Rapid ascent brings Sea Queen to Del Mar Oaks
DEL MAR, Calif. – Sea Queen was a maiden race winner when the year began, a filly with more to prove to trainer Christophe Clement and his team. Consider that job accomplished.
Through the spring, Sea Queen developed rapidly. Consecutive wins in an allowance race at Keeneland in April and the Wonder Again Stakes at Belmont Park in May displayed her ability.
“She’s showed us more lately,” assistant trainer Christophe Lorieul said earlier this week. “She’s progressing.”
Sea Queen can reach a career milestone as the favorite Saturday in the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles on turf. It will be Sea Queen’s second start in a Grade 1 stakes. She was second to Minorette in the $1 million Belmont Oaks on July 5. In that Grade 1 race at 1 1/4 miles on turf, Sea Queen led to the final furlong and was beaten two lengths.
“I’m not sure she wants to go that far and she might have gotten beat by a better filly, but she ran great,” Lorieul said.
Owned by Stonetower Stable, Sea Queen has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $401,495. Two of her three wins have been on firm turf, conditions she will encounter in Saturday’s race, which drew a field of 10. Sea Queen drew the outside post and will be ridden for the first time by Rafael Bejarano.
“I think she likes it firm,” Lorieul said. “She should get a good trip.”
Sea Queen is one of five stakes winners in the Del Mar Oaks field, although not that many may start. Istanford, who won the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap at a mile on turf here on July 19, was cross-entered in Friday’s Sandy Blue Handicap.
Del Mark Oaks, race 8
KEY CONTENDERS
Sea Queen (Last 3 Beyers: 88-90-84)
◗ By Lemon Drop Kid, Sea Queen has raced on the lead or from off the pace. Considering her wide draw in the Del Mar Oaks, Bejarano is likely to have her in a stalking position. “She’s got a bit of tactical speed,” Lorieul said.
◗ Sea Queen is unbeaten at 1 1/8 miles, having won at that distance in the allowance at Keeneland and the Wonder Again.
Tepin (Last 3 Beyers: 82-76-64)
◗ Trained by Mark Casse, Tepin was a troubled eighth in the Grade 3 Regret Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Churchill Downs on June 14. She rebounded to finish second at 18-1 in the San Clemente Handicap in her California debut. “Her previous race was a disaster [in the Regret] and I thought she would be right there in the last race,” Casse said.
My Conquestadory (Last 3 Beyers: 80-81-81)
◗ Trained by Casse, My Conquestadory was third in the San Clemente from the outside post in a field of 12. Casse said Thursday that he was pleased with the performance since My Conquestadory had an interrupted preparation in July. She was shipped from Canada to Belmont Park for the Belmont Oaks but did not start after rain hit the turf course in the days before the race.
“I shipped her to Belmont and scratched her because of the turf,” Casse said. “She’s trained well into this race.”
Casse said the Del Mar Oaks distance works for both of his runners.
“I don’t think they’ll mind the extra yardage,” he said.
Odisseia
◗ An Irish-bred filly, Odisseia makes her American debut in the Del Mar Oaks for trainer Phil D’Amato. She was ninth of 24 in the $118,700 Sandringham Handicap for 3-year-old fillies over a straightaway mile at Royal Ascot in England on June 18, her most recent start
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Odisseia. Trainer Philip D'Amato is 8 for 30 with a $4.68 ROI in turf routes over the past year.Click for more details. – Dan Illman