Del Mar Daily Notebook

DEL MAR DAILY NOTEBOOK

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2006

by Brian P. Turner

Though Del Mar is winding down for the year, the action on Monday proved that

things are far from over. Not only was there an offering of three stakes races

on the card, but a bit of history was made as well.

The featured event on the day came in the 8TH as a field of eight

two-year-old fillies went to the gate for Monday's seven-furlong Del Mar

Debutante S. (G1). The Bob Baffert-trained POINT ASHLEY (Point Given) was sent

to the gate as the favorite off her impressive effort last out, where she led

the field from gate to wire for an easy 4 1/4-length victory while posting an

impressive 100 BRIS Speed rating.

When the field left the gate, Mistical Plan (Game Plan) bounded to the front

as she attempted to lead the field from gate to wire. By the time she covered

the first quarter in :21 1/5, she had opened up a 3 1/2-length lead on the

field. Jump On In (Jump Start) was content to lie in second early, 2 1/2 lengths

in front of Point Ashley in third. After covering the half in :44, it became

quickly apparent that Mistical Plan was through. Point Ashley came under a ride

and moved up to take the lead off the turn before widening her lead through the

stretch to cross the finish line 2 1/2 lengths in front.

Untouched Talent (Storm Cat), who was coming off a solid three-length victory

in the Sorrento S. (G3) here on August 5, rallied from off the pace and finished

well late to cross the wire in second, a nose in front of She's Included

(Include) in third.

Also on Monday, a field of five, including one coupled entry, went to the

post for the I'm Smokin S. for Cal-bred two-year-olds going six furlongs. The

Carla Gaines-trained duo of Street Lights (High Brite) and SPOT THE DIPLOMAT

(Worldly Manner) was sent to the post as the overwhelming favorite. Spot The

Diplomat was coming off of an impressive 1 1/4-length score in the Graduation S.

here on July 26 and Street Lights was coming off a nice maiden score here

earlier in the meet where he posted a very solid 91 BRIS Speed rating. It

appeared that either one of them was capable of having his picture taken.

When the gates sprang open, Spot the Diplomat took the lead with Street

Lights hot on his tail as the pair maintained their positions through opening

fractions of :22 3/5 and :45 4/5. Once they hit the stretch, the pair continued

to the wire just the way they started as Spot The Diplomat continued on to the

finish line for an easy 2 3/4-length victory over his entrymate. It was another

6 1/2 lengths back to Zoning In (Bertrando) in third.

Rounding out the stakes action, a field of six contested the Windy Sands H.

for three-year-olds and up going eight furlongs on the main track. Sinister

Minister (Old Trieste) was sent to the post as the favorite off his amazing

performance in the Blue Grass S. (G1) at Keeneland back in April. The

three-year-old colt broke a step slow at the start of the Windy Sands but was

quickly rushed up to take the lead as he guided the field through opening

fractions of :22 4/5 and :46 while being pressed every step of the way by Keep

On Punching (Silver Deputy). As the field hit the stretch though, Sinister

Minister packed it in while PREACHINATTHEBAR (Silver Charm) rallied from off the

pace and finished gamely to cross the finish line 1 1/4 lengths in front.

Preachinatthebar was coming off a dismal showing the in the Pacific Classic

(G1) where he finished eighth, beaten by 13 lengths, but the gray found the

competition more to his liking here as he tacked on another stakes victory to

his resume.

Longshot Romeo Plus (Arg) (Alpha Plus) finished well late to pick up the

place, 3 1/4 lengths in front of Southern Africa (Cape Town) in third. It was

another 2 3/4 lengths back to Sinister Minister in fourth.

There were five sprints contested on the main track Monday with horses on or

near the pace winning four of them. As for the three dirt routes, two were won

by horses closing from off the pace. In addition, there were two turf routes on

the day, with one being won by a stalker and the other by a runner closing from

off the pace.

Victor Espinoza already had the jockey title all sewn up, but that wasn't

enough as he decided to carve out a little piece of history for himself today.

