Race for winning trainer may go down to the wire

DEL MAR, Calif. – Monday’s Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity may determine the leading trainer for the track’s summer meeting.

Through Thursday, with four days of racing remaining, Doug O’Neill led the standings with 19 wins, three more than Richard Baltas and Peter Miller, who were tied for second. All three trainers will be active through Monday’s closing program, and have runners scheduled for the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs.

Sunday, Baltas has eight runners, including Neptune’s Storm in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, while Miller and O’Neill each has five runners. All three downplayed winning the title on Friday.

O’Neill, 51, has won four titles at summer meetings here, the most recent of which was in 2010. He said on Friday he hoped to have enough wins through the weekend to add another title.

“I hope so,” he said. “If not, I’ll cry.”

While O’Neill is guilty of responding with a smart-aleck answer from time to time, he is serious about his stakes runners on Monday. He plans to start Acai and Eight Thousand Dreams in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile.

In the Del Mar Futurity, O’Neill will start Defense Wins and Fore Left, while Baltas is running the recent maiden race winner Ginobili. Miller will start Wrecking Crew, second in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 10, and Nucky, the easy winner of a maiden claimer. Wrecking Crew will be ridden by Abel Cedillo, while Nucky will be ridden by Norberto Arroyo Jr., Miller said.

The race is expected to be led by Eight Rings, the easy winner of a maiden special weight race for trainer Bob Baffert. Other candidates in a projected field of eight include Garth and Storm the Court.

Miller, 52, won the 2018 summer title with 31 wins, the most at a summer meeting here since O’Neill recorded that many in 2010. Prior to this summer’s meeting, Miller doubted he would win the training title. He has runners at Ellis Park in Kentucky for the first time this year and said he would not have enough starters to contend.

Of the three contenders for the training title, Miller had the fewest starters at 69 through Thursday. O’Neill had 107 starters, while Baltas had 84.

Miller has won or tied for the title at three Del Mar summer meetings.

“When they add a $100,000 bonus, I’ll worry,” he said. “I’m happy with the meet. Anything is possible.”

Through Thursday, Baltas, 58, had won with 5 of his last 20 runners, but was winless with his last nine. If that trend reverses this weekend, the title race could be close. Baltas tied with Phil D’Amato for the training title here in the summer of 2017.

“I’ve got a longshot’s chance,” Baltas said. “I’m happy with the 2-year-olds. I lost some races I thought I might be tough in.

“I’m not going to push it. I’d rather win a big race like the Futurity than the training title. The horses are what’s important.”