Del Mar Report #7

Three Stars of the Week

– 1st Star: STELLAR WIND – Welcome back into the three year old filly dirt division! John Sadler has been very patient with this filly and didn’t push her to some of the big summer races in the division which could have set her up for big fall campaign. The Torrey Pines Stakes may have been the most powerful win yet with the result never seeming to be in doubt as she was very professional in victory. The Zenyatta Stakes could now be a real possibility as you would think now it would be a prep for the Breeders Cup Distaff.

– 2nd Star: GIMME DA LUTE – It was a little harder than expected, but in the end Gimme Da Lute kept his winning streak alive in the El Cajon Stakes (REPLAY) over his pesky stable mate in Fame and Power. These types of races, and a perhaps a small step bigger than this one, fit this horse perfectly. He’s turned out to be as honest as they come, and with the same smart spotting he’ll continue to win races. He’s probably not ready to tackle the big dogs in the division, but he’s extremely handy and would be a fun horse to own.

– 3rd Star: POINT PIPER – After finishing eighth last time out in an allowance race it was very hard to see Point Piper winning the Harry F. Burbaker Stakes, however he did just that and paid $62.00 to win. He tracked the pace for much of the race and got through to win in a professional way by about a half length. It’s hard to say what’s next for him as this was just his second race in California and his first stakes try. Is he a horse on the rise, or was this race a total fluke?

Flop of the Week

– OBEY – There really was not a performance this week worthy of this category, but I guess the effort by Obey in the Generous Portion Stakes left a little to be desired. However, the horse is only two and will probably bounce back. Tough to knock her too much.

Trainer Standings	Jockey Standings
1. Jerry Hollendorfer – 20	1. Rafael Bejarano – 33
2. Peter Miller – 15	2. Joe Talamo – 26
3. Doug O’Neill – 14	3. Tyler Baze – 23
4. Phillip D’Amato – 12	4. Mario Gutierrez – 21
4. Richard Baltas – 12	4. Santiago Gonzalez – 21
6. Bob Baffert – 11	6. Flavien Prat – 20
6. John Sadler – 11	7. Martin Garcia – 18
8. Robert Hess Jr. – 10	8. Corey Nakatani – 16
8. Mike Puype – 10	9. Kent Desormeaux – 14

Preview to Next Week

Wed. Sep. 2nd	Tranquility Lake Stakes Fillies and mares, three years old and upward, N/W S/S $50,000 at 1 M o/o since February 1	$80,000 Added One Mile
Fri. Sep. 4th	I’M SMOKIN STAKES Two-year-olds, bred in CA	$150,000 Guaranteed Six Furlongs
Sat. Sep. 5th	DEL MAR DEBUTANTE (Gr. I) Fillies, two years old	$300,000 Guaranteed Seven Furlongs
Sat. Sep. 5th	DEL MAR JUVENILE TURF Two-year-olds	$100,000 Guaranteed One Mile (Turf)
Sun. Sep. 6th	YELLOW RIBBON HANDICAP (Gr. II) Fillies and mares, three years old and upward	$200,000 Guaranteed 1 1/16 Miles (Turf)
Sun. Sep. 6th	DEL MAR DERBY (Gr. II) Three-year-olds	$250,000 Guaranteed 1 1/8 Miles (Turf)
Sun. Sep. 6th	C.E.R.F. Stakes Fillies and mares, three years old and upward, N/W S/S $50,000 since March 1	$80,000 Added Six Furlongs
Mon. Sep. 7th	Pirate’s Bounty Stakes Three-year-olds and upward, N/W S/S $50,000 since March 1	$80,000 Added Six Furlongs
Mon. Sep. 7th	DEL MAR JUVENILE FILLIES TURF Fillies, two-year-olds	$100,000 Guaranteed One Mile (Turf)
Mon. Sep. 7th	DEL MAR FUTURITY (Gr. I) Two-year-olds	$300,000 Guaranteed Seven Furlongs