Best Pal Early 2-Year-Old Test
Eight 2-year-old colts that have shown promise in initial racing experiences get a significant test of ability in Sunday’s 44th running of the $200,000 Grade II Best Pal Stakes.
One of them is entered off one start and victory. Five have one victory from two starts. One has two wins in three starts. The most experienced has been to the post four times and comes in having won two in a row. All will be going 6 ½ furlongs for the first time.
Dan Hendricks trains the 5-2 opening line favorite, Story to Tell, for Cecil Peacock. Nine years ago, Hendricks and Peacock were the connections for Brother Derek, who won the Norfolk Stakes and Hollywood Futurity as a 2-year-old and, at three, won the Santa Anita Derby and dead-heated for fourth with eventual Belmont Stakes winner Jazil in the Kentucky Derby.
The last 2-year-old stakes victory at Del Mar for the Hendricks/Peacock combination was with Don’tsellmeshort in the 2003 Graduation. The prospect of another is invigorating.
“(Peacock) is the best owner I’ve ever had,” Hendricks said. “He loves the game and he’s excited to be running in the Best Pal.”
Story to Tell, a Kentucky-bred son of Bluegrass Cat, was a $200,000 purchase at the Barretts sale in March. He followed up a first-out victory in May at Santa Anita with a runner-up effort to recent Graduation Stakes winner Wake Up Nick in the Santa Anita Juvenile in June and won the Willard L. Proctor Memorial at Los Alamitos on July 13. Story to Tell has earnings of $118,600.
“He has put on weight since his last race and you couldn’t ask for more than that for a 2-year-old,” Hendricks said. “It’s going to be a jockey’s race and we have the inside post position, so we’ll see what happens.
“We’re ahead of the game with him right now, and we’re just enjoying it.”
The field from the rail out: Story to Tell (Joe Talamo, 5-2), Conquest Bigluck E (Mike Smith, 5-1), Two Six Wins (Martin Pedroza, 20-1), Bad Reach Sanchez (Mario Gutierrez, 3-1), Rowdy Dylan (Edwin Maldonado, 7-2), Henry’s Holiday (Tyler Baze, 10-1), Skyway (Stewart Elliott, 5-1), Highway Boss (Tiago Pereira, 12-1).