Del Mar Stable Notes July 20, 2018

DMTC News – From the Wire —-

SPOUSE OR SHEIK? BAFFERT STAYS STRESS FREE TRAINING FOR BOTH

The question regarding Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 San Diego Handicap was one only Bob Baffert was qualified to ponder.

“Is it a bigger stressor to train a horse for your wife, or for one of the richest and most powerful men in the world?”

That’s the situation the Hall of Fame conditioner is in as he prepares to send out Dr. Dorr, owned by his wife Jill, and Dabster, owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a member of the royal family of Dubai and first cousin to the country’s ruler.

It didn’t take long for Baffert to dismiss one of the possibilities.

“Training for my wife, there’s no pressure there,” Baffert said. “We breed them and race them for fun and the horse has been good enough that it’s been enjoyable for both of us.”

Dr. Dorr, a 5-year-old gelded son of Lookin At Lucky, the 2009 Del Mar Futurity winner, out of the Unusual Heat mare Jax El, was bred in Kentucky by Madeline Auerbach, the late Jack Klugman and Bob Baffert. Dr. Dorr has five wins in 13 career starts and earnings of $388,320. Three of the wins, two of them in stakes, were accomplished in five starts this year.

He was a four-length winner in a $75,000 overnight stakes at Santa Anita in March, and followed that up with an impressive seven-length score in the Grade II Californian in May. Dr. Dorr was second to Accelerate in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita in late May, then shipped east for an unsuccessful run in the Grade II Suburban at Belmont Park two weeks ago.

Dabster, a $1 million purchase at auction in 2016, is a four-year-old son of Curlin who crossed under the wire in front in four of six starts but was disqualified and placed fourth in one. His two losses have come in graded stakes, the Malibu on December 26 of last year and the San Carlos on June 23 at Santa Anita.

Baffert, whose only San Diego victory came with Fed Biz in 2014, had planned to run another Sheikh Mohammed color bearer, Mubtaahij, in the San Diego, but a fever as the entry deadline approached forced a scratch. Mubtaahij will be pointed to the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic on August 18, the signature event of the summer season and the race for which the San Diego is a major prep. The San Diego will be run as the seventh on a 10-race card.

Sharp Samurai and Prince Arabia were scratched Friday morning. Sharp Samurai is entered in Sunday’s Grade II $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes.

The field from the rail: Catalina Cruiser (Drayden Van Dyke, 8-1), Dr. Dorr (Joe Talamo, 5-1), Two Thirty Five (Franklin Ceballos, 6-1), Curlin Rules (Tyler Baze, 20-1), Accelerate (Victor Espinoza, 8-5), El Huerfano (Tyler Conner, 20-1), Dabster (Flavien Prat, 8-1) and Harlan Punch (Martin Pedroza, 8-1).
________________________________________

ANIMOSITY COULD BE A GOOD THING IN GRADE II SAN CLEMENTE

Animosity, a lightly-raced daughter of Animal Kingdom owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, will concede experience to several of the 12 other entrants, but still figures to be a major factor in Saturday’s Grade II $200,000 San Clemente Stakes.

The one-mile grass test for 3-year-old fillies, a stepping stone to the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday, August 18, will be run as the eighth on a 10-race card.

Animosity notched a debut victory at Santa Anita in March and followed up with another in May at Golden Gate Fields. Stepped up to stakes for the Grade II Honeymoon at Santa Anita, she set the pace in the 1 1/8 mile turf race at odds of 10-1 before being passed in the stretch by Paved.

“It’s a good competitive race and she’s only had three runs, but she’s doing well and she’s done nothing wrong so far,” said trainer Paddy Gallagher.

Streak of Luck was scratched Friday, reducing the field to 13.

The field from the rail: Rockin Ready (Joe Talamo, 8-1), Ms Bad Behavior (Kent Desormeaux, 9-2), Flammetta (Geovanni Franco, 12-1), Miss Sienna (Mike Smith, 5-1), Ahimsa (Evin Roman, 30-1), Dulce Ride (Rafael Bejarano, 20-1), Animosity (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1), West Palm Beach (Flavien Prat, 6-1), War Heroine (Tyler Baze, 6-1), Pursuing The Dream (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Lexington Grace (Gary Stevens, 15-1), Ms Peintour (Stewart Elliott, 20-1) and Ollie’s Candy (Corey Nakatani, 6-1).
________________________________________

DEFENDING CHAMPION HUNT IS SECOND CHOICE FOR EDDIE READ

Michael House’s 6-year-old Irish-bred grass specialist Hunt drew the No. 7 post and was established as the 3-1 second choice behind 5-2 favorite Itsinthepost in a field of 11 for Sunday’s Grade II $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes.

