Bejarano, Gutierrez off mounts on opening day program at Del Mar

Standout veteran riders Rafael Bejarano and Mario Gutierrez will miss today’s opening program of the third Bing Crosby season at Del Mar due to injury and illness respectively.

 

Bejarano reportedly suffered a hand injury galloping a horse on Tuesday at Santa Anita and was scheduled to see a hand specialist today. Gutierrez reported to the stewards that he was ill.

 

Bejarano notched his 15^th Santa Anita riding title at the fall meeting which concluded Sunday. His 22 wins were two more than runner-up Kent Desormeaux. The title was his 32^nd overall and his 27^th in Southern California.

 

A 34-year-old native of Peru, Bejarano is the five-time defending champion of the Del Mar summer meeting – the 2016 edition shared with Flavien Prat – and defending champion for the Bing Crosby meeting. Bejarano had  20 wins last fall, two more than runner-up Santiago Gonzalez.

 

Gutierrez, 30, has three Triple Crown race victories  to his credit,  aboard I’ll Have Another in the 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and Nyquist in the Kentucky Derby last May as the primary rider for the Doug O’Neill stable.

 

Bejarano was booked on seven mounts. His replacements are: Martin Pedroza (3^rd race, Tribal Jewel, 9-5 morning line), Mike Smith (4^th, Americana, 9-2), Tyler Baze (5^th, Dynamic Ruler, 5-2),  Norberto Arroyo, Jr., (6^th,  Rye Patch, 5-2), Jamie Theriot (7^th, Monterey Shale, 3-1), Flavien Prat (8^th, Sobradora Inc, 9-5) and Martin Pedroza (9^th, Wake the Dawn, 3-1).

 

Gutierrez was scheduled to  ride four races. His replacements are:  Kent Desormeaux (2^nd, Lookout Sister, 12-1), Flavien Prat (4^th, Mo Style, 12-1),  Martin Pedroza (7^th, Sir Studleigh, 20-1), and Desormeaux (8^th,  Dressed to a T, 10-1).

 

 

 

The combination of Paddy Gallagher, born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland and the 3-year-old colt Irish-bred colt Mittersill, has been a potent one since they were paired up at Del Mar last summer.

 

Mittersill was acquired by the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners of Aron Wellman after a victory at the Cork Racecourse that was his first in five career starts.

 

And while the son of Acclamation hasn’t added to that win total in two U.S. starts for Gallaghter, he has posted two second-place efforts, one via disqualification at Del Mar on September 3. Giving the connections sufficient encouragement to enter  Saturday’s $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes at one mile on the Jimmy Durante Turf Couse.

 

“He’s run two nice races and while this is a little bit of a step up, we decided to take a shot,” Gallagher said Friday morning.

 

Mittersill could provide Gallagher with his second Bing Crosby meet stakes victory and his 12^th overall at Del Mar. Gallagher, who turns 60 next Tuesday,  saddled Queen of the Sand to  the first stakes victory of a Bing Crosby meeting, the Kathryn Crosby on opening day, 2014.

 

Queen of the Sand was nominated to today’s third running of the Kathryn Crosby, but it came up too soon after a race at Santa Anita.

 

“She didn’t run too good in that one but she came out of it well,” Gallagher said. “It’s getting to the time of year when you start thinking about (retirement as) brood mares, but she seems happy and healthy. We’ll see what happens.”

 

The field from the rail out: Camino Del Paraiso (Ricardo Gonzalez, 5-1), Little Scotty (Kent Desormeaux, 4-1), Curlin Rules (Tyler Baze, 2-1), Defiantly (Gary Stevens, 15-1), Barhanpour (Mike Smith, 7-2) and Mittersill (Flavien Prat, 5-2).

 

The Let It Ride will go as the fourth on a nine-race card.