War At Sea poised for first graded stakes win in Twilight Derby

War At Sea had his summer campaign disrupted, but ended it with a solid third-place finish in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 3. The colt seeks his first graded stakes win in Saturday’s Grade 2 Twilight Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita.

Owned by Doubledown Stables and trained by Ron Ellis, War At Sea missed an intended start in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar in August because of a bruised foot. In the Del Mar Derby, War At Sea stumbled at the start and was beaten a length by winner Slow Down Andy. That was his first race since winning the Cinema Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita in June.

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Ellis said War At Sea had a good trip after his stumble in the Del Mar Derby, and that he might have been able to carry his rally farther if he hadn’t missed the La Jolla.

“I was happy with his performance,” Ellis said. “He hasn’t missed a beat since his last race.”

Slow Down Andy was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

The $200,000 Twilight Derby drew a field of nine and is the seventh race on a 10-race program that includes seven stakes.

The Twilight Derby will be the California debut of Speaking Scout, a five-length winner of the Hawthorne Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf Oct. 1. Speaking Scout has run at seven tracks in as many starts this year. The Hawthorne Derby is his lone stakes win of the season.

“He ran his best race and he put it together,” trainer Graham Motion said. “He won comfortably that day.”

In the summer, Speaking Scout was a troubled fourth in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park in July; fourth in the Bald Eagle Derby, moved from turf to dirt at Laurel in August; and seventh in the Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs in September.

“I do feel like he has had excuses along the road,” Motion said. “The trip in the Kent was brutal.”

Cabo Spirit, second in the Cinema and the winner of the La Jolla Handicap, will start in the Twilight Derby after finishing fifth in the Del Mar Derby. Cabo Spirit chased a slow pace set by Slow Down Andy and closed well in the final furlong.

“He was last and had too much to do,” trainer George Papaprodromou said, adding that Cabo Spirit raced wide.

There should be a quicker pace in the Twilight Derby thanks to the presence of Go Joe Won, who won the Shared Belief Stakes on dirt from the front on Sept. 3 at Del Mar. This will be Go Joe Won’s first start on turf.

Trainer Peter Miller sends Perfect Flight and Handy Dandy, both of whom won an allowance race last out. Perfect Flight was second in the La Jolla, and Handy Dandy was second or third in three turf stakes earlier this year.

Lure Stakes

Prince Abama, third in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile on turf on Oct. 1, and Carmelita’s Man, a winner of his last three starts, are part of a field of six in the $80,000 Lure Stakes, a restricted race at a mile on turf that begins Saturday’s program.

Prince Abama was beaten three lengths by winner Beyond Brilliant in the City of Hope in his stakes debut. Carmelita’s Man’s winning streak includes the California Dreamin’ Stakes for statebreds at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar in August.

The Lure Stakes is the third consecutive stakes appearance for the three-time winner Air Force Red, who was fifth of nine in the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course Oct. 1. Air Force Red led by four lengths in the stretch of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf Sept. 3, but faded to finish fourth.

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