DEL MAR NOTES

  
BEHOLDER DRAWS POST NINE, MADE 5-2 TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC FAVORITE

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder drew post position No. 9 in a field of 10 and was made the 5-2 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for Saturday’s 25th running of the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic.

Catch a Flight, who like Beholder is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella, will break from post position No. 7, and was made the second choice at 9-2 following the post position draw Wednesday morning at the Plaza De Mexico area of the track.

“If she can Catch a Flight, she might win.” Mandella said of Beholder, exhibiting his ever present wry sense of humor. “I wasn’t worried about what post position she might draw, I was worried she might not get in because of a male bias.”

Beholder, a 5-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes, has 13 wins in 18 career starts and earnings of $3,656,600. Her latest victory, the eighth in her last nine starts, was a seven-length romp in the Grade I $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes here on August 1.

Following the race, Mandella revealed his intentions of running the Eclipse Award winner as the top 2-year-old filly of 2012 and 3-year-old filly of 2013 for the first time against males in the signature event of the Del Mar summer meeting.

Beholder, owned by B. Wayne Hughes’ Spendthrift Farm, will become the fifth female to compete in the Pacific Classic, the third in the last four years. Paseana was the pioneer, finishing fifth of seven in 1992, still the best result for a female runner. Island Fashion (9th, 2005), Amani (6th, 2012) and Byrama (7th, 2013) followed.

Paseana was the betting favorite (17-10) for what was the second running of the Classic. Amani went postward at odds of 7-1 while Byrama and Island Fashion were longshots at 35-1 and 38-1 respectively.

“She’s a sweetheart in the stall, but when she steps on the track she becomes a man,” said Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who has been aboard for Beholder’s last nine starts. “I go along for the ride. She puts me where I want to be, and when I push the button she responds.”

The field from the rail: Class Leader (Mike Smith, 15-1), Bailoutbobby (James Graham, 20-1), Bayern (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Hard Aces (Victor Espinoza, 5-1), Red Vine (Joel Rosario, 6-1), Imperative (Corey Nakatani, 12-1), Catch a Flight (Flavien Prat, 9-2) Hoppertunity (Martin Garcia, 5-1),  Beholder (Gary Stevens, 5-2) and Midnight Storm (Tyler Baze, 20-1).

The TVG-Pacific Classic will go as the ninth of 11 races on a Saturday program with a first post of 2 p.m. The Pacific Classic  has a scheduled post time of 6:10 p.m. and  is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifier for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.


RED VINE SETTLED IN FOR CLASSIC ASSIGNMENT

Jon and Sarah Kelly’s Red Vine made the journey from Belmont Park in New York in good order and was patiently waiting in his stall Wednesday morning for his first look around Del Mar.

“It was a long journey but everything went fine,” said Lee Vickers, an assistant to trainer Christophe Clement who escorted the 5-year-old son of Candy Ride on a return to Del Mar after two years of campaigning in the East and Midwest. Red Vine’s arrival on Tuesday night was two years to the day from his maiden-breaking win here in a one-mile turf event under Victor Espinoza. Joel Rosario will travel from Saratoga to ride on Saturday.

“This is a big step up, but it’s also a good opportunity for him and he deserves this shot,” Vickers said.

Red Vine has five wins from 17 career starts and earnings of $365,715. His first 13 starts, which produced three wins, were on turf. His last four starts, dating to a December race at Aqueduct which was taken off the turf, have been on dirt and produced three wins and a second-place effort. The runner-up was in his most recent start, the Salvatore Mile at Monmouth on July 5, by two lengths to Bradester.

“We were hoping to keep him undefeated on dirt, but he had a bit of trouble and it didn’t work out,” Vickers said. “The horse that beat him, Bradester, went on to win the Monmouth Cup on the day that American Pharoah won the Haskell.”


RIVALS MAY BE FEW FOR WILD DUDE IN O’BRIEN

Wild Dude, winner of the Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes at six furlongs, will attempt to complete a sweep of Del Mar’s sprint stakes series in Saturday’s seven-furlong, Grade II $2500,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes.

A 5-year-old son of Wildcat Heir co-owned by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and Green Smith, Wild Dude made a powerful stretch run for a 1 ¼ length win in the Crosby.

With the close of entries and post position draw scheduled for late Wednesday morning, the racing office listed, in alphabetical order, Appealing Tale, Indexical, Kobe’s Back and Turnover as probables for the O’Brien. Sahara Sky, a stablemate of Wild Dude, was considered “possible.”

The Pat O’Brien is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on October 31 at Keeneland.


BIG JOHN B SHORTENS UP FOR 1 3/8 MILE DEL MAR HANDICAP

Big John B, who prevailed by a half-length over Pacific Classic entrant Bailoutbobby in the $100,000 Grade III Cougar II Handicap at 1 ½ miles July 24, takes a step up in grade and purse level while cutting back in distance in Saturday’s Grade II $$250,000, 1 3/8 mile Del Mar Handicap.

Big John B, a 6-year-old son of Hard Spun trained by Phil D’Amato for owner Michael House, has 13 wins in 33 career starts and earnings of $567,175. Big John B is three-for-three on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

The Del Mar Handicap is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifier for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf on October 31 at Keeneland. Wednesday morning the Del Mar racing office listed as probables (in alphabetical order) Ashleyluvssugar, Big John B, Danas Best, Ganesh, Power Ped and Soi Phet with Class President, Finnegan’s Wake, Lideris and Poshsky as possibles.


