Though well bred, Llorona not a cinch in Del Mar maiden
DEL MAR, Calif. – An expensive and well-bred 2-year-old filly making her career debut might be the best horse running Thursday at Del Mar, but she is far from a slam dunk in the maiden turf sprint.
Llorona, a $750,000 yearling by Mendelssohn and sibling to 2021 champion juvenile male Corniche, runs five furlongs in race 2, a distance trainer Richard Mandella acknowledged “is probably a little short for her.”
She might win anyway. Llorona, whose name means “crybaby” in Spanish, is among a large field in the first interesting turf sprint Thursday. Race 6 is a starter-allowance turf sprint for non-winners of three in which contenders include last-out winner Daniel’s Magic, front-runner My Harbors Dream, late-runner Inch, and dropper Finally Here.
Race 2 rivals for Llorona include Luis Mendez-trained Meta Girl, whose fast workouts suggest she might be the one to catch. Bizzy Gal adds blinkers and switches to turf after a troubled debut. First-time starters Hot Thoughts and Bye Bye Buggsy are among the 12 entrants; nine can start. The turf rails move to the 24-foot setting Thursday.
Llorona has worked exclusively on dirt, but she is bred for turf. First-crop sire Mendelssohn won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf; her dam Wasted Tears won six graded stakes on turf. Although Mandella suspects Llorona wants farther than five furlongs, she does possess speed.
“She probably wants to use [her speed], but I don’t want to overdo it,” Mandella said. “We haven’t used her. We settled her down. I don’t want to tighten the screws too tight.”
Jockey Umberto Rispoli became acquainted with Llorona by working her an easy three furlongs Sunday. If she produces natural speed, she could find herself in a comfortable position chasing likely pacesetter Meta Girl. Second-time starter Bizzy Gal, a daughter of Fed Biz, can only improve after a troubled debut for trainer Peter Miller.
“She just broke bad and never really picked up her feet,” Miller said. A surface switch and equipment change may produce improvement. “She’s got some grass in her pedigree. The Fed Bizes run good on grass. The turf should move her up, and the blinkers.”
While the maiden race includes unknowns, the sixth race Thursday offers familiarity. Eoin Harty trains Daniel’s Magic, who won a nonwinners-of-two starter allowance two weeks ago over the Del Mar turf. Rispoli stays aboard.
My Harbors Dream, claimed last out by trainer Doug O’Neill for $25,000 from a fifth-place finish against 3-year-olds, moves up in class to face older. His speed gives him a chance to wire the field under the meet’s leading rider, Juan Hernandez.
Finally Here, a $50,000 claiming winner two back before he was overmatched last out in an entry-level allowance, figures as a contender on the class drop. Inch finished second by a head last out in an open $32,000 claiming turf sprint, the best race of his career.