Del Mar Daily Notebook

DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK

SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2005

by Brian P. Turner

Though five were scheduled, a mere field of four two-year-olds went to the

post for Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong Best Pal S. (G2). The race lost a bit of luster

when A. P. Warrior (A.P. Indy), a $1.3 million purchase who was an impressive

winner in his first career start, was scratched.

As it was, the Bob Baffert-trained WHAT A SONG (Songandaprayer) was sent to

the gate by the betting public as the favorite. When the gates sprang open, the

dark bay bounded to the lead but was immediately collared by Corazondelcampeon

(Comic Strip) and jockey Victor Espinoza allowed the challenger to go past. As

the field neared the turn though, What A Song moved back up to regain the lead

and was quickly joined by BASHERT (Tiger Ridge), who had been content to lay a

bit off the pace early.

Once the field hit the stretch, it became a two-horse race as Bashert made

his run. The bay just didn't have enough in the tank, though, as What A Song

continued to hold off his rival to the wire for a 2 3/4-length victory. It was

another 6 1/2 lengths back to maiden Plug Me In (Hold For Gold) in third as

Corazondelcampeon faded to finish last.

There were five sprints contested on the main track today and horses on or

near the pace won three of them. In addition, there were two routes and both

were won by front runners. As for the two turf routes, one was won by a front

runner in impressive fashion while the other was won by a horse closing from

last and in equally impressive fashion.

The top of the jockey standings is getting to be pretty crowded. Garrett

Gomez picked up a win on the day to take the lead with 26 winners for the meet.

Espinoza picked up two wins on the day giving him 25 and moving him into a tie

for the second spot with Patrick Valenzuela. Alex Solis had an outstanding day

as well as he booted home three winners and is in fourth with 18.

As for the trainers, Baffert picked up an additional win on the day to go

with What A Song in the feature, giving him 12 for the meet. Jeff Mullins picked

up a win on the day as well with a very promising two-year-old filly which

allowed him to keep pace with Baffert and the pair is currently tied for the top

spot. Doug O'Neill is in third with 10.

Horses to Watch

3RD - GREAT OPINIONS (Rahy) put in a very solid performance while breaking

her maiden in this special weight grass contest. The three-year-old filly was

content to lay at the back of the pack through somewhat pedestrian early

fractions of :24 2/5 and :49 4/5 before coming wide in the stretch with a

blazing turn of foot and under a confident ride by Solis to hit the finish three

parts of a length in front.

6TH - WILD FIT (Wild Wonder) put in a nice performance in her career debut as

she rallied from well off the pace and mowed down the field through the stretch

to hit the wire four lengths in front. Trainer Jeff Mullins is not particularly

well known for having his runners fully cranked in their first start but this

two-year-old filly was absolutely dazzling and could prove to be any sort.

7TH - SWING THE CAT (NZ) (Tale of The Cat) put in a visually impressive

performance in this optional-claiming grass event as she sprinted to the lead

early, guiding the field through early fractions of :23 and :46 while on a three

length lead. Once the field hit neared the final turn, the bay actually widened

her lead to the point that the closers had no shot of running her down through

the stretch and she easily held on late to hit the wire 1 1/2 lengths in front.

Tomorrow's Outlook - Monday, August 15

Monday's featured race is a Cal-bred optional-claiming event for

three-year-olds and up going six furlongs on the main track. A field of eight is

set to go to the post headed by the coupled entry of EXCESS TEMPTATIONS (In

Excess [Ire]) and EXCESS TAXES (In Excess [Ire]). In addition to sharing

ownership, the pair also shares lineage as they are full brothers.

Monday's forecast calls for clouds in the morning giving way to partly sunny

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

Monday's Best Plays

5TH - HIGHEST HONOREE (Double Honor) appears to be a standout in this 6

1/2-furlong claiming event. The four-year-old filly has reeled off two wins in a

row, one via disqualification, and her BRIS ratings top the field. The chestnut

holds an advantage of more than five points in the BRIS Prime Power category and

her BRIS Speed ratings over the last couple of starts tower over this bunch.

Highest Honoree's BRIS Pace Ratings indicate that she should be able to handle

the speediest of this bunch and still have plenty left at the end for the run to

the wire. Trainer Vladimir Cerin has been red hot this meet as he has won with

27 percent of his starters. David Flores has been enlisted for the ride and he

and Cerin have combined for a 19 percent win rate over the last 60 days with an

R.O.I. of + $1.38 for every $2.00 wagered.

7TH - Excess Temptations and Excess Taxes appear to be a formidable

combination in this optional-claiming event. Novelties aside, the pair is at the

top of most of the BRIS ratings categories in this race. Excess Temptations tops

the field in BRIS Prime Power and in the BRIS Class rating. In addition, the

bay's BRIS Speed Last Race rating is the best in the field.

Excess Taxes is second in BRIS Prime Power and has the second best BRIS Speed

Last Race rating. A look at the BRIS Pace ratings of Excess Taxes indicates that

he should be in a good position off the pace early with plenty left at the end

for the run to the wire.