DEL MAR NOTES

EURTON HAS LEGITIMATE SHOT FOR PAT O’BRIEN, ‘HANDICAP DOUBLE

The $1 million Grade I TVG Pacific Classic will rightfully get the lion’s share of attention on Saturday. But a pair of Grade II $250,000 stakes leading up to the Classic will contribute a lot more to the day than just dramatic build-up,

The seven-furlong Pat O’Brien Stakes is a “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on October 31 at Keeneland in Kentucky. The Del Mar Handicap, 1 3/8 miles on turf, is similarly connected to the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, also October 31 at Keeneland.

Trainer Peter Eurton has a representative in each race, Kobe’s Back in the Pat O’Brien, Ashleyluvsugar in the Handicap. They’re both 3-1 third choices on the morning line for their respective assignments. A win in one would make Pacific Classic Day in the Eurton barn. A win in both would, the 58-year-old conditioner said Friday morning, take the stable to a whole new level.

“That would definitely be a first,” Eurton said of a graded stakes double.

Kobe’s Back would have to overcome favored Appealing Tale (8-5), second choice Wild Dude (9-5) and two other rivals. The 4-year-old gray son of Flatter, who will be ridden by Gary Stevens, was third, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Wild Dude, in the Bing Crosby Stakes here on July 26.

“Kobe’s training very well and I like his draw (outside No. 5) because he’ll be the last to load so he doesn’t have to stand in there a long time,” Eurton said.  “He had the one hole last time and got left at the gate.

“He gets in there early and he kind of camps out and mentally goes on vacation. He’s not a nervous horse in the gate, he’s kind of laid back so we have to make sure he’s looking down the track and focused.

“Hopefully there will be enough speed and they’ll be going a good enough pace to set up his run.” Kobe’s Back has three wins from 13 career starts and earnings of $577,250.

Ashleyluvssugar, a 4-year-old gelded son of Game Plan also to be ridden by Stevens, saw a three-race winning streak end with a sixth-of-nine result in the Grade I United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park on July 5 in his last start.

 “I like the draw (No. 1 of 9). Given the chance to choose between the one and the nine in a 1 3/8 mile race, I’d take the one every time,” Eurton said.  “You either go forward or you take back depending on how the pace looks. You get to let your horse run its race.

“His race in New Jersey wasn’t all that bad. He got clipped pretty good from behind when he left the gate. I don’t think he shipped all that well, he was always ‘on’ and never relaxed. He’s a very excitable horse. If he runs his race, which I think he should, he should be right there.”

Big John B (5-2) and Finnegans Wake (7-2) are favored ahead of Ashleyluvssugar, who has six wins from 12 starts and earnings of $465,504.


 RETURN TO DIRT COULD BE A CLASSIC FACTOR

Contested on Polytrack for the last eight years, the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic returns to dirt – the surface of its first 16 runnings – on Saturday. Certainly something for general fans and handicappers to consider.

“It (synthetic to dirt) makes a huge difference whether it’s a low-level claiming race or the Pacific Classic,” Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux said Friday morning. Desormeaux is without a Classic mount this year but has 12 years of  experience in the race and a victory, on dirt aboard Missionary Ridge in 1992, and five other on-the-board finishes, four of those on dirt. He was third on Imperative in last year’s Pacific Classic Polytrack swansong.

“The object for all the riders, especially the ones on closers, has to be to keep as much (kickback) out of their horse’s face as possible,” Desormeaux said. “And it will be different on dirt than it was on the other.”

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will go down as the king of the Pacific Classic on Polytrack riders, having won three in the last six years. Smith, who rides Class Leader (15-1) in the Classic, also won on Came Home (2002) on dirt and is tied with Garrett Gomez for the most Pacific Classic victories with four.

Four others with Pacific Classic mounts on Saturday also have race victories. Gary Stevens (Beholder, 5-2 favorite) won on dirt with Bertrando (1993) and Gentlemen (1997). Joel Rosario  (Dullahan, 2012) and Martin Garcia (Game On Dude, 2013) recorded their wins on Polytrack while that of Corey Nakatani (Lava Man, 2006) came in the last year before the synthetic era at Del Mar.

The three previous Pacific Classic wins by Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella (Dare And Go, 1996; Gentlemen ’97 and Pleasantly Perfect ’04) were all on dirt.

The stakes record for a 1 ¼-mile Pacific Classic on dirt is 1:59.11 by Candy Ride in 2003. Dullahan established the Pacific Classic mark on Polytrack, 1:59.54, in 2012.


