Zoffarelli the latest good-looking import for Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal
Zoffarelli won his American debut via disqualification in the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds on turf at Del Mar last Sunday, becoming the latest in a years-long trend of stakes-winning European imports for Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal. The recent standard of success for an import owned by Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal is River Boyne, a seven-time stakes winner from 2018 to 2020 who is now at stud in Ireland.
Zoffarelli, who had previously raced for trainer Ralph Beckett in England, is a candidate for the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 4 and is likely to be one of several recent overseas arrivals active for the stable in the final weeks of the Del Mar summer meeting.
Zoffarelli, trained by Jeff Mullins, finished second in the La Jolla and was promoted to first after Sword Zorro was ruled to have caused interference in the final furlong.
Zoffarelli has won 2 of 8 starts. The La Jolla Handicap was Zoffarelli’s third start of 2021.
“He came out of it really good, surprisingly,” Cohen said. “He got bounced around. The trainer in England said he likes a fight, and he got one.”
Saturday, the 3-year-old filly Valpolicella starts for Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal in an allowance race at a mile, her first race since a fifth-place finish in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2020. Trained by Mark Glatt, Valpolicella has been working at Santa Anita and Del Mar since late May.
“She’ll probably need a race,” said Tim Cohen of Rancho Temescal. “She’s a really good filly.”
Valpolicella is part of a field of 12 that includes Burgoo Alley and Carpe Fortuna, who were second and third in a similar race at 1 1/16 miles on July 18. Thrilling was second in an allowance race at five furlongs on turf on July 18 and will start at a mile for the first time Saturday.
The Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal imports include 2-year-olds.
Optimising, now trained by Michael McCarthy, and Relaxed Artist, trained by Glatt, won in Europe in June and are candidates for the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf at a mile on Sept. 6, closing day of the season.
McCarthy also trains the 2-year-old colt Percolate, a maiden race winner in his only start, which came on the synthetic track at Wolverhampton, England, in June.