Shirreffs has Nolde for Oceanside Stakes, Paradise Woods for Hirsch Stakes

On opening day at Del Mar and the second Sunday of the meet, Nolde and Paradise Woods will give trainer John Shirreffs leading contenders in two stakes in the early days of the track’s summer meeting.

Nolde, unbeaten in two starts on turf, will make his stakes debut in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf on the opening-day program July 17. Owned by Jerry Moss, Nolde worked five furlongs in 1:02 at Santa Anita on Wednesday.

At Santa Anita in recent months, Nolde won two races at a mile on turf – a maiden special weight race May 3 and an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option June 21.

Paradise Woods, the multiple Grade 1 winner, worked six furlongs in 1:14 on Wednesday for the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Shirreffs said he timed Paradise Woods in a slightly quicker 1:13.

The $300,000 Hirsch Stakes offers a fees-paid berth to the winner for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita.

Owned by Pam and Marty Wygod and Steve Sarkowsky, Paradise Woods won the Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes at 1 1/8 miles by 10 1/2 lengths on April 29 but was second after a troubled trip in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on June 1.

In 2017, Paradise Woods won two Grade 1 races – the Santa Anita Oaks and Zenyatta Stakes – and was third in the BC Distaff when trained by Richard Mandella.