Order and Law was authoritative in last year’s edition of the Cougar II (Benoit Photo)
Del Mar Stable Notes
DEL MAR, Calif.— There’s nothing like a little graded stakes action to kick off the new week. Racing resumes at Del Mar on Thursday with the longest stakes race of the meet, the G3 Cougar II. It’s a mile and a half on the dirt for 3-year-olds and up.
Last year’s winner was Order and Law and trainer Bob Hess is taking a swing at winning the Cougar II in back-to-back years with Dual Threat, a 5-year-old gelding by Into Mischief. Unlike Order and Law, he’s never gone the marathon distance and his best showing was his last, a victory in a $50,000 starter/optional claimer at Santa Anita.
“He’s kind of a lazy horse so I think the added ground will help,” Hess says. “Order and Law is probably a better horse but this horse (Duel Threat) has never gone a mile and a half so we’re hoping he’ll relish the distance.”
Even if he gets the distance he’ll still have to deal with Reincarnate from the Bob Baffert barn. A Derby horse in 2023, the son of Good Magic has been tested by some of the best in several graded stakes races. He’s run up against the likes of Saudi Crown, Silver Knott, Newgate, and Skippylongstocking.
“I really think he’s going to like that distance,” Baffert says. “He needs a mile and a quarter, a mile and a half. It’ll probably be a springboard for the Pacific Classic.”
Following his run in the Kentucky Derby, when he finished 13th, Reincarnate returned to the West Coast and won the Los Alamitos Derby but then he jumped in deep waters, running sixth in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby before testing the turf and running ninth in the G2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Breeders’ Cup weekend.
He’s shown flashes of brilliance this year, running third in the Santa Anita Handicap, fourth of 11 in the G2 Oaklawn Handicap and then a runner-up finish to stablemate Mr. Fisk in the G2 Hollywood Gold Cup last out. Baffert believes with the experience under his belt, the stretch out may be just what the doctor ordered for Reincarnate.
“He’s maturing,” Baffert notes, “He’s a really good horse.”
Salesman is the morning line favorite. The Richard Mandella trainee is the only one in the field to have run the distance. In fact, he went even farther, covering a mile and five-eighths in his win on Breeders’ Cup day in the G2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Santa Anita. He’s only run once since, a last place finish in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap.
“He’s had a few issues,” Mandella says, “no big deals. He is in good shape right now. He’s always shown endurance in his workouts. He can go forever.
Calm Sea is riding a two-race win streak, climbing the condition ladder with victories in an entry-level allowance and then a second-level allowance his last time out. They’ve all come on the turf but trainer George Papaprodromou isn’t concerned with the surface switch.
“Just trying something different,” he says. “He’s been training good on the dirt. He’s been running long, a mile and a quarter several times, so I don’t think the distance should be an issue. It’s a mile and a half. It should be okay.”
A six-horse field will line up for the Cougar II, named after the Hall of Fame horse from the 1970’s. It’s the seventh race on the eight-race card. Probable post is 5 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with their jockeys: Calm Sea (Kyle Frey); Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso); Reincarnate (Juan Hernandez); Salesman (Kazushi Kimura); Dual Threat (Edwin Maldonado) and Clooney (Tiago Pereira).
