Winning Prize looks to regain form in Wickerr
DEL MAR, Calif. – The deep field of turf milers entered in the $80,000 Wickerr Stakes on Wednesday at Del Mar includes top contenders from many directions.
Winning Prize drops from a Grade 1, Kulik Lodge moves up from allowance company after winning four straight, Wilkinson returns from a two-year layoff, and European import Zuri Chop makes his first start in the United States.
The eclectic field for the one-mile Wickerr also includes County Lineman, Footstepsinbronze, Bacello, Pure Tactics, Play Hard to Get, Global View, and Flamboyant.
Winning Prize and Kulik Lodge are the likely favorites; they have similar styles that will be tested against others with the same up-front style. Footstepsinbronze figures to be forwardly placed, while Pure Tactics stretches out from a sprint and adds more speed.
The Wickerr, race 7, should produce starters for the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 23. But first, Winning Prize must return to form and Kulik Lodge must prove he is good enough.
KEY CONTENDERS
Winning Prize
(Last 3 Beyers: 97-95-98)
◗ A Grade 1 winner in 2014, Winning Prize raced four times this season at Santa Anita; his best finish was a runner-up try in a minor stakes.
“He did not like that turf course at all,” trainer Neil Drysdale said. “He likes this course.”
◗ Winning Prize made his U.S. debut two summers ago at Del Mar, winning an allowance by four lengths. He has won 8 of 19 and earned $667,013.
◗ He drops from a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, a race in which he added blinkers.
“He has a tendency to look at other horses,” Drysdale said. Blinkers “make him focus a bit more, and he’s getting older.”
◗ Martin Garcia rides Winning Prize.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 11 Winning Prize. Trainer Neil Drysdale is 25-0-2-3 over the past four years in turf routes with Martin Garcia aboard. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Kulik Lodge
(Last 3 Beyers: 89-92-91)
◗ A lightly raced 5-year-old with four wins from five starts, Kulik Lodge enters with a four-race win streak, including three wins by a nose. He won a third-level allowance last out over Twentytwentyvision, who returned Saturday with a creditable runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Eddie Read.
◗ Kulik Lodge is trained by Tom Proctor and will be ridden by Mike Smith.
Zuri Chop
◗ Purchased by Hronis Racing on advice from trainer John Sadler and bloodstock agent Hubert Guy, Zuri Chop won only 2 of 16 against modest company in Europe, while often finishing in the money.
“He’s never run a bad race, and he can run on any kind of ground,” Sadler said. “I like a European horse that doesn’t have a bad race.”
◗ Sadler named jockey Kieren Fallon on Zuri Chop.
“He really hasn’t been riding, but he’s been working this horse,” Sadler explained.
Fallon is 1 for 28 this year; his most recent mount was June 28.
◗ As for expectations for the gelding’s performance first start back, Sadler hedged. A mile “could be a tad short first time out, but I expect him to run well. He’s got a real nice turn of foot.”
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Zuri Chop. Trainer John Sadler is 16-1-6-1 with a $0.32 ROI over the past five years with foreign shippers in the first start following a trainer switch. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
Wilkinson
(Last 3 Beyers: 97-93-97)
◗ A Grade 2 winner in 2012, Wilkinson is making his first start since summer 2013. He has been off since then due to a tendon injury.
◗ Trainer Jeff Mullins won four races from seven starters opening week, including the Grade 1 Eddie Read with Gabriel Charles, who raced his way into form after missing more than a year with a tendon injury.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Pure Tactics. Trainer Doug O’Neill is 43-3-5-4 with a $0.34 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on turf at Del Mar. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Play Hard to Get. Trainer Eric Kruljac is 23-6-3-0 with a $3.61 ROI over the past five years in turf routes in Southern California in the second start following a layoff. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan