Del Mar Wednesday Feature offers horseplayers several options
The first week is in the books and was an overall solid start despite record breaking July rain in the San Diego area. It should be back to the normal sunny and mid 70’s temperatures on Wednesday as the second week of the 2015 Del Mar summer meeting commences with a solid eight-race card headlined by the $80,000 Wickerr. The one mile restricted stakes turf event named for the Edmund Gann owned runner attracted a full field of eleven and offers horseplayers several ways to look in the third leg of the extremely popular Pick Four.
Winning Prize for trainer Neil Drysdale is listed as the 5-2 favorite by Del Mar morning line maker Russell Hudak. The six-year-old son of Pure Prize exits a fourth place effort in the Grade I Shoemaker Mile last month at Santa Anita Park and definitely merits respect. The Argentinian-bred has won 8 of 19 over his career including a 1 for 1 record at Del Mar and a 5 for 11 mark at the 8-furlong distance. Despite the solid resume, it is unclear whether the “class relief” will get him back to the winner's circle for the first time since March of 2014 when he defeated a field of 9 in the Grade I Kilroe Mile. The extreme outside draw coupled with the fact that he just may not be as fast as he was in 2013 and 2014 makes Winning Prize a vulnerable favorite in the Wickerr.
Kulik Lodge for trainer Tom Proctor is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. This lightly raced son of Curlin is an impressive 4 for 5 over his racing career, but has had issues remaining on the racetrack despite his success. In his most recent effort, he held off Twentytwentyvision, the runner-up in Saturday’s Grade I Eddie Read at Del Mar, showing the tenacity that has propelled him to four consecutive wins and three straight over Southern California grass. The five-year-old faces his toughest task to date and first ever stakes field on Wednesday. Despite the presence of Mike Smith and a strong desire to hit the wire first, he remains a suspect second choice in the Wickerr.
Global View also is scheduled to start in the $80,000 restricted stakes event for Tom Proctor. This $500,000 Keeneland September 2012 purchase was last seen in the same June 12 optional claiming event won by Kulik Lodge, in which he ran third from off the pace over the Santa Anita Park lawn. This Glen Hill Farm colt has not won since May of 2014 when he ran down Storming Inti in the Grade II American Turf at Churchill Downs. Much like a number of runners in this field, Global View’s best races may be behind him. That being said, he gets the services of Hall of Famer Gary Stevens and should be a late factor on Wednesday afternoon.
French-bred Zuri Chop is a wild card for John Sadler and Hronis Racing making his first start in the States. Listed at 5-1 on the morning line, this son of Muhaymin has won just 2 of 16 starts in France, but has six second place efforts, as well as five thirds and over $142,000 in career earnings. Evidenced by the success of multiple stakes winning colt Talco, these connections are more than capable of shipping Europeans into California and having a “load” of success. Veteran rider Kieren Fallon is just 1 for 28 thus far in 2015, but the European great gets the call on the four-year-old gelding on Wednesday.
Irish-bred Footstepsinbronze makes his stakes debut after being first or second in each of his last five starts. The latest was a length and a quarter score on June 4th at Santa Anita Park against a solid group of optional claimers. To no one’s surprise, jockey Rafael Bejarano has started off the Del Mar meet strongly. He returns to ride this four-year-old son of British-bred Footstepsinthesand for conditioner Simon Callaghan. He is 8-1 on the morning line, but will likely take money given the presence of Bejarano and his recent success in Southern California.
Wilkinson has not been seen in nearly two years, but the red-hot Jeff Mullins brings the son of Lemon Drop Kid back to the track on Wednesday in the Wickerr. Two years ago, the six-time winner and earner of over $464,000 finished fifth place in this race. It remains to be seen if the seven-year-old veteran is in good enough form to compete with this solid group. Mullins has dominated the early stakes races on the lawn at Del Mar with Gabriel Charles win in the Eddie Read and Soul Driver’s victory in the Oceanside, but this would be a much larger surprise. Tyler Baze takes the call on Wilkinson.
With several of the top choices in the Wickerr being vulnerable, demanding value is a must in Wednesday’s seventh. Play Hard to Get is a long shot that could be set for a big effort. This four-year-old son of Purim is making his second start of the form cycle on Wednesday and is 2 for 3 over the Del Mar lawn. His most recent fourth place effort against Kulik Lodge and Global View when he made a four-wide middle move and was defeated less than a length illustrates he can compete with runners of this caliber. Perhaps new rider Drayden Van Dyke can time his run a bit better and “mow” this field down at a big price.
Another double-digit option is Texas-bred Pure Tactics. This six-year-old Doug O’Neill trainee has won of 9 of 24 in his career, including finishing in the money in six of seven tries at the one-mile distance. The son of Pure Prize was most recently seen rallying from way out of it for a near miss third in the Simon Lure at six and a half furlongs in late May. O’Neill gives the “leg up” to the extremely talented young rider Flavien Prat for the first time. Prat should be able to get this one into a prominent spot early and provides bettors solid value at 12-1 on the morning line.
County Lineman for trainer Vladimir Cerin draws Corey Nakatani for the Wickerr and should be sitting on a strong effort, but the son of Silent Name will have to illustrate that he can close at 8-furlongs. He is 0 for 4 at a mile and seems better suited for one-turn races. Flamboyant was a stakes level runner during the spring and summer of 2014, including a third-place effort in the Grade I Belmont Derby, but has not hit the board since then. Veteran Alex Solis will return to ride the Paddy Gallagher’s son of Peer Gynt. Brazilian-bred Baccelo for trainer Paulo Lobo rounds out a deep field.
The Wickerr is scheduled to start at 5:10 local time and should start an excellent second week of racing “Where the Turf meets the Surf.” Stay with us on horseracingnation.com at “Shapper Da California Capper” all summer as we continue our coverage of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.