Speed on display Friday in Del Mar’s Turf Headliner

August 12, 2021

DEL MAR, Calif.— Fast young horses will take to the grass Friday at Del Mar in the featured allowance event on the eight-race program.

Eight 3-year-olds who can pick them up and put them down will compete over five furlongs on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course for a $76,000 pot. They’ll do so with the track’s rail at its maximum extension – 30 feet – which puts an extra premium on speed.

(Del Mar has five different positions with its inner turf rail – 0’ – 12’ – 18’ – 24’ – 30’. As its meet goes along and the inner path on the course wears down through use, the rail is moved out to allow the inner positions to grow fully back. Currently the 30’ setting means that the width across the course is narrowed, thus giving frontrunners an advantage over closers who don’t have as much room to swing out and maneuver late.)

Several of the runners in the Friday headliner sport premium speed, but perhaps none more so than Downstream Racing’s comebacking Good With People. The California-bred colt by Curlin to Mischief was a double stakes winner at Del Mar last year and was last was out on May 15 at Santa Anita when he used his speed to win a six-furlong allowance race on the main track. He’s won four of 10 overall starts and shows earnings of $320,520.

Good With People has a couple of other things in his corner for his Friday return. He’s conditioned by Del Mar’s leading trainer, Peter Miller, and he’ll be ridden for the first time by the track’s leading rider, Flavien Prat.

Others in the lineup who can check the speed box are Nguyen or Tran’s Commander Khai, Gary Barber’s Love My Jimmy, Bryan Carney’s Poso Creek and Lea Farms’ Willy Boi. The early part of the five-panel heat figures to be furious in nature.

Here’s the full field for the feature from the rail out with riders, owners and morning line odds:

1. River Tiber (Abel Cedillo, Aldabbagh or C T R Stables, 8-1)
2. Good With People (3-1)
3. Commander Khai (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
4. Love My Jimmy (Kyle Frey, 10-1)
5. Beer Can Man (Juan Hernandez, Little Red Feather Racing or Sterling, 7/2)
6. Harbored Memories (Jose Valdivia, Jr., Slugo Racing or Bar C Racing Stables, 7/2)
7. Poso Creek (Wayne Barnett, 30-1)
8. Willy Boi (Joe Bravo, 4-1)

Friday’s at Del Mar are “Four O’Clock Fridays,” meaning first post is moved from the usual 2 p.m. to a 4 p.m. start.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Press Release

Photo: Good With People (Benoit Photos)

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