FAVORITE’S ROLE TO OBVIOUSLY FOR DEL MAR MILE

Million-dollar earner Obviously, competing in the Del Mar Mile for the fourth  year in a row, drew the outside No. 11 post position and was made a narrow, 5-2 choice on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s opening line for the Grade II $200,000 event Sunday on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Obviously, trained by Phil D’Amato and ridden by Joe Talamo, won the 2012 and 2013 editions of the Mile and was fourth, after having to be rushed up from a tardy start, last year. The Irish-bred son of Choisir is making a comeback after a nine-month layoff following a fifth-place finish after setting the pace in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita.

The field for the Mile from the rail: Pure Tactics (Mike Smith, 8-1), Talco (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2), Jimmy Bouncer (Mario Gutierrez, 30-1), Bal a Bali (Flavien Prat, 3-1), Marchman (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1), Wilkinson (Tyler Baze, 15-1), Kulik Lodge (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Winning Prize (Martin Garcia, 15-1), Di Giorgio  (Felipe Valdez, 20-1), Avanzare (Gary Stevens, 6-1) and Obviously (Joe Talamo, 5-2).


 AMERICAN PHAROAH TODAY

The Triple Crown champion galloped approximately 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Manny Avila. American Pharoah is scheduled to work Sunday morning in the usual 7:45-8 a.m. time frame.


EAST COAST SHIPPER DIDO TOPS CTT AND TOC HANDICAP

Jack Swain II’s Dido, trained by H. Graham Motion and to be ridden by James Graham, is the 5-2 favorite in a field of  nine for today’s featured $80,000 CTT And TOC Handicap which goes as the sixth on a seven-race program.

Dido, a 5-year-old daughter of Bernstein, last raced on July 5 at Belmont Park, finishing second, beaten 2 ½ lengths in the $100,000 River Memories Stakes. Scooter Bird, the 7-2 second choice in the CTT And TOC, has prepared for the race as a workmate of Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner and Pacific Classic entrant Hard Aces.


WHAT’S IN A NAME – CTT AND TOC HANDICAP

The CTT and TOC Handicap, inaugurated in 1997, honors the California Thoroughbred Trainers and Thoroughbred Owners of California organizations.


CLOSERS – Racing history was made in Thursday’s first race when jockey Alex Solis was replaced by Joe Talamo on Revenue Virginius. Solis is the first active rider, in the U.S. if not the world, to also serve as a state racing commissioner and the Hall of Fame rider was excused from his mount to fulfill duties on the California Horse Racing Board at its monthly meeting here … At the CHRB meeting, Del Mar was awarded dates of July 13-September 5 and November 9-December 4 for  its 2016 Summer and Fall racing seasons … Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza has a date with California state legislators on Monday in Sacramento. At noon, the California Latino Legislative Caucus will honor Espinoza, the first Latino to guide a Triple Crown champion, in the California State Assembly. At 2 p.m., Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) will honor Espinoza with a proclamation on the senate floor … Selected works from 131 officially timed Friday morning: My Monet (7f, 1:28.40), Gas Total (6f, 1:13.00), Pretty N Cool (5f, :59.20), Global View (5f, 1:04.00), Found Money (4f, :49.00), and Big Cazanova (4f, :49.00).  


DEL MAR STATISTICS

Jockey Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 20, 2015 Inclusive)
Jockey   Mts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% Money Won
Rafael Bejarano 137 25 29 19 18% $1,543,064
Tyler Baze 145 20 23 22 14% $1,210,578
Joseph Talamo 130 19 11 11 15% $1,078,968
Flavien Prat 118 17 14 18 14% $1,174,972
Santiago Gonzalez 114 16 10 12 14% $934,346
Mario Gutierrez 82 15 9 7 18% $855,446
Kent Desormeaux 71 12 10 10 17% $658,564
Martin Garcia 92 11 8 12 12% $760,340
Corey Nakatani 54 11 6 4 20% $503,176
Fernando Perez 100 9 13 17 9% $503,548

Trainer Standings
(Current Through Thursday, August 20, 2015 Inclusive)
Trainer Sts 1st 2nd 3rd Win% Money Won
Doug F. O'Neill 69 13 14 8 19% $982,630
Jerry Hollendorfer 57 12 6 7 21% $782,442
Peter Miller 87 11 13 13 13% $748,754
Philip D'Amato 53 10 8 7 19% $647,202
Richard Baltas 50 10 6 11 20% $506,172
John W. Sadler 34 9 2 4 26% $413,162
Mike Puype 51 8 3 7 16% $480,580
Robert B. Hess, Jr. 39 8 1 6 21% $245,650
Bob Baffert 38 7 4 6 18% $566,170
Vann Belvoir 37 5 6 5 14% $216,650

Winning Favorites Report
(Current Through Thursday, August 20, 2015 Inclusive)
Winning favorites 62 228 27%
Winning favorites on dirt 45 156 29%
Winning favorites on turf 17 72 24%
Winning odds-on favorites 12 23 52%
In-the-Money favorites 129 228 57%
In-the-Money odds-on favorites 21 23 91%