Three Stars of the Week
– 1st Star: Tiz Flirtatious (CA) – This may have been the performance of the meet so far! Tiz Flirtatious was absolutely dominate in winning the John C. Mabee Stakes on Sunday, using a devastating closing kick to blow away a nice horse in Lady of Shamrock by almost three lengths. Even more impressive may have been the fact that she was in hand for the entire race, as jockey Julien Leparoux never asked her to move a muscle. Tiz Flirtatious has become one of the best female turf runners in the country, and this win will probably spring-board her into the mix for the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Turf in November. She’ll most likely run in a prep race at Santa Anita next, and then the Breeders Cup.
– 2nd Star: Dice Flavor (KY) – After three fairly disappointing races, Dice Flavor returned to form on Saturday as he just got up in time to nip Den’s Legacy at the wire and win the La Jolla Stakes. It was Dice Flavor’s first win on turf since breaking his maiden at Hollywood Park in December, after he had probably been too aggressively campaigned when trying a few tough synthetic races. You would think that turf would be the plan from now on, and the Del Mar Derby has already been mentioned, which runs on September 1st. He will most likely go off as a short price in that race.
– 3rd Star: Den’s Legacy (FL) – Although he finished second to Dice Flavor in the La Jolla, he still ran a very solid race. It was nice to see him bounce back from a disappointing race in the Oceanside Stakes, as he showed us all once again what he’s all about…a hard trying horse that just lacks the talent to actually win one of these big races. However, he is a respectable and versatile horse, as he has hit the board in major stakes races on turf, dirt, and synthetic. With that kind of track record his options are endless, so it’s really anyone’s guess where he might end up next. The horse has now hit the board in 11 of 15 starts, but has only won twice.
Flop of the Week
– Freakin Rocket (KY) – For the second straight time he went off at a low price in a Del Mar turf stakes, and for the second straight time he was disappointing. Going off as the 5/2 favorite this time, Freakin Rocket showed nice early speed, but faded badly finishing 7th in the La Jolla Stakes on Saturday. After two dominating wins on the synthetic surface at Hollywood, he’s followed it up with two bad races on the turf. Perhaps a return to synthetics is what this horse needs.
Trainer Standings
Rank | Trainer Name | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total $ | Win% | Top3 | Top3% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John W. Sadler | 81 | 14 | 16 | 12 | $1,127,604 | 17% | 42 | 52% | |
2 | Bob Baffert | 52 | 12 | 11 | 5 | $860,290 | 23% | 28 | 54% | |
3 | Jerry Hollendorfer | 45 | 11 | 4 | 6 | $729,170 | 24% | 21 | 47% | |
4 | Doug F. O’Neill | 71 | 10 | 13 | 11 | $781,650 | 14% | 34 | 48% | |
5 | Peter Miller | 50 | 8 | 9 | 5 | $467,632 | 16% | 22 | 44% | |
5 | Mike R. Mitchell | 37 | 8 | 5 | 4 | $333,862 | 22% | 17 | 46% | |
7 | Victor L. Garcia | 13 | 5 | 4 | 0 | $212,238 | 38% | 9 | 69% | |
8 | Tim Yakteen | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1 | $246,396 | 33% | 6 | 50% | |
8 | Leonard Powell | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $163,760 | 67% | 4 | 67% | |
8 | Dan L. Hendricks | 15 | 4 | 0 | 2 | $143,536 | 27% | 6 | 40% | |
8 | Vann Belvoir | 20 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $95,980 | 20% | 8 | 40% | |
12 | Michael Pender | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | $334,490 | 30% | 6 | 60% | |
12 | Mike Puype | 30 | 3 | 5 | 3 | $283,000 | 10% | 11 | 37% | |
12 | Thomas F. Proctor | 17 | 3 | 3 | 3 | $280,410 | 18% | 9 | 53% | |
12 | Jeff Mullins | 26 | 3 | 7 | 1 | $262,924 | 12% | 11 | 42% | |
12 | Mark Glatt | 19 | 3 | 2 | 3 | $205,440 | 16% | 8 | 42% | |
12 | Simon Callaghan | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | $195,820 | 25% | 4 | 33% | |
12 | J. Eric Kruljac | 27 | 3 | 2 | 4 | $170,680 | 11% | 9 | 33% | |
12 | Richard E. Mandella | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | $159,930 | 27% | 4 | 36% | |
12 | Cody Autrey | 23 | 3 | 5 | 3 | $156,940 | 13% | 11 | 48% | |
12 | Art Sherman | 14 | 3 | 1 | 4 | $134,322 | 21% | 8 | 57 |
Jockey Standings
Rank | Jockey Name | Sts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Total $ | Win% | Top3 | Top3% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rafael Bejarano | 139 | 29 | 26 | 16 | $1,783,870 | 21% | 71 | 51% | |
2 | Julien R. Leparoux | 76 | 16 | 7 | 12 | $1,107,068 | 21% | 35 | 46% | |
2 | Martin Garcia | 81 | 16 | 10 | 7 | $886,692 | 20% | 33 | 41% | |
4 | Edwin A. Maldonado | 115 | 15 | 14 | 12 | $824,636 | 13% | 41 | 36% | |
5 | Mario Gutierrez | 71 | 13 | 9 | 7 | $686,512 | 18% | 29 | 41% | |
6 | Victor Espinoza | 86 | 11 | 18 | 10 | $918,444 | 13% | 39 | 45% | |
6 | Gary L. Stevens | 35 | 11 | 4 | 3 | $720,994 | 31% | 18 | 51% | |
8 | Corey S. Nakatani | 73 | 9 | 8 | 14 | $870,632 | 12% | 31 | 42% | |
8 | Joseph Talamo | 134 | 9 | 21 | 19 | $864,870 | 7% | 49 | 37% | |
10 | Agapito Delgadillo | 59 | 6 | 5 | 10 | $312,676 | 10% | 21 | 36% | |
10 | Martin A. Pedroza | 74 | 6 | 2 | 9 | $263,402 | 8% | 17 | 23% | |
12 | Irving Orozco | 71 | 5 | 6 | 13 | $335,292 | 7% | 24 | 34% | |
13 | Joel Rosario | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | $160,674 | 44% | 5 | 56% | |
14 | Mike E. Smith | 43 | 3 | 5 | 3 | $475,780 | 7% | 11 | 26% | |
14 | Alex Bisono | 23 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $137,540 | 13% | 6 | 26% | |
14 | Alberto Delgado | 21 | 3 | 2 | 4 | $134,010 | 14% | 9 | 43% | |
14 | Chantal Sutherland-Kruse | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $92,250 | 20% | 5 | 33% |
Preview to Next Week
– Wednesday: The Green Flash Handicap – 3 Year Olds and Upward – Five Furlongs (Turf) – Purse: $90,000
– Friday: The Sandy Blue Handicap – 3 Year Old Fillies – One Mile (Turf) – Purse: $90,000
– Saturday: The Del Mar Oaks (Grade 1) – 3 Year Old Fillies – 1 1/8 Miles (Turf) – Purse: $300,000
– Sunday: The Rancho Bernardo Handicap (Grade 3) – Fillies and Mares 3 Year Olds and Upward – 6 1/2 Furlongs – Purse: $150,000
– Sunday: The Solana Beach Handicap – Fillies and Mares 3 Year Olds and Upward (Cal Breds) – 1 Mile (Turf) – Purse: $150,000