Tamara to miss Del Mar, hopeful for fall return

Tamara, the brilliant winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies last September, is only in light training at Santa Anita with the hope she can have her 2024 debut this fall.

“I’m going easy,” trainer Richard Mandella said on Wednesday. “I’m going to take some time with her.”

Tamara was in training this spring with the intent of a start as soon as Saturday’s Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos. She has not worked since late May and is not scheduled to work in coming days, Mandella said.

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“I think I was going faster than she wanted to to get ready to run,” Mandella said. “I’ll back off and point for the October meeting” at Santa Anita.

The Santa Anita autumn meeting runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 27.

Tamara has not raced since she finished seventh as the 4-5 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita last November. She was diagnosed with a splint bone injury after the BC Juvenile Fillies.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm, Tamara developed a following as a 2-year-old. She is by Bolt d’Oro and is out of the four-time champion Beholder, who was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

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