He concluded Sunday's card with a victory and then visited the winner's circle

in each of the first six races on the card on Monday, giving him seven wins in a

row which tied the record set by the late Bill Shoemaker. After finishing third

in the 7TH race, Espinoza returned to win the 8TH race aboard Point Ashley which

gave him the record all to himself for most wins in one day at Del Mar with

seven. This impressive run gives Espinoza 62 wins for the meet. Martin Garcia

continues to sit out his suspension but remains in second with 35. Corey

Nakatani added one to his total today to move into a tie with Alex Solis for the

third spot. The pair has 30 winners each.

In the trainer standings, Doug O'Neill went winless on the day but continues

to lead the way with 18 winners for the meet. Jeff Mullins had one runner on the

day, but it did not reach the winner's circle and he remains in second with 16.

Baffert saddled a total of three winners on the day, all in tandem with

Espinoza, to take sole possession of the third spot with 15.

Horses to Watch

1ST - Spot The Diplomat has now reeled off three impressive victories in a

row, two of which have come against stakes company. The two-year-old gelding

will be a threat regardless of where he shows up next.

2ND - SPECIFIC RULE (Tribal Rule) was extremely impressive in his first start

for trainer Mike Mitchell in this state-bred maiden claiming event. The

two-year-old gelding took the lead out of the gate, guiding the field through

opening fractions of :22 and :45 3/5, before opening up in the stretch drive for

an easy five-length victory.

5TH - SWISS SKI (Swiss Yodeler) had a very nice performance in this Cal-bred

maiden special weight event as he stalked the pace early through opening

fractions of :22 2/5 and :46 2/5 before opening up in the stretch drive for an

easy 3 1/2-length victory. The bay could pose a serious threat in his next

start, especially against fellow state-breds.

6TH - MALT MAGIC (Cherokee Run) absolutely dominated the field in this

eight-furlong maiden special weight event. The two-year-old colt took the lead

out of the gate and guided the field through early fractions of :22 3/5 and :46

3/5. On the far turn, the dark bay opened up on the field and eventually hit the

finish line 9 1/2 lengths in front.

NOTE: The dominating victories by both Swiss Ski and Malt Magic are of extra

interest because both of them came up well short of Black Seventeen (Is It True)

in their last start. Malt Magic finished second, beaten by 8 1/4 lengths, while

Swiss Ski finished fifth, beaten by 13 lengths. Not only is this turning out to

be a key race but also may be serving as an indicator that Black Seventeen is

something special.

Outlook for Wednesday, September 6

Wednesday will bring a conclusion to the 2006 Del Mar meet but the Southern

California track will be going out in style as there will be a total of three

stakes races offered on the card. The highlighted event of the day will be the

Del Mar Futurity (G2) for two-year-olds going seven furlongs. A field of seven

is scheduled to go to the gate and features many of the talented young juveniles

we have seen compete over the course of the meet. GREAT HUNTER (Aptitude) will

be looking for his first graded stakes victory after finishing second in each of

his two attempts at that level. The dark bay rallied from off the pace in the

Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. (G3) to miss by 2 3/4 lengths then returned

in the Best Pal S. (G2) with another off the pace effort to miss by three

lengths to the talented Principle Secret (Sea Of Secrets). If he gets the right

pace in front of him, Great Hunter could definitely pick up his first graded

stakes victory here.

PRIME RULER (Orientate) overcame a troubled start in his career debut where

he was forced to steady early which left him 12 lengths off the lead at the

first call of the race. The bay gradually began to make up ground on the field

and closed with a tremendous turn of foot through the stretch to hit the finish

line 2 1/2 lengths in front. This was an extremely impressive effort given the

trouble he encountered and a repeat of that performance would land him in the

winner's circle here. STORMELLO (Stormy Atlantic) followed up his impressive 3

1/2-length maiden score here on July 29 with a third-place finish in the Best

Pal. If the chestnut continues to move forward, he could definitely have an

impact here.

