in the United States last fall.
◗ Prize Exhibit’s two recent stakes wins were at a mile. She was fourth in two starts at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita, in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes in April and the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes in May.
◗ Cassidy said Prize Exhibit has improved since those races, and that she recovered quickly from her win in the San Clemente.
“She’s trained as good for this race as any other race,” he said. “She hasn’t been a bad girl at all.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Prize Exhibit. Trainer James Cassidy is 96-6-14-10 with a $0.59 ROI over the past five years in turf routes at Del Mar. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Rattataptap (Last 3 Beyers: 88-85-70)
◗ Rattataptap was fourth in the Senorita Stakes, her most recent start. She was beaten 3 3/4 lengths by Prize Exhibit after racing in traffic on the turn of the one-mile race.
◗ The Del Mar Oaks will be her first start at 1 1/8 miles. She figures to be near the front.
◗ Phil D’Amato began training Rattataptap in the spring. She raced primarily in sprints on dirt and Polytrack in her five starts for original trainer Jeff Bonde, and both of her starts for D’Amato have been on turf.
“She merits a shot in a Grade 1,” D’Amato said. “If she were to hit the board, it would be like a win. In the morning, she gets better with every workout. I don’t think she’ll have any trouble with the distance.”
Zipessa (Beyers: 80-82)
◗ Unbeaten in two starts, Zipessa will make her stakes debut in the Del Mar Oaks. She was entered in Friday’s Sandy Blue Stakes at a mile on turf, but trainer Mike Stidham said the Del Mar Oaks was the more likely spot.
◗ Zipessa won a maiden race at Arlington Park in May and an optional claimer here July 17.
“She’s a nice filly, and we’re asking her to do a lot,” Stidham said.
Her Emmynency (Last 3 Beyers: 77-84-84)
◗ Also trained by Stidham, Her Emmynency was sixth in the San Clemente in her 2015 stakes debut. A stakes winner at Santa Anita on turf last October, Her Emmynency was never a factor and finished 7 3/4 lengths behind Prize Exhibit.
“There are a lot of question marks,” Stidham said. “That was a shocker. The turf was soggy. I don’t know if that played a part. I’m hoping the turf was a factor.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Majestic Heat. Trainer Barry Abrams is 10-3-0-3 with a $2.52 ROI over the past five years with last-out winners coming back within one week of that win. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan