Unique Power draws the rail, gets tough test in debut

Unique Power, the impeccably-bred 2-year-old colt, worked a fast half-mile in 46.40 seconds at Del Mar on Aug. 11 in advance of his debut in a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on Saturday.

Unique Power will start from the inside post in a field of six and will need to show speed to secure an early position. Unique Bella seems to have that ability, trainer John Sadler said on Friday.

“It’s kind of a tough post,” Sadler said. “He’ll have to break really well.

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“I think we’re okay. Hopefully, we can get a good start.”

Owned and bred by Don Alberto Stable, Unique Power is by top stallion Into Mischief and is out of the two-time champion Unique Bella, who won 9 of 12 starts from 2016 to 2018.

Unique Bella won eight stakes, including three Grade 1 races for Don Alberto Stable and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Unique Bella was the champion female sprinter of 2017 and champion older mare of 2018.

Unique Power, who will be ridden by Hector Berrios, will start against four other first-time starters, including Citizen Bull and Kalea Bay, who are trained by Bob Baffert. Both have displayed by fast workouts.

Citizen Bull will be ridden by Martin Garcia, formerly a prominent rider in Southern California who is making a rare appearance at Del Mar on Saturday. His mounts include the well-regarded Buchu in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

Garcia, 39, rode extensively for Baffert in the 2010s, winning such important races as the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Bayer, the Pacific Classic on Game On Dude in 2013 and Collected in 2017, and the 2015 Santa Anita Derby on Dortmund.

Garcia, who through Thursday has won 22 races this year, is currently riding at Ellis Park.

In Saturday’s maiden race, Richard Mandella runs Power Play, a colt by Authentic who starts from the outside post in his first career start.

“He looks pretty good,” Mandella said. “Some of his works are good and some are okay. He’s shown enough that I’m anxious to see what happens.”

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