Mr Fisk gallops July 17 at Del Mar (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Six-Pack of 3-Year-Old Colts Square Off on Sunday
Del Mar Stable Notes by Jim Charvat
DEL MAR, Calif.— The Labor Day weekend stakes action at Del Mar continues Sunday with the $125,000 Shared Belief. The one-mile test on the main track attracted a field of six, two from the Bob Baffert barn.
Mr Fisk is the morning line favorite despite his 10th place finish in his most recent start, the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar. It was his first attempt on the lawn.
“He misbehaved in the paddock and got hot,” Baffert says. “We’ve been schooling him a lot. He’s a nice horse who ran a big race, a second to Geaux Rocket Ride at Santa Anita.”
That was two races back when the son of Arrogate ran second in the $100,000 Affirmed. There were thoughts of making a run in the Triple Crown with Mr Fisk. He was switched from Baffert to Tim Yakteen in early spring, but a sixth-place finish in the G2 San Felipe, a key prep for the G2 Santa Anita Derby, squashed that plan.
His stablemate, Tahoe Sunrise is a son of American Pharoah, who was a runner up in an entry level allowance at Del Mar last time out.
“We’re not sure how far he wants to go,” Baffert says. “I was going to run him seven-eighths in an allowance race but (trainer Mark) Glatt had that Dr. Venkman who I knew was going to be tough. I want to see how he handles two turns.”
The competition is expected to come from Henry Q, a son of Blame who has been knocking heads with some of the best in the division this year. He ran third in the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park in May and fifth in the G3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown in June.
“He’s traveled all over the country,” trainer Doug O’Neill says. “The last time he ran out of his own stall on the dirt, he won. So, we’re hoping to make that back-to-back.”
Last out Henry Q ran sixth in the G3 La Jolla at Del Mar when O’Neill tried him on the turf for the first time.
“He didn’t run bad,” O’Neill says. “He only got beat by three lengths and I thought he had a good effort but we’re going back to the dirt. We’re putting blinkers on him, and we’re excited about him. It’s not an easy race but he’s doing well.”
The Shared Belief, named after the late 2014 Pacific Classic winner, is the seventh race on the 11-race Sunday card. Approximate post time is 4:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning odds:
1. Tahoe Sunrise (Victor Espinoza, 4-1)
2. Clouseau (Hector Berrios, 6-1)
3. Henry Q (Antonio Fresu, 5/2)
4. Low Expectations (Mario Gutierrez, 12-1)
5. Smart Mo (Joe Bravo, 3-1)
6. Mr Fisk (Juan Hernandez, 2-1)
COOLING OUT
Jockey Flavien Prat, who was in to ride Arabian Knight in the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic, had a riding triple Saturday. The former leading rider at Del Mar calls New York his base these days. His agent, Brad Pegram, says Prat will return to ride at Del Mar next Sunday (Sept. 10) …
Congratulations to Dan Smith, Art Wilson, and Bob Ike. They picked Arabian Knight to win the Pacific Classic in the Notes’ Media Survey…
Notable works for Sunday:
DIRT
Carmelita’s Man (4f, :48.60)
Desert Dawn (4f, :49.00)
Dr. Schivel (4f, :49.20)
Elm Drive (4f, :47.80)
American Theorem (5f, :59.60)
Kings River Knight (5f, 1:01.80)
Prince of Monaco (5f, :59.40)
Reincarnate (5f, :59.40)
Speed Boat Beach (5f, 1:00.80)
TURF
Closing Remarks (4f, :49:00)
Masteroffoxhounds (4f, :50.00)
There were 186 horses who put in official works, 18 on the turf.
