DEL MAR, Calif. – The popular 6-year-old gelding Conquest Typhoon, who suffered burns on his face during the San Luis Rey Downs fire on Dec. 7, won for the first time since that horrible day when capturing a $40,000 claiming race on the turf Saturday.
Conquest Typhoon was trained by Peter Miller at the time of the fire, but has been claimed twice since and now resides in the barn of Jack Carava, who sent him out for his sixth win in 33 starts.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Bellafina added her name to the long list of 2-year-old fillies who have impressed this summer at Del Mar on Sunday when she ran away to a 4 1/4-length victory in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes going six furlongs.
The Sorrento is a prep for the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Debutante going seven furlongs Sept. 1, but trainer Simon Callaghan said it’s not definite she will run there.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown would ultimately like to stretch Separationofpowers out in distance. But given her performance winning Saturday’s Grade 1 Test Stakes, the two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer isn’t sure if the time is now to do that.
“This filly could be a real contender for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint the way she ran” Saturday, Brown said. “I need to consider that a target, and if I do, I have to consider how much I want to stretch her out before that.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bee Jersey has worked on turf three times and is nominated to Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap, but the Met Mile winner will remain on dirt, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
Asmussen’s primary objective for 2018 is the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs, and he will likely use one race to get Bee Jersey there. Options include the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack on Sept. 29 at Churchill Downs and the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap on Sept. 22 at Belmont Park.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a brief freshening, Heart to Heart is set to resume his 7-year-old campaign in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga. On Monday, he put in his final workout in preparation for what will be his fourth straight appearance in a Grade 1 turf stakes this season.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Victories by River Boyne in the La Jolla Handicap on Sunday and Tatters to Riches in an allowance Saturday have put trainer Jeff Mullins in position to have top contenders in turf and dirt stakes races for 3-year-olds at the end of the Del Mar meet.
Turf specialist River Boyne won for the fifth time in his last six starts when capturing the Grade 3 La Jolla, which is a prep for the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 2.
DEL MAR, Calif. – The names are Brill, Instagrand, and Rowayton, all 2-year-old debut winners in Southern California since late June.
They were expensive acquisitions who ran to expectations for owner Larry Best and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer in maiden races at Los Alamitos and Santa Anita. All three may be in the conversation about the top juveniles of the year this fall.
“When you buy the horses, you expect them to do well,” Best said Sunday. “You hope and pray a lot. To come out 3 for 3 in maiden races is unexpected. They showed up. It doesn’t get better than that.”
DEL MAR, Calif.– Boosted by out-of-state handle, Del Mar has shown growth in all-sources handle through the first three weeks of the summer meeting.
Through Sunday, average all-sources handle, including ontrack, simulcasting, and account-wagering sources, reached $13,617,082, a gain of 9.2 percent over the average of $12,470,772 during the corresponding period at the 2017 meeting, according to figures provided by the track.
DEL MAR, Calif. – At the age of 6, Cambodia could easily be in her final year of racing. If so, Cambodia’s success on the Del Mar turf course will define her career.
Cambodia won her third graded stakes on turf at Del Mar in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes last Saturday, a race she also won in 2017. There is a strong likelihood Cambodia will start in the Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf Sept. 2, yet another race she won in 2017.
“I think we’ll stay out here,” owner Don Robinson said. “She loves the hard turf and the tight turns.”
Back-to-back one-mile allowances, each worth $47,000, anchor a 10-race Thursday card at Gulfstream Park that kicks off another four-day race week with a twilight first post of 2 p.m. Eastern. Both co-features attracted major contenders from trainer Todd Pletcher’s Palm Beach Downs division.
Race 7, which goes around two turns on turf, lured the uncoupled Pletcher duo of Songeur and Elk Camp. Race 8, which goes around one turn on the main track, figures to have Incredible Grace as a solid favorite for Pletcher off a flashy June 29 debut victory.