DMTC’S TOM ROBBINS AMONG FOUR ELECTED TO JOCKEY CLUB

Thomas S. Robbins, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s Executive Vice President for Racing and Industry Relations, was among four individuals elected to membership in The Jockey Club, the organization announced Monday.

“This is quite a surprise,” Robbins said. “I never expected to be honored this way. Hopefully, I’ll live up to their standards. It’s an outstanding group of individuals, Joe Harper (DMTC CEO) among them and I’m honored to have been elected.”

Robbins previously served as racing secretary, director of racing, and executive vice president at Del Mar from 1981 until 2014. He is also chairman of the North American Ratings Committee and the Racing Secretaries/Directors Breeders’ Cup Selection Panel and a member of the American Graded Stakes Committee, as well as an advisor to the North American International Catalogue Standards Committee and the U. S. representative to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee.

Also elected to the Jockey Club were W. B. Rogers Beasley, John Magnier and Rosendo (Ro) Parra.

Beasley has served as Keeneland director of racing since 2001 and was the track’s sales director for 19 years prior to his current post.

Magnier, generally acknowledged to be one of the most influential people in world racing and breeding, presides over Coolmore Stud, which has branches in Ireland, Kentucky (Ashford Stud), and the Hunter Valley (Coolmore Australia). The Magnier family has been associated with a long sequence of top-class stallions since the 1850s, originally in Co. Cork, Ireland, where stallions still stand as part of Coolmore today. Magnier has part-owned or -bred four of the last five Epsom Derby winners.

Parra is the owner of Millennium Farms in Lexington, Ky. His first involvement in racing came as a fan in South America. He bought his first horse in 1995 and has campaigned approximately 40 stakes winners, including multiple G1 winner Student Council. He also bred Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Wilko.

The Jockey Club, founded in 1894 and dedicated to the improvement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, is the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds. In fulfillment of its mission, The Jockey Club, directly or through subsidiaries, provides support and leadership on a wide range of important industry initiatives, and it serves the information and technology needs of owners, breeders, media, fans and farms.


AMERICAN PHAROAH TODAY

The Triple Crown champion jogged one mile under exercise rider George Alvarez for the second day in a row.


DISTINCTIV PASSION FAVORED OF SEVEN IN GREEN FLASH

Jeff Bonde-trained Distinctiv Passion is the 2-1 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line for today’s $80,000 Green Flash Handicap, a five-furlong turf sprint. With the scratch of City of Vengeance, a field of seven is set for the event for three-year-olds and up.

Distinctiv Passion crossed under the wire first in the 2013 Green Flash but was disqualified to third for drifting out in the stretch. Jockey Edwin Maldonado has been aboard for the last four starts for the 5-year-old son of With Distinction, the most recent being a fifth-place result to Wild Dude in the Grade I Bing Crosby.

Maldonado, with 997 career wins, has seven scheduled mounts on Wednesday’s card.

The field for the Green Flash from the rail: Holy Lute (Santiago Gonzalez, 6-1), Forest Chatter (Mike Smith, 5-2), Ankeny Hill (Joe Talamo, 10-1), Inkling (Gary Stevens, 10-1), Boat Trip (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Distinctiv Passion (Edwin Maldonado, 2-1) and Heir of Storm (Martin Garcia, 5-1).


WHAT’S IN A NAME – GREEN FLASH HANDICAP 

The Green Flash refers to the quick splash of green color as the sun sets on the western horizon. The overnight stakes began in 2003


CLOSERS – Note to  media:  As of today, Wednesday, November 19, the new password for  DMTC_PUB changes to Ridersup4pcday … Selected works from 206 officially timed over the last three days: Monday – Bayern (5f, 1:00.00, Hoppertunity (5f, :59.80), Beholder (4f, :48.00); Tuesday – Yahilwa (5f, 1:01.60), Catch a Flight (5f, 1:03.00);  Wednesday – Songbird (6f, 1:13.20), Talco (4f, :50.60), Bal a Bali (4f, :49.40), Cyclometer (3f, :38.20).  


DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 16, 2015 Inclusive)
Jockey Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% Money Won
Rafael Bejarano 131 24 26 18 18% $1,470,750
Tyler Baze 136 20 21 20 15% $1,176,854
Joseph Talamo 120 18 10 10 15% $1,020,356
Flavien Prat 111 15 12 18 14% $1,086,222
Santiago Gonzalez 105 13 10 11 12% $823,236
Mario Gutierrez 78 13 9 7 17% $820,916
Martin Garcia 88 11 8 11 13% $756,110
Kent Desormeaux 65 11 8 10 17% $629,484
Corey Nakatani 53 10 6 4 19% $489,376
Fernando Perez 90 9 13 14 10% $482,858

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Sunday, August 16, 2015 Inclusive)
Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% Money Won
Doug F. O'Neill 66 13 12 8 20% $965,350
Peter Miller 81 11 12 12 14% $725,674
Jerry Hollendorfer 55 10 6 7 18% $721,842
Philip D'Amato 49 9 8 7 18% $607,092
John W. Sadler 32 9 2 4 28% $412,662
Richard Baltas 48 8 6 11 17% $450,372
Mike Puype 50 8 3 7 16% $479,140
Bob Baffert 37 7 4 6 19% $565,920
Robert B. Hess, Jr. 35 7 0 6 20% $222,020
Adam Kitchingman 17 5 5 1 29% $131,890

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Sunday, August 16, 2015 Inclusive)
Winning favorites 61 212 28.77%
Winning favorites on dirt 44 146 30.14%
Winning favorites on turf 17 66 25.76%
Winning odds-on favorites 12 22 54.55%
In-the-Money favorites 121 212 57.08%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites 20 22 90.91%