Del Mar Daily Notebook

DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2005

by Brian P. Turner

A mere field of five went to the gate for Thursday's 6 1/2-furlong

optional-claiming event for fillies and mares, three-years-old and up. Siphon

Honey (Siphon [Brz]) was sent off as the favorite but encountered trouble before

the field ever got into the starting gate. The six-year-old mare was behind the

gate, preparing to load, when she reared and flipped over backward. Jockey

Patrick Valenzuela showed a great deal of agility to get out of the way at the

last moment and avoid serious injury. Surprisingly, the track vet cleared Siphon

Honey to run and allowed her and Valenzuela to go to the post as scheduled.

In the end, FREAKIN STREAKIN (Tactical Advantage) contested early fractions

that went in :21 4/5 and :44 2/5 before scampering away late to hit the finish

line two lengths in front. Long shot Dawn's Angel (General Meeting) rallied from

off the pace and hit the stretch full of run. The bay could not chase down the

winner though and was forced to settle for second, two lengths in front of

Champ's Rocket (Fabulous Champ) in third.

After contesting the pace early, Siphon Honey faded to finish another two

lengths back in fourth.

Valenzuela picked up another win on the day to widen his lead atop the jockey

standings and now has 17 winners for the meet. Both Garrett Gomez and Victor

Espinoza went winless on the day and are still tied for second having booted

home 14 winners each.

There was no change today atop the trainer standings so Bob Baffert and Jeff

Mullins are still tied with eight winners apiece. Julio Canani picked up a win

on the day to move into a tie with Doug O'Neill for the third spot in the

trainer standings. The pair has six winners each.

There were five sprints contested on the main track on Thursday with horses

on or near the pace winning four of them. In addition, there were three route

races and horses on or near the pace won two of these. For the first time this

meet, there were no turf races scheduled on the day.

Horses to Watch

1ST - GUIDEBOOK (Notebook) looked extremely impressive in her first start for

trainer Mike Mitchell. The five-year-old mare was coming off back-to-back dismal

performances where she beat one horse over the course of the two races. The move

to Mitchell's barn though seemed to revive the mare as she took the lead early

in this eight-furlong claiming event and never looked back, crossing the finish

line with a nine-length margin of victory.

3RD - COSMIC LADY (High Brite) vied for the lead throughout in this $20,000

claiming event. The three-year-old filly contested early fractions of :22 1/5

and :44 1/5 before opening up in the stretch drive to hit the wire seven lengths

clear of the field. Trainer Molly Pearson claimed the gray out of the race so

she will be making her next start for a new, but very capable, barn.

6TH - DIAMOND FOR KACI (Diamond For King [Fr]) put in a very impressive

career debut for trainer Michael Machowsky as she moved up to vie for the lead

early in this maiden claiming event and guided the field through early fractions

of :21 3/5 and :44 2/5. Once the dark bay hit the stretch, she opened up on the

field to hit the wire 7 1/2 lengths in front. Diamond For Kaci was claimed out

of the event and one has to wonder if the connections are now having second

thoughts about running her for a tag as she could have been extremely

competitive at the special weight level.

Tomorrow's Outlook - Friday, August 5

A field of nine is set to go to the post for Friday's feature, an

eight-furlong main track allowance event for fillies and mares three-year-old

and up. TWO TIMES WON (Memo [Chi]) holds interesting possibilities as she will

be making the move from Cal-bred stakes company into open allowance company.

Friday's forecast calls for a few passing clouds in the morning giving way to

sunny skies in the afternoon and highs in the mid- to upper 70s.

Friday's Best Plays

3RD - CHAIRMAN'S AGENDA (Souvenir Copy) will be making her second start for

trainer Jeff Bonde, who wins 25 percent of the time in the "2nd Start with

Trainer" category. The four-year-old filly's BRIS Prime Power Rating, BRIS Class

Rating and BRIS Speed Ratings are at the top of the field. A look at her BRIS

Pace Ratings indicate that she should be lying on or near the lead early and

have plenty left at the end for jockey Victor Espinoza to have her in front at

the finish.

4TH - SILVER RECALL (Bertrando) has been putting in some very impressive

times recently over the Del Mar strip in preparation for his debut in this

Cal-bred maiden special event. In addition to his works being fast, they have

also been steady, dating back to the early part of June. Bertrando's progeny win

a respectable 13 percent of the time when making their first start and the dam,

Instant Recall (Silver Deputy), has had three winners from three starters.

Espinoza has the call on Silver Recall, who has a respectable chance in this

field at what should be a very square price.