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Del Mar Stable Notes By Jim Charvat
DEL MAR, Calif.—Trainer Doug O’Neill is off to a hot start at Del Mar this summer. The 55-year old conditioner rang-up five victories in Week One of the meet and leads defending champs Phil D’Amato and Bob Baffert, who both notched four victories last week.
“We have fresh horses coming in,” O’Neill says. “The conditions came in in the first book and I have an excellent team of hot walkers, grooms and exercise riders. So many things have to go right but the horses settled in, the staff settled in and the races are going our way. It goes in cycles but right now it’s a good cycle.”
O’Neill has a string of about 50 horses in his barn at Del Mar and he’s feeling good about the meet. He’s especially excited about his undefeated Cal-bred, Ceiling Crusher, who has won her last two races by a combined 32½ lengths. She took the $150,000 Evening Jewel by 15 ½ lengths and the $150,000 Melair by 17. The 3-year-old daughter of Mr. Big has drawn post #3 in today’s $175,000 Fleet Treat.
“We’re trying to keep her undefeated,” O’Neill says. “She’s doing really well and hopefully things will go her way.
“We got her privately after her first start. She came to us in great shape. Credit to the owners who bought her. They’ve been extremely patient. We’ve had great spacing between her races and she’s continued to be a brilliant racehorse.”
Even O’Neill admits he didn’t know how good Ceiling Crusher could be.
“You never know,” he says. “She’s got the look of being a really good horse and she has the connections. John Brocklebank and Louis Mendez are great horsemen. They’re the ones who bought her as a young horse and developed her into what she is. I knew she had a great foundation but we never dreamt she’d be as good as she’s becoming.”
O’Neill says he has some nice babies in the barn, too.
“We have a Cal-bred named Refocus who will hopefully be part of the stakes calendar here,” O’Neill says. “We have Wilson Q and we have a bunch of firsters coming.”
Wilson Q is a 2-year-old son of Constitution who ran second in the Bashford Manor at Ellis Park.
The star of the barn is Slow Down Andy, last year’s G2 Del Mar Derby winner. In addition to being named top 3-year-old at the 2022 summer meet at Del Mar, ‘Andy’ won the Sunland Derby and finished third in both the G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita and in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.
O’Neill gave the son of Nyquist some time off after the Breeders’ Cup and brought him back in the G1 Met Mile at Belmont Park in June where he finished sixth. Now he’s back on the West Coast and is entered to run this weekend.
“He’s doing well,” O’Neill says. “As long as he stays injury free we’re looking at the San Diego.”
The G2 San Diego Handicap is this Saturday at Del Mar. Horses who do well in the race typically go on to the G1 Fanduel Pacific Classic September 2.
