DEL MAR NOTEBOOK
AUGUST 8, 2008
by John Mucciolo
The reappearance of the mighty ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire]) headlined the week
at Del Mar as the undefeated filly went postward as the prohibitive choice in
the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch H. (G2). The John Shirreffs trainee saved ground
early in the 1 1/16-mile contest before asserting herself in the lane, drawing
off once clear to post an impressive one-length victory beneath Mike Smith. The Mr. and
Mrs. Jerry Moss homebred set a track mark in completing this affair in 1:41 2/5,
and it causes one to wonder if she’ll ever lose.
Double Down Stable’s BLACK MAMBA (NZ) (Black Minnaloushe) exuded class in
posting a fairly easy half-length score in the $400,000 John C. Mabee H. (G1)
over the firm turf on Sunday. The talented five-year-old, who has now strung
together back-to-back graded wins for John Sadler, always looked like a winner
and needed only to find room in the latter stages to add the Grade 1 conquer to
her resume. Piloted by Garrett Gomez, the mare got 1 1/8 miles over the firm sod
in a smart 1:47.
Track Stats
From a total of 51 races held over the coastal racetrack during the week,
favorites won at a 29 percent clip and the top two betting choices combined for
51 percent of the wins. From 43 frays contested on the Polytrack, 15 animals
won in wire-to-wire fashion (35 percent), while one of the eight grassy tussles
went all the way on the lead (12 percent).
Speed on the main oval was excellent for the week, and we noticed that it was
especially advantageous early in the card compared to later races. The final
times are much quicker than that of the inaugural meet with Polytrack, and it’s
obvious the surface is much tighter than 2007. With that said, it still means
that biases can occur and that this particular footing could be manipulated
with, squashing the idea that synthetics are more consistent than other grounds.
The public has adjusted well to this meet in a short time, evidenced by the
high percentage of favorites as of late. I have yet to be so fortunate.
Meet Totals
|
RACES: |
|
154 |
|
POLY: |
|
117 |
|
TURF: |
|
37 |
|
FAVORITES: |
|
37 (24 percent) |
|
2ND CHOICES: |
|
39 (25 percent) |
|
TURF WIRE: |
|
5 (13 percent) |
|
DIRT WIRE: |
|
32 (27 percent) |
Post Positions (wins)
|
RAIL: |
|
17 |
|
1-3: |
|
62 |
|
4-6: |
|
54 |
|
7-out: |
|
40 |
HORSES TO WATCH
Wednesday (7/23)
8TH — CATALINA FOG (Lit de Justice) ran a winning race in defeat on this
occasion and will get the job done before long. The Danny Velasquez pupil did
everything right before being collared in the late stages in his runner-up
showing.
Thursday (7/31)
7TH — Grade 1 vixen CRY AND CATCH ME (Street Cry [Ire]) showed us enough on
this day to give her a big chance for Bob Baffert in her next engagement. The
sophomore miss, who was unraced since the fall, showed decent early gas at a
distance well less than her best and was far from humiliated over this unique
oval.
Saturday (8/2)
4TH — SMOOTH PERFORMER (Benchmark) is a pretty solid California-bred and
made fairly short work of her elders on this day, posting a convincing, 2
1/4-length win for Clifford Sise Jr.
5TH — GINOBILI (In Excess [Ire]) was long overdue for a win, and it was good
to see the incredibly consistent gelding crack through in here. Sometimes the
light switch turns on when a horse crosses the wire first, so we’ll consider the
three-year-old a value play in his subsequent try.
7TH — LAUNCH THE BULL (Holy Bull) displayed excellent early speed in his
debut for Peter Miller, and since we thought this way a deep race going in,
we’ll tab the colt in his return.
9TH — It’s a pretty safe conclusion to say that MODEL (Giant’s Causeway)
likes Del Mar, as the Neil Drysdale trainee ran the race of her life in here.
Following a win over this surface two weeks prior, the filly finished more than
five lengths clear of an especially smart cast at big odds.
Sunday (8/3)
1ST — STATHY (Unusual Heat) won as the favorite in here, but we would not be
quick to fall in love with the Gary Mandella charge. The gelding beat little in
this field while coming home in an ordinary :12 3/5.
6TH — MONTANA FIELDS (Pulpit) took a ton of early action in her debut when
third, but didn’t disappoint as the odds-on choice in here for Jerry
Hollendorfer, taking this one by nearly three at the wire. Her trainer has been
superb in Southern California over the past six months, so we’ll surely keep a
close eye on this talented freshman.
Monday (8/4)
6TH — SNOW ON CHRISTMAS (Harlan’s Holiday) responded very well when passed
in the lane and won going away for Steve Knapp. The sophomore lass ran big in
her first outing since November and could have room for improvement.
8TH — The Bobby Frankel-trained SOLO PIANO (Empire Maker) showed some
ability in finishing just more than a length from taking her debut in the Monday
finale. The debuting filly couldn’t have better bloodlines and is bred to run
all day — we’ll look forward to her upcoming races.
A Look Ahead
A pair of graded events for the boys highlight the upcoming weekend at Del
Mar. The big event is Sunday’s $150,000 Best Pal S. (G2), for juveniles on the
main oval. The impressive Azul Leon (Lion Heart) will represent Doug O’ Neill.
The marquee attraction on Saturday is the $150,000 La Jolla H. (G2) for
three-year-olds on the turf.