After missing Oceanside, Neptune's Storm hopes to take La Jolla

Whenever a three-race series, of which the Triple Crown is the most revered, reaches its second leg, talk can turn to ‘new shooters’ jumping into the fray after skipping the opener.

So it is with Del Mar’s turf stakes trio for 3-year-olds, which began with the Runhappy Oceanside on opening day of the meeting and continues Sunday with the Grade 3, $150,000 La Jolla Handicap.

Five of the eight entered in the 1 1/16-mile event competed in the Oceanside, among them the winner Jasikan and third-place finisher Rijeka.

Of the three newcomers, the one that appears most dangerous – judging by oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line – is 2-1 favorite Neptune’s Storm.

There’s a reason why the gelded son of Stormy Atlantic, trained by Richard Baltas, wasn’t involved in the Runhappy Oceanside.

“He wasn’t eligible for the Oceanside because he had already won two stakes,” Baltas said. “So we figured we’d run him here and then come back in the Del Mar Derby.”

Neptune’s Storm was among horses trained by William Morey dispersed by order of the California Horse Racing Board in March.

His two starts for Baltas produced wins in the ungraded $100,000 Singletary in April and $150,000 Cinema in June at Santa Anita.

“He came in in pretty good shape but he was a little lazy when I first got him,” Baltas said. “He’s put on a few pounds and he’s pretty aggressive now, that’s why we put the blinkers on.”

Neptune’s Storm will break from the No. 1 post under Drayden Van Dyke, a starting point that Baltas doesn’t consider as daunting as it might be in other circumstances.

“You play the break and find a spot,” Baltas said. “He does have speed and there’s another horse in there, Doug O’Neill’s horse (Stubbins) that has speed.

“The rail is the rail. I wouldn’t like it if it was 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt but going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf I don’t think it will make a difference.”

The field from the rail: Neptune’s Storm (Drayden Van Dyke, 2-1), Kingly (Mario Gutierrez, 6-1), Gregorian Chant (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 6-1), Golden Birthday (Joe Talamo, 12-1), Stubbins (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Jasikan (Flavien Prat, 5-2), King of Speed (Victor Espinoza, 20-1) and Rijeka (Ruben Fuentes, 12-1).