Del Mar Report #5

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: SHARLA RAE – Evidently the key to winning Grade 1 races on the turf for three year old fillies is to stay away from Lady Eli!  That seemed to be the theme last weekend, and Sharla Rae was no different as she took home the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Saturday.  This was her first win since the California Oaks at Golden Gate Fields in early February, and was a bit of a surprise as she won at a price of 6-1.  The win give her five wins in thirteen starts as well as earning close to $500,000.

– 2nd Star: PRETTY N COOL – The thought going into the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes was the Pretty N Cool was the best 2 year old filly in California, and after she left little doubt that she is just that.  The race was basically a workman like effort as she easily put away the field under confident handling by jockey Martin Garcia.  How far she can run is still in question, as well as if she can match up with the likes of Just Wicked and Tap To It on the east coast.  However, on the west coast there doesn’t look like there will be much competition.

– 3rd Star: CURLIN’S FOX – She might not be the most consistent horse you’ll ever see, but when she runs her best race she can be tough to beat.  After finishing a disappointing ninth last time out Curlin’s Fox wasted no time going to the front in the Sandy Blue Handicap and never looked back as she destroyed the field by over four lengths.  She obviously has some issues physically that has caused some poor performances, but hopefully they are figured out now.  A return to graded stakes action should be in the cards for this one.

Flop of the Week

– SPIRIT OF XIAN – She went off as the big favorite in the Sandy Blue Handicap, but failed to fire and finished an even fourth far back from the winner.  She basically had speed throughout the race and pressed Curlin’s Fox, but had no answer at the top of the stretch.

Preview to Next Week