Saint of Saints looks well spotted
DEL MAR, Calif. – It’s obvious Del Mar is saving up for the weekend, because the mid-week card on Thursday has six claiming races among the day’s eight offerings, as well as a maiden race and a starter allowance, which serves as the nominal feature race, slotted as race 7.
Conditions in races like this often point to which horse is best spotted, and which trainers do their homework. Enter trainer Phil D’Amato, who saw that Saint of Saints had run for $15,000 earlier this year, making him eligible for Thursday’s race, which is for horses who have started for $16,000 or less in 2015. Saint of Saints has improved sharply since then, having finished second in a pair of $40,000 claimers most recently. He’s eligible based on a race on Jan. 4, but he’s one of the leading contenders based on current form.
Saint of Saints was sent to D’Amato two months ago after campaigning earlier this year at Fair Grounds and in Kentucky.
“He looks like he should fit in there,” D’Amato said Tuesday morning. “He fits on the conditions, so we decided to give it a shot.”
Saint of Saints drew the rail in the 1 1/16-mile grass race, which drew 11 entrants. A maximum of nine can run with the turf rails set at 24 feet, so two wound up on the also-eligible list.
KEY CONTENDERS
Saint of Saints (Last 3 Beyers: 88-87-71)
◗ His most recent races have been on the main track, but he has won on the turf. His last turf race, at Fair Grounds in February, wasn’t as bad as it looks, for he took the scenic route to the Garden District with his wide post and wide trip.
◗ He drew the rail for this race, and with his contending speed and position of the rails should be forwardly placed.
Knock Em Flat (Last 3 Beyers: 84-80-88)
◗ He goes on Thursday for his fourth different barn in four starts, having been claimed in three straight while winning two of those three.
◗ He has done his best when making the top early, so it will be interesting to see how Tyler Baze, on Knock Em Flat, and Joe Talamo, on Saint of Saints, handle the run into the first turn.
Olympic Blue (Last 3 Beyers: 88-77-76)
◗ Unlike the above two runners, he raced for higher claiming prices earlier in the year and only came eligible for this race because of recent class drops. But he got back to his winning ways last time and may have proven to be a timely claim by Peter Miller.