Bob Baffert (left) and Phil D’Amato. (Benoit Photo)
Cal Bred Juvenile Fillies In The Spotlight In Generous Portion
Del Mar Stable Notes by Jim Charvat
DEL MAR, Calif.—Monday’s holiday card at Del Mar features a pair of stakes races beginning with the $100,000 Tranquility Lake. A six-pack of fillies and mares will contest the one mile on the main track and once again it pits two of Del Mar’s top trainers, Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert, against each other.
The Argentine-bred Super Shine, from the D’Amato barn, first came to the U.S. earlier this year after winning a couple of Group 2 races down in her native country. In her first race stateside, she missed winning by a neck to Coffee in Bed in the G2 Santa Maria. In her next two races she ran into Adare Manor in the G2 Santa Margarita and then Sweet Azteca in the G2 Great Lady M.
Those two tough mares are nowhere to be found in the Tranquility Lake.
“That definitely helps,” D’Amato says. “She’s training very well, definitely looks like a good spot. She likes it down here at Del Mar. Last time she didn’t get out of the gate at all, so we schooled her at the gate. She came flying late so hopefully she can break halfway decent.”
Baffert will send out another one of his top fillies, Show Card. She got her first taste of stakes action last out when finishing a distant last in the G2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita.
“She was overanxious that day,” Baffert notes. “She missed a sprint here; the timing was off. We’re going to give her one more chance to go long.”
Show Card had won back-to-back races going into the ‘Oaks’, both at six-furlongs.
Ascendancy is coming into the Tranquility Lake off of a third-place finish in the $100,000 Osunitas last time out. She got beat that day by Ag Bullet, who aired in a grade two stakes race back at Kentucky Downs Saturday. She had been entered in the G3 Rancho Bernardo but scratched out when Sweet Azteca entered the race.
“Obviously, I’m just trying to find the easiest spot,” trainer O.J. Jauregui says. “This spot was a little different. But she’s doing great, that’s why I want to make the right decision. She’s been training really well. She’s really adapted good here at Del Mar. I’m very excited how she’s been doing.”
The daughter of Classic Empire won up at Pleasanton this summer taking the $50,000 She’s A Tiger Stakes, then returned to the turf in the Osunitas.
“It seems like she needs to go farther,” Jauregui states. “Del Mar is tough as always. I’m looking for these restricted stakes because she’s still eligible.”
The Tranquility Lake is the third race on the 11-race holiday card Monday. Probable post time is 2:30 p.m.
Cal Bred Juvenile Fillies In The Spotlight In Generous Portion
Next weekend, the top 2-year-olds on the West Coast will be on display but before we get to that, top 2-year-old Cal-breds get the spotlight in the $100,000 Generous Portion for juvenile fillies at Del Mar Monday.
The top three finishers in the C.T.B.A Stakes are back for the Generous Portion. The winner, In the Air Tonight, finished 5 ¼ lengths to the best of the runner-up, Thirsty Mama, and another 2 ½ back to the third-place finisher, Thirsty in Vegas. Steve Knapp trains the first- and third-place finishers.
“She seems to be improving all the time,” Knapp says about In the Air Tonight. “I think the extra distance is going to be just fine for her. It would have been nice if we hadn’t drawn the one hole, but that’s the way it goes.”
Common consensus tells you if you’re in the one hole in a sprint race it’s best to send them, to get out of there as quick as possible.
“She got left in the gate last time is why she was so far back,” Knapp contends. “She had her head turned and they opened the gate, so she was a little farther back than we like but they’re going to go fast in this race early.”
Thirsty in Vegas was up on the pace and gave way when confronted by her stablemate in mid-stretch.
“I think she’s going to run a better race than she ran in the C.T.B.A,” Knapp states. “I missed some time with her with an infection in her leg but now she’s training really well.”
Like Knapp’s horses, Thirsty Mama is also a daughter of Stay Thirsty. She broke her maiden at Santa Anita in June before her runner-up finish in the C.T.B.A last out.
Cayucos is expected to be one of those up on the lead. She broke her maiden at first asking, going wire-to-wire at Del Mar last month. She’s a daughter of Omaha Beach.
“That has special meaning,” says trainer Richard Mandella who trained Omaha Beach during his brief but impressive career. “They can go short or long. We’ve been happy with the breed. I wish we had more of them.”
Hot Girl Walk tangled with Cayucos inher debut race at Del Mar and came up second best
“Mandella’s horse was highly touted,” trainer Carla Gaines says. “Somebody told me she outworked Ruby Nell. Cayucos had the one hole and broke well and went around the track like a rat in a barrel. Just didn’t have any interference. We broke slowly, got caught wide around the turn and couldn’t catch her. That filly could probably run in open company.”
Hot Girl Walk returned in three weeks and aired.
“We loved her the second time for sure and she didn’t fail us,” trainer Carla Gaines recalls. “It’s a thing like you’re here, they’re doing well. Do I like running a 2-year-old back every three weeks, no. But we’re going to strike while the iron’s hot.”
It was Hot Girl Walk’s work immediately following the maiden score that opened a lot of eyes.
“It was a beautiful work,” Gaines notes. “There were four or five horses in front of her and she broke off about five lengths back. She was going to have a comfortable breeze by herself, but she got focused on catching those horses and she passed everyone. Then galloping out, something came up along her side and she took off again.”
Hot Girl Walk stopped the clock at 46 and four for four furlongs, the fastest of 106 other works that day.
The 32nd running of the Generous Portion is the fifth race on the 11-race holiday program. It’s the last of this weekend’s nine stakes races. Probable post time is 3:30 p.m.
COOLING OUT
Jockey Juan Hernandez all but put a cap on this summer’s jockey’s race at Del Mar, scoring another three victories Saturday to up his total to 40, 14 better than runner-up Antonio Fresu…
Speed Boat Beach continued his preparations to get back to the races. The winner of the G1 Malibu breezed six furlongs in 1:11.40 Friday on the Del Mar main track. Trainer Bob Baffert says he has not decided yet on where or when the 2022 G3 Cecil B. DeMille winner will return…
Notable works for Sunday:
DIRT
Linda’s Gift (4f, :48.00); Balladeer (5f, 1:00.80); Easter (5f, 1:00.80); Getaway Car (5f, :59.60); Kirstenbosch (5f, 1:00.80), and Two Rivers Over (5f, 1:03.80).TURF
Zona Verde (3f, :36.40); Iscreamuscream (4f, :51.20), and King of Gosford (4f, :48.80).A total of 200 horses put in official works at Del Mar on Sunday, 27 on the grass.
