Neige Blanche (#4 center) beats Queen Ofthe Temple (#2 outside) to the wire by a neck in the Possibly Perfect (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Del Mar Stable Notes By Jim Charvat
DEL MAR, Calif.— When last they met, Neige Blanche (FR) was out finishing Queen Ofthe Temple by a neck in a driving finish in the $100,000 Possibly Perfect at Santa Anita in June. One could argue that the difference was Queen ofthe Temple being fanned four wide at the top of the lane.
The two will hook up again Friday in the $100,000 CTT & TOC turf marathon at Del Mar. The California Thoroughbred Trainers and Thoroughbred Owners of California is a mile and three-eighths on the grass.
Neige Blanche won the race two years ago and returned to run in last year’s edition, finishing a disappointing fifth. She’s now a 6-year-old but still running as good as ever.
“The key is not to over train them,” trainer Leonard Powell says. “She had a very nice break for the winter, and she managed to win off the layoff which was very satisfying. This year we started her campaign late, so she’ll have a light campaign. Just keeping her happy; especially with fillies and mares it’s very important to keep their spirits up.”
It will be exactly two months since she last raced when she goes in the gate Friday evening.
“We didn’t have a choice,” Powell reflects. “There were no distance races in between. But it should fit her accordingly because she ran well fresh last time.”
Meanwhile Queen Ofthe Temple and her trainer Dan Blacker have been pointing to this race and a rematch with Neige Blanche.
‘It just depends on the pace scenario,” Blacker notes. “We’re going to be aggressive with her out of the gate. That’s the tactic we’ve used with most success. She’s a grinder so she’s got to be up close to the pace. You never know, we might end up on the lead but I’m going to tell Joe (Bravo) to just put her up in the race, get her up close, and hopefully that will work out for us.”
The daughter of Temple City has run four races this year and finished first or second all four times.
“I think just maturity,” Blacker says about Queen ofthe Temple’s success this year. “She’s gotten better as she gets older and wiser. She’s just a hard knocking, tough filly that tries hard every time and we’re really thankful to have her.”
No turf race at Del Mar would be complete without one or two Philip D’Amato horses in it. He brings Oakhurst and Eylara to this dance.
Oakhurst won a second-level allowance race at Del Mar on opening weekend. It was her first race in nearly six months. She only missed by a length while finishing fourth in the G1 American Oaks at Santa Anita on the day after Christmas.
Eylara is an Irish-bred who raced in New York last year for trainer Christophe Clement. She raced as a 2- and a 3-year-old in Ireland. Her first time out for D’Amato she won an entry level allowance test at Del Mar last month.
Sister Otoole from the Graham Motion barn is back to defend her crown. She came from far out of it to get up and win last year’s CTT & TOC. She left after that and ran third in the G3 Dowager at Keeneland before returning to Del Mar and going off the favorite in the G3 Red Carpet last fall. She would finish fourth.
Motion put her on the shelf for a well-deserved freshening, bringing her back in an optional claiming allowance at Saratoga last month where she came in fifth.
The CTT & TOC is Race #7 on the eight-race Friday evening card. The approximate post time is 6:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds:
1. Symphony Perfect (Juan Hernandez, 6-1)
2. Happy Happy (Tiago Pereira, 20-1)
3. Oakhurst (Hector Berrios, 6-1)
4. Queen ofthe Temple (Joe Bravo, 3-1)
5. Paris Peacock (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1)
6. Neige Blanche (Diego Herrera, 5-2)
7. Eylara (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
8. Myfavoritedaughter (Ramon Vasquez, 15-1)
9. Sister Otoole (Antonio Fresu, 6-1)
