Sadler has shot in all four juvenile races
DEL MAR, Calif. – Flightline is trainer John Sadler’s star of today. A number of 2-year-olds who may emerge as his stars of tomorrow will be on display Friday at Del Mar, when the track presents an eight-race card, beginning at 3 p.m. Pacific, that includes four races for 2-year-olds, with Sadler appearing to have live chances in all four.
Sadler will try to get the day off to an auspicious start in race 1, when Storming Machine, a troubled third as the even-money favorite in his debut Aug. 11, looks to graduate from the maiden ranks in a five-furlong turf race.
“That wasn’t what we expected. We got a race into him, but that wasn’t by design,” Sadler said.
Translation: Sadler thought Storming Machine would win. “He’s a pretty nice horse,” Sadler said.
Storming Machine, by Cloud Computing, was a $560,000 auction buy at Ocala in March. Juan Hernandez, the meet’s leading rider, takes over.
Sadler in race 3 sends out Riverside, a Bernardini colt who ran on well in his sprint debut behind the top-quality Newgate and now stretches out to a mile on dirt and switches to Joe Bravo. Like Storming Machine, Riverside was purchased at Ocala in March by a partnership of Michael Talla and West Point Thoroughbreds.
“We always thought two turns would be his thing – Bernardini out of a Medaglia d’Oro mare,” Sadler said. “He’s ready to go.”
Riverside will have to get past Hard to Figure, a Hard Spun colt who set a swift pace in the race won by Newgate before settling for third, and Carmel Road, a Quality Road colt who finished well for third in his debut after an adventurous trip as the odds-on favorite. Both Hard to Figure, who drew the outside post, and Carmel Road are trained by Bob Baffert.
Race 4, at a mile, but on the grass, and restricted to California-breds, finds Sadler potentially in the favorite’s role with Tangledupingrey, second in a similar spot last time out after running off to a daylight lead.
“It was a crazy race. There was a loose horse, another flipped in the gate, and he got wound up. It made him a little rank,” Sadler said.
Ramon Vazquez, up to third in the jockeys’ standings this meet, has the return call.
Both Phil D’Amato (with Almont) and Peter Miller (with Stone Point) look to have live first-time starters in race 4.
Sadler’s final 2-year-old to run Friday is Let Him Do, who should be one of the top choices in race 7 – a six-furlong starter allowance with a $50,000 claiming option – after defeating maiden claimers Aug. 11, a race from which Sadler claimed him.
Let Him Do, with the outside post, is drawn better than Silver Lightning, who pummeled maiden claimers on debut Aug. 12 but must overcome the rail. Man Oh Man drops in class and is using the claiming option to be eligible.