Del Mar Report #5

3 Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: Lady of Shamrock (KY) – This one was an easy choice for first star of the week.  Lady of Shamrock won her second straight Grade 1 race Saturday when rallying from last to first in the Del Mar Oaks.  The final margin of victory was only a half-length, but there was no doubting she was much the best in this race.  Considering she also had to go six wide to begin her stretch rally, it made the win even more impressive.  It’s obvious Lady Shamrock can go any distance you ask her too as well.  She has now won six of ten races, with three of those being Graded Stakes wins.

– 2nd Star: Winding Way (KY) – Three in a row, and counting!  Winding Way had an eventful start to the race, but finished strong.  She turned her head, hesitated, hopped, and broke  behind the field in the Rancho Bernardo Handicap on Sunday, but still overcame all of it, and got up to win her first Graded race by a half-length.  The win was her second in a row at the six and one half furlong distance, and will most likely propel her to a race against even stiffer competition next time out.

– 3rd Star: Lady Ten (KY) – By Bob Baffert standards Del Mar has been a slow meet, but Lady Ten was able to grab a stakes win for him Friday in stylish fashion.  Lady Ten showed tremendous heart in winning the Sandy Blue Handicap.  She stalked the lead for most of the race, took a short lead in the stretch, and then battled between horses to squeak out a neck victory.  I’m not sure how talented this horse is, but any horse that lays it on the line like that should be applauded.  It was her third lifetime win, and first stakes win of her career.

Flop of the Week

– Eden’s Moon (FL) – After a strong turf debut when winning the Grade 2 San Clemente Handicap it looked like Eden’s Moon and found new life, but in Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks she regressed.  She set a decent pace, and came up empty down the stretch losing by five lengths and finishing fifth.  Moving forward she has a lot of options, but still hasn’t proven she can win against the top class in her division.

Trainer Standings

Rank	Trainer Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Doug F. O’Neill	82	18	10	11	$778,516		22%	39	48%
2	Peter Miller	60	16	10	11	$713,730		27%	37	62%
3	Bob Baffert	51	12	7	8	$944,142		24%	27	53%
3	John W. Sadler	71	12	9	8	$870,344		17%	29	41%
5	Barry Abrams	47	8	5	2	$383,910		17%	15	32%
6	Jeff Mullins	31	7	4	5	$363,350		23%	16	52%
7	Thomas F. Proctor	17	6	1	3	$366,920		35%	10	59%
7	Carla Gaines	19	6	1	2	$345,870		32%	9	47%
9	Ronald W. Ellis	18	5	2	2	$454,770		28%	9	50%
9	Mark Glatt	28	5	5	3	$314,250		18%	13	46%
9	Mike Puype	34	5	8	0	$296,264		15%	13	38%
9	Mike R. Mitchell	36	5	6	3	$227,020		14%	14	39%
9	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	22	5	3	2	$162,390		23%	10	45%

Jockey Standings

Rank	Jockey Name	Sts	1st	2nd	3rd	Total $		Win%	Top3	Top3%
1	Rafael Bejarano	152	40	26	26	$2,402,658		26%	92	61%
2	Garrett K. Gomez	145	29	15	32	$1,708,268		20%	76	52%
3	Joseph Talamo	151	26	20	21	$1,634,612		17%	67	44%
4	Edwin A. Maldonado	117	14	18	12	$758,704		12%	44	38%
5	Martin Garcia	114	13	17	11	$785,060		11%	41	36%
6	Corey S. Nakatani	82	12	9	10	$755,136		15%	31	38%
7	Victor Espinoza	109	11	24	12	$870,670		10%	47	43%
8	Juan J. Hernandez	80	8	8	6	$317,560		10%	22	28%
9	Martin A. Pedroza	94	7	9	8	$422,130		7%	24	26%
9	Kevin Krigger	74	7	6	9	$418,668		9%	22	30%
11	Mike E. Smith	37	6	6	2	$727,530		16%	14	38%
11	David Romero Flores	74	6	6	10	$452,857		8%	22	30%
11	Eswan Flores	98	6	11	12	$348,174		6%	29	30%
14	Agapito Delgadillo	59	5	7	6	$241,150		8%	18	31%
14	Chantal Sutherland	37	5	2	5	$210,088		14%	12	32%

Preview to Next Week

– The Del Mar Handicap (Grade 2) – Saturday – Three year olds and upward – 1 3/8th miles (turf) – $200,000

– The Pat O’Brien Stakes (Grade 2) – Sunday – Three year olds and upward – Seven furlongs – $250,000

– The Del Mar Mile (Grade 2) – Sunday – Three year olds and upward – One Mile (Turf) – $200,000

– The Pacific Classic (Grade 1) – Sunday –  Three year olds and upward – 1 1/4th miles – $1,000,000