Motorious (Outside) and Turn On The Jets (inside) workout in company for Phil D’Amato at Santa Anita. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Del Mar Stable Notes By Jim Charvat
DEL MAR, Calif.—A full field of 12 will line up for what likely will be one of the quickest races on the Saturday card, the G3 Green Flash, a five-furlong sprint on the Jimmy Durante turf course. It’s a ‘Win and You’re In’ for the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita this fall.
Trainer Phil D’Amato brings a trio of sharp shooters to the race, any one of whom can win it. Turn On the Jets beat stablemate Beer Can Man by a head in a salty allowance race last month and they both return for the Green Flash. Throw in Motorious and D’Amato has a chance to match the feat he pulled off in the G2 Eddie Read earlier in the meet when his horses placed 1, 2, and 3.
“I would love to run them all in separate races,” D’Amato says. “But if I didn’t have the horses someone else would and they’d be running them in the same spot.
“Turn on the Jets is a young horse on the improve,” D’Amato continues. “He’s shown an affinity for the five-furlong turf sprints down here and I think he’s got as good a chance as any to win.”
Beer Can Man Jim McKay Turf Sprint for trainer Phil D’Amato at Pimlico on the Preakness undercard. (Jim McCue/MJC)
As for Beer Can Man, D’Amato sees no reason why he can’t turn the tables on his stablemate.
“He deserves the chance to win a ‘Win and You’re In’,” D’Amato notes. “He’s training very well. He got beat a head last time by Turn On the Jets and Ramon Vasquez is back up, so he knows him a little bit better this time.”
Motorious looks the best of the three on paper having won the G3 San Simeon at Santa Anita in March and was then runner-up to Nobals in the G2 Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.
“He’s been running against the best sprinters in the country,” D’Amato says. “He showed his class at Churchill Downs and if he’s ready to fire his best, which I think he is, he’s a horse to be reckoned with running late in the stretch.”
D’Amato doesn’t hold all the cards in the Green Flash. There are a couple of others who could find themselves in the winner’s circle afterward including Lane Way, a runner-up in this race last year. He won the $100,000 Clockers Corner at Santa Anita in January and then trainer Richard Mandella put him on the shelf.
“He needed the time off,” Mandella says. “Just tired and stiff and sore. No big problem and he’s come back training great so we’re going to jump right in.”
Bran (FR) is another one coming off of a layoff after establishing himself as a top turf sprinter last year. He was last seen a year ago when he won the $1 million G2 Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs.
“He came up a little bit off last year,” trainer John Sadler says. “We just gave him a nice, long vacation. He’s been a really good horse for us. He won a million-dollar race last year and two stakes in Southern California so we’re anxious to get him started this year. He looks better than ever.”
Bus Buzz cruising to the win in The Real Good Deal. (Ernie Belmonte/ Past The Wire)
Bus Buzz is coming off an impressive win in the Real Good Deal, a race restricted to Cal-breds last month at Del Mar. He won by four lengths that day. But that was on the dirt, so this will be a surface switch for the son of Stay Thirsty.
“It’s a Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ so maybe we’ll get lucky,” trainer Steve Knapp says. “He should like the grass. He worked once on it and did very well. If he does like the turf it opens up a lot of avenues for the horse. If he doesn’t, we go back to the dirt.”
The stages of green flash. (Brocken Inaglory/Wikimedia Commons)
The Green Flash, named after an atmospheric phenomenon, that occurs at sunset off the California coast.
The Grade 3 Green Flash goes as the ninth race of the 11-race program Saturday. Approximate post time is 5:39 p.m. PT.
Here’s the field from the rail with jockeys and morning odds:
1. Fast Buck (Diego Herrera, 6-1)
2. Kid Corleone (Kent Desormeaux, 10-1)
3. Turn On the Jets (Hector Berrios, 6-1)
4. Silent Poet (Armando Ayuso, 30-1)
5. Beer Can Man (6-1)
6. Lane Way (Mike Smith, 5-1)
7. Noble Reflection (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1)
8. Motorious (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1)
9. Cherubic Factor (Antonio Fresu, 15-1)
10. Bran (Juan Hernandez, 5-1)
11. Bus Buzz (Edwin Maldonado, 12-1)
12. Packs a Wahlop (Flavien Prat, 12-1)
AE: Helladic (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1)
AE: Mas Rapido (Joe Bravo, 20-1)
AE: Barristan the Bold (Geovanni Franco, 30-1)
COOLING OUT
Jockey Umberto Rispoli will not ride the Pacific Classic card Saturday, nor will he ride for the balance of the weekend. He’s taken off his mounts as he recovers from Thursday’s spill. He was named to ride in all 11 races, including Peroli in the Pacific Classic. Jockey Antonio Fresu has been named to ride Peroli…
Notable works for Saturday: Dirt – Charles Chrome (4f, :47.00); Laurent (4f, :49.40); Neige Blanche (4f, 49.80); Benedetta (5f, :59.80); Concord Bridge (5f, 1:00.00); Pushiness (5f, 1:01.00), and Slider (5f, :59.40). A total of 185 horses put in official works…The last day for training at Del Mar will be on Friday, September 15.