HORSE GREELEY (Mr. Greeley) had the misfortune of tangling with the

aforementioned Principle Secret in his career debut. The chestnut performed

admirably in that event as he finished second against a very talented group of

two-year-olds. Horse Greeley returned on August 12 to easily break his maiden by

four lengths and he definitely rates a chance here. CAPED FOR FLIGHT (Cape Town)

finished fourth behind Prime Ruler in his debut before coming back to break his

maiden by three-quarters of a length. The dark bay posted solid BRIS Speed

ratings in each effort and could definitely have an impact here.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER (Mr. Greeley) will be looking to rebound off a fifth-place

effort in the Best Pal while LUCKY THIRTEEN (Swiss Yodeler) is coming off a

maiden score against state-breds.

A field of nine is scheduled to go to the gate for the Pirate's Bounty H. for

three-year-olds and up going six furlongs. Grade 1 winner CAPTAIN SQUIRE (Flying

Chevron) will be looking to add to his stakes resume here. The seven-year-old

gelding is coming off a nice 1 1/2-length score here on July 31 against

allowance/optional claiming company. The bay is the speed of the field and they

will have to catch him to beat him.

AREYOUTALKINTOME (Smokester) finished second to Captain Squire in that

allowance/optional claiming event before coming back for a respectable

third-place showing in the Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup H. (G2). The dark bay is in

good form now and could definitely have an impact with his best. Former Southern

California-based jockey Kent Desormeaux will be returning to Del Mar for the

meet's conclusion and will be reuniting with JET WEST (Western Fame), with whom

he has had some success in the past. Jet West finished third in this year's

Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1), a half-length in front of Captain Squire. The bay

is coming off a lackluster effort at Pleasanton but definitely rates a chance

with a return to his prior form.

STRAWBERRY LAKE (Arg) (Salt Lake) will be making his first start in North

America after compiling a pretty impressive record in South America. The

chestnut comes in as a bit of an unknown factor and it will be interesting to

see how he performs.

Finally, a field of 12 is set to contest the CERF H. for fillies and mares,

three-years-old and up, going six furlongs. TRUE AND TRUE (Is It True) is coming

off a nice second-place effort in the Rancho Bernardo H. (G3) where she was

beaten by 3 1/4 lengths. This was only the bay's second start of her career on

the main track and a repeat of that effort definitely makes her a contender

here.

YODELADYTOO (Swiss Yodeler) is a perfect two for two for the meet with her

most recent victory coming against allowance/optional claiming company where she

led from gate to wire for a six-length victory. The chestnut has been in fine

form since moving into the barn of Bill Spawr and definitely rates a solid

chance here. VIKKI'S HONOR (Bartok [Ire]) returned from the layoff last out

ready to roll as she gamely vied for the lead throughout en route to a game neck

victory here against allowance company. If the dark bay moves forward off that

effort it will make her a contender.

VICTORY SPY (Victory Gallop) is coming off a solid 2 3/4-length victory here

on the grass against allowance/optional claiming company. The bay broke her

maiden here on the main track last year and is more than capable of claiming the

victory with her best.

Wednesday's forecast calls for sunny skies with highs in the mid-70s.

Wednesday's Best Plays

1ST - SORCERERS SPELL (Royal Academy) will be making the "turf to dirt" move

and taking a drop in class for trainer Michael Machowsky in this maiden claiming

event. The three-year-old gelding attempted to lead a maiden special weight

field from gate to wire on the grass last out only to come up 3 1/4 lengths

short. The gelding's BRIS Pace ratings indicate that he is the speed of the

field and should be able to dictate things on the lead. Sorcerers Spell tops the

field in BRIS Prime Power and is near the top of the field in BRIS Class rating

while his best BRIS Speed rating earned on the main track is also the best of

this bunch.

8TH - Prime Ruler put in one of the most visually impressive performances of

the meet when breaking his maiden here on August 5. In that effort, the bay

posted the best BRIS Speed rating among this field, even with the trouble he

faced at the start. The bay has come back with three solid works since that race

which includes a clocking of :47 2/5 here on August 31.