Del Mar Report #1

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Jeranimo (FL) – What a great way for a tough California horse to kick off the Del Mar meet.  Jeranimo was a huge last to first winner in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes on Saturday, which was his second Grade 1 victory, but first going farther than a mile.  At one point it almost looked like he had lost total contact with the field, but in what seemed like just a few strides he went from fifteen lengths behind to only three or four.  The Eddie Read wasn’t the greatest field you’ll ever see for a Grade 1, but credit should still be given to Jeranimo for getting the victory even though he did have fast fractions to close into as Slim Shadey and Fed Biz set a brutal pace.  The win was his first at Del Mar, and could set him up for another stakes towards closing weekend.

– 2nd Star: Reneesgotzip (KY) – The speedy superstar is back in a big way!  Thursday’s featured race, an allowance, played more like a Grade 1 or 2 field, and Reneesgotzip absolutely dominated.  She took the field wire to wire while setting solid fractions, and really never showed any signs of slowing down through the stretch.  The win immediately got the horse racing world talking about the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare sprint, and if this horse might be one that could give champion Groupie Doll a run for her money.  Whether she can do that or not remains to be seen, but it’s just really nice to have this ultra classy horse back on the track.  Obviously, we can expect a stakes race next time out for her.

– 3rd Star: Wishing Gate (FL) – The old pro Gary Stevens showed up again to win a Graded race, as he guided Wishing Gate to a perfect trip in winning the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes on Sunday.  The win gave Wishing Gate her first stakes win, and also her second win at Del Mar.  Wishing Gate prepped for this race at Arlington Park, where she used similar tactics sitting off the pace and pouncing for an easy score.  She was helped in this one by a fairly hot pace, but she still had to do some serious running down the lane to catch the leader.  Del Mar offers some nice races on grass for three-year old fillies, so I would expect to see her one more time this meet.  Considering her stylish win and improving talents, this one could be a force at this distance and on this surface.

Flop of the Week

– Den’s Legacy (FL) – He went off as the 2-1 favorite in the second division of the Oceanside Stakes, but in the end he was a well beaten sixth.  This was his first start on turf in seven months, but his earlier form on the grass showed that he would at least be competitive in this spot.  Den’s Legacy is starting to fall into the “what do we do with him?” category as he can’t seem to find his way to the winners circle this year.  Perhaps a return to the dirt is in the cards for him.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Bob Baffert	18	6	2	1	$305,880		33%	9	50%
2	Peter Miller	19	5	1	2	$240,090		26%	8	42%
3	Cody Autrey	10	3	3	0	$111,930		30%	6	60%
4	John W. Sadler	23	2	4	4	$324,138		9%	10	43%
4	Michael Pender	2	2	0	0	$242,400		100%	2	100%
4	Thomas F. Proctor	7	2	0	1	$149,100		29%	3	43%
4	Mike R. Mitchell	10	2	2	3	$131,220		20%	7	70%
4	Jerry Hollendorfer	11	2	1	3	$99,860		18%	6	55%
4	Vann Belvoir	7	2	0	1	$43,000		29%	3	43%
10	Jeff Mullins	8	1	2	1	$107,310		13%	4	50%
10	Carla Gaines	2	1	1	0	$87,160		50%	2	100%
10	Edward R. Freeman	2	1	1	0	$76,000		50%	2	100%
10	Doug F. O’Neill	19	1	3	1	$71,260		5%	5	26%
10	Mike Harrington	5	1	1	0	$64,030		20%	2	40%
10	Philip J. Oliver	2	1	0	0	$57,790		50%	1	50%
10	J. Eric Kruljac	9	1	1	2	$55,590		11%	4	44%
10	Mark Glatt	5	1	0	1	$53,910		20%	2	40%
10	Leonard Powell	2	1	0	0	$46,450		50%	1	50%
10	Blake R. Heap	1	1	0	0	$45,000		100%	1	100%
10	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	4	1	2	0	$43,450		25%	3	75%
10	Victor L. Garcia	2	1	0	0	$38,410		50%	1	50%
10	Walther Solis	6	1	1	0	$35,030		17%	2	33%
10	Donald Warren	3	1	0	0	$31,460		33%	1	33%
10	Howard L. Zucker	2	1	0	0	$30,420		50%	1	50%
10	Tim Yakteen	3	1	0	1	$30,346		33%	2	67%
10	Frank Lucarelli	1	1	0	0	$22,800		100%	1	100%
10	Alfredo Marquez	2	1	0	0	$15,250		50%	1	50%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Rafael Bejarano	41	12	8	6	$667,310		29%	26	63%
2	Martin Garcia	25	6	1	1	$285,240		24%	8	32%
3	Joseph Talamo	40	4	5	2	$282,818		10%	11	28%
3	Gary L. Stevens	12	4	1	0	$256,524		33%	5	42%
3	Joel Rosario	9	4	1	0	$160,674		44%	5	56%
6	Julien R. Leparoux	23	3	3	6	$269,920		13%	12	52%
7	Edwin A. Maldonado	35	2	4	4	$205,268		6%	10	29%
7	Corey S. Nakatani	14	2	2	3	$149,060		14%	7	50%
7	Mario Gutierrez	18	2	4	1	$144,670		11%	7	39%
7	Martin A. Pedroza	19	2	0	3	$53,370		11%	5	26%
11	Victor Espinoza	20	1	6	2	$248,400		5%	9	45%
11	Irving Orozco	18	1	3	4	$93,192		6%	8	44%
11	Agapito Delgadillo	13	1	0	4	$72,510		8%	5	38%
11	Kayla Stra	8	1	0	0	$28,990		13%	1	13%

Preview to Next Week

– Wednesday – The Wickerr Stakes – Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 Mile (Turf) – Purse: $90,000

– Friday – The Cougar II Handicap (Grade 3) – Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 1/2 Miles – $100,000

– Saturday – The Fleet Treat Stakes – Three Year Old State Bred Fillies – Seven Furlongs – $200,000

– Saturday – The San Diego Handicap (Grade 2) – Three Year Olds and Upward – 1 1/16 Miles – $200,000

– Sunday – The Bing Crosby Stakes (Grade 1) – Three Year Olds and Upward – Six Furlongs – $300,000