SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LEADERS
Totals for Santa Anita and Los Alamitos thoroughbred meets since Dec. 26
Jockeys / Wins
Juan Hernandez / 87
Antonio Fresu / 66
Hector Berrios / 63
Umberto Rispoli / 63
Armando Ayuso / 55
Kyle Frey / 49
Tiago Pereira / 45
Flavien Prat / 44
Kazushi Kimura / 36
Edwin Maldonado / 28
Trainers / Wins
Mark Glatt / 46
Bob Baffert / 43
Phil D’Amato / 41
Michael McCarthy / 35
John Sadler / 35
Jeff Mullins / 34
Steve Knapp / 32
Doug O’Neill / 32
Richard Baltas / 20
Bob Hess Jr. / 20
UPCOMING STAKES
DEL MAR
Friday
• $100,000 Oceanside Stakes, 3-year-olds, 1 mile on turf
Saturday
• $200,000, Grade II San Clemente Handicap, 3-year-old fillies, 1 mile on turf
• $100,000 Wickerr Stakes, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile on turf
Sunday
• $100,000 Osunitas Stakes, fillies and mares, 3 and up, 1 mile on turf
DOWN THE STRETCH
• Fans at Del Mar on opening weekend will keep an eye on Monmouth Park in New Jersey, where California’s best horse will be racing Saturday. Journalism (Umberto Rispoli riding) is 4-5 on the morning line against seven other 3-year-olds going 1⅛ miles in the $1 million, Grade I Haskell Stakes. It’s the Michael McCarthy-trained Santa Anita Derby and Preakness winner’s return from a short break following his second to Sovereignty in the Belmont Stakes. The top competition comes from three horses Journalism has outrun before: 4-1 Goal Oriented (Flavien Prat), a bumpy fourth in the Preakness; 9-2 Gosger (Luis Saez), caught at the wire at Pimlico, and Burnham Square (Brian Hernandez Jr.), sixth in the Kentucky Derby while Sovereignty and Journalism ran first and second. Goal Oriented could give trainer Bob Baffert his 10th Haskell win.
• Journalism’s next shot at Sovereignty could come in the Aug. 23 Travers at Saratoga. Sovereignty is scheduled to return in the July 26 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.
• The first four stakes of Del Mar’s July 18-Sept. 7 season all are 1-mile turf races. The distance gives an advantage to horses from inside posts, and winners have often made their moves turning for home. That won’t hurt the chances of 9-5 morning-line favorite Iron Man Cal and Antonio Fresu, who can save ground from post 3 and rally against Day and Age and Mike Smith.
• Ten people to watch at Del Mar based on their history there and recent form: Jockeys Juan Hernandez, Fresu, Rispoli, Hector Berrios and Kazushi Kimura, and trainers Phil D’Amato, Baffert, John Sadler, Mark Glatt and Doug O’Neill.
• Additions to the Del Mar betting menu this season: A third pick-four (on races 4-7 on opening day and weekends), a $3-minimum pick-three with lower-than-normal 15% takeout (last three races each day), and a $5-minimum double with 15% takeout (last two races daily). All of the races in the $3 pick-three Friday drew 10 or more entries, as did all of the races in the late pick-five; this would be the first time in more than two months at a California track that 10-plus horses started in any three consecutive races.
• Breeders’ Cup prospect watch: Far Bridge ($3.10) and jockey Joel Rosario dominated the Grade II Bowling Green for trainer Miguel Clement at Saratoga on Saturday. The 5-year-old jumped to No. 10 in this week’s National Thoroughbred Racing Association rankings and is a leading U.S. contender for the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 1. The Breeders’ Cup is Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
— Kevin Modesti