Hunt, trained by Phil D’Amato and ridden by Flavien Prat, followed up the Eddie Read victory with one in the Grade II Del Mar Handicap to be named the top grass horse of the 2017 Summer Meeting and comes into the race off a victory in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile on May 28 at Santa Anita in his 2018 debut.

Itsinthepost, trained by Jeff Mullins and ridden by Tyler Baze, started his 2018 campaign in January and has four wins, all in Grade II stakes, in five starts. The 6-year-old, French-bred gelding’s only loss was a third place result when shipped to Keeneland for the Elkhorn Stakes in April.

An interesting long shot is Peter Miller-trained Multiplier (20-1). The 4-year-old son of The Factor, won the 2017 Illinois Derby and raced in the Preakness (6th) and Belmont Stakes (10th) in 2017 and was switched from dirt to grass two months ago after nine dirt starts.

A victory in an allowance at Santa Anita prompted a try in the Grade I Manhattan at Belmont Park in June in which Multiplier was a non-factor.

“He’s bred for the grass and he seems to like it, but he’s a little bit of a goof off,” Miller said. “Victor Espinoza said in the Manhattan he ran like a green 2-year-old. We’re going to put the blinkers on and we feel that if we can get him to focus, he’ll run a big race.”

The field from the rail: True Valour (Jamie Spencer, 15-1), Next Shares (Rafael Bejarano, 8-1), Flamboyant (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Bowies Hero (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Sharp Samurai (Gary Stevens, 7-2), Catapult (Drayden Van Dyke, 15-1), Hunt (Flavien Prat, 3-1), Multiplier (Victor Espinoza, 20-1), Itsinthepost (Tyler Baze, 5-2), Prime Attraction (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1) and Fashion Business (Joe Talamo, 15-1).
________________________________________

CONQUEST TSUNAMI WILL BE THE ONE TO CATCH IN SUNDAY’S WICKERR

Gary Barber’s Conquest Tsunami drew the No. 11 post in a capacity field of 14 and was established as the 7-2 morning line favorite by oddsmaker Russ Hudak for Sunday’s $75,000 Wickerr Stakes.

A 6-year-old gelded son of Stormy Atlantic, Conquest Tsunami was trained by Mark Casse and raced mostly on the East Coast and Canada before being sent to Peter Miller for his 2018 campaign. Turf sprint wins in an allowance and the Grade III Daytona at Santa Anita prompted a trip to Dubai and a third-place finish in the $1 million Al Quoz Sprint in March.

Rested until June, Conquest Tsunami made his comeback with a second to Disco Partner in the Grade II Jaipur at Belmont Park. Of $683,066 in career earnings for Conquest Tsumani, $304,800 have come in 2018.

The Wickerr, at a mile on the turf, is at least a sixteenth of a mile farther than Conquest Tsunami has run in over two years.

“He’ll be out there on the lead winging,” Miller said. “We’ll take them as fast as we can as far as we can.”

The field from the rail: Gold Rush Dancer (Evin Roman, 30-1), Forever Juanito (Agapito Delgadillo, 20-1), Cistron (Tyler Baze, 12-1), Giant Payday (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1), Editore (Brice Blanc, 6-1), Isotherm (Geovanni Franco, 20-1), Tule Fog (Santiago Gonzalez, 20-1), Liam the Charmer (Tyler Conner, 20-1), Big Score (Rafael Bejarano, 9-2), Colonist (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), Conquest Tsunami (Victor Espinoza, 7-2), Perfectly Majestic (Corey Nakatani, 8-1), Double Touch (Gary Stevens, 20-1) and Bombard (Flavien Prat, 6-1).
________________________________________

CLOSERS– Selected works from 203 officially timed Friday morning: Beau Recall (4f, :49.20), All Out Blitz (5f, :59.80), B Squared (5f, 1:02.00), Gone to Bali (5f, :59.80), Marley’s Freedom (5f, 1:00.00), McKale (5f, 1:00.00), Pavel (5f, 1:02.80), Take the One O One (5f, 1:01.00), Tariq (5f, 1:02.20) and La Force (5f, 1:01.60) … The weekend handicapping seminars are set to commence. On Saturday, handicapper John Boal will provide insights and picks. Sunday, Emily Gullikson will be the guest of host Frank Scatoni. The seminars are conducted at the Seaside Terrace near the top of the stretch.