CLOSING HOLIDAY WEEK AT DEL MAR

STAKES BONANZA HIGHLIGHTS CLOSING/HOLIDAY WEEK

Racing secretary David Jerkens looked upon the abundant quality and quality that  appears to be assembling for close of the Bing Crosby Season starting on Thanksgiving Day with some satisfaction and pride.

Four days. Seven graded stakes totaling $1.45 million in purses. A score, in the Gettysburg Address sense, of out-of-state shippers for those stakes from the stables of nearly a dozen celebrated trainers headquartered far from Southern California.

But surprised, Jerkens is not.

“It’s Del Mar,” Jerkens said. “Who doesn’t want to come here? The races are well established, the purses are large, the turf course is great and so is the weather.”

Here’s a chronological, capsule look at what Jerkens, stakes coordinator Chris Merz and the racing office are projecting for the big finish to the second Crosby Season.

Thursday, the Grade II $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup, 1 ½ miles on turf. Already set with a field of 14 and two on the also-eligible list. Key shippers are: Up With The Birds (H. Graham Motion, trainer) and Arlington Million winner The Pizza Man (Roger Brueggemann).

Friday, the Grade II $250,000 Seabiscuit Handicap, 1 1/16 miles on turf. With the close of entries and post position draw scheduled late Sunday morning, a field of at least eight and possibly up to 12 is expected. The key shippers are 5-year-old Seek Again (Bill Mott), winner of the 2013 Hollywood Derby, its last running at Hollywood Park, and Are You Kidding Me (Roger Attfield), recent winner of the Autumn Handicap at Woodbine. Early Sunday morning, Merz said that weather in the East had Motion also considering sending German-bred Messi, winner of the Knickerbocker at Belmont Park on October 10 in his last start.

Saturday, the Grade III $150,000 Native Diver Stakes, 1 1/8 miles on the main track. The only dirt test of the seven graded stakes in the final week could have the shortest field, with only six to eight expected. Attfield has Are You Kidding Me, cross-entered in Friday’s Seabiscuit, nominated as the only shipper. Yahilwa and Warren’s Veneda, 5-year-old mares who were second and third respectively to Beholder in last summer’s Clement L. Hirsch, are possibilities to face males in the event.

Saturday, the Grade III $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes, one mile on turf. A capacity field is expected and, if so, it would be the first 14-horse mile race at Del Mar and an early test of the course where the 2017 Breeders’ Cup will be contested. Enjoy Yourself (John Terranova II) is expected to ship in for her second U.S. race after making a strong closing run in last month’s Flower Bowl at Belmont Park.

Saturday, the Grade I $300,000 Hollywood Derby, 1 1/8 miles on turf. Another full field of 14 is expected with half of them having journeyed from the East for the event. Trainer Chad Brown has nominated four –Fundamental, March, Money Multiplier, and Offering Plan, with the last-named coming in off a victory in the English Channel last month at Belmont Park. Closing Bell (Mott), Mister Brightside (Jeremy Noseda) and One Go All Go (Pavel Matejka) are Derby targeted as well.

Sunday, the Grade III $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, one mile on turf. Eleven or 12 could go with Manhattan Dan (Gary Contessa) pace setter in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the key invader. Tusk (Motion) got a run over the course on November 8 and produced a gritty win by a neck.

Sunday, the Grade I $300,000 Matriarch, one mile on turf. Fourteen more are anticipated for the event that provides the climax to the meeting. Shippers expected are Filimbi (Mott), Hard Not To Like and Stellar Path (Clement), Olorda (Brown), Recepta (James Toner) and She’s Not Here (Vicki Oliver). She’s Not Here was here for the Summer Meeting and notched two wins, the capper coming in the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon.