Del Mar: Wide-open La Jolla 'Cap features new face in Panic Alarm
Three-year-old turf runners are in the spotlight Sunday in the 83rd running of the Grade 3, $150,000 La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar. The La Jolla’s storied past includes such winners as Relaunch, Tight Spot, Singletary, Sidney’s Candy and Smooth Like Strait. Last year, Cabo Spirit joined the list.
This year any one of the eight entries has a shot to take home the trophy in the 1 1/16-mile turf test, including Hronis Racing’s Panic Alarm, who will make his U.S. debut on the Jimmy Durante turf course.
Click here for Del Mar entries and results.
“The plan has always been to bring him over for Del Mar,” trainer John Sadler said. “We put him in the Oceanside, but I thought it was a little quick for him so we thought we would scratch him from the Oceanside and wait for the La Jolla. We feel he’s got some quality and we’re anxious to get him started.”
The Irish-bred won a pair of races as a 2-year-old, breaking his maiden and then winning an allowance race in Irelandm but he has yet to visit the winner's circle in 2023. Last out he finished far back in a small handicap at England’s Ascot.
“He didn’t run well at Royal Ascot,” Sadler says. “He’s doing fine. He’s had four works, and he’s a natural distance horse.”
Henry Q is the highweight in the La Jolla at 122 pounds. The son of Blame won the $100,000 Mine That Bird at Sunland Park in February, a prep for the Sunland Derby (G3), where he came back to run third a month later.
He shipped back east and ran in the Peter Pan (G3) at Belmont Park in May, finishing a respectable third behind eventual Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo. Trainer Doug O’Neill then sent Henry Q to Thistledown, where he ran fifth in the Ohio Derby (G3).
“Those have been some tough horses he’s been running against,” O’Neill said. "He’s been shipping his last few races, and here he’s able to run against his own age group from his own stall.”
The La Jolla will be Henry Q’s fourth racetrack in his last four races, and he’s trying turf for the first time.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to try it in our own backyard,” O’Neill says. “We breezed him the last couple of weekends on the grass and he seems to enjoy it, so we’re going to see what happens.”
Leonard Powell packs a solid one-two punch with Maltese Falcon and Zalamo, the latter a French-bred who is making only his second start in the U.S. His first was a distant ninth-place finish in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar.
“He got slammed out of the gate, which set him a bit farther back than what we would have wanted,” Powell said. “He ran a very good last quarter of a mile and he came out of the race in excellent shape. I think the experience of the last race and the distance will help him.”
Maltese Falcon is coming off a runner-up finish to Wizard of Westwood in the $100,000 Cinema at Santa Anita in June. The son of Caravaggio is still a maiden and is shortening up from the 1 1/4-mile run in the Cinema to the 1 1/8-mile he ran the race before.
“He was supposed to run last week in a maiden but he didn’t get in,” Powell says. “The horse is ready to run. He’s doing well. He’s been progressing each start this year. I know we’re aiming high but the last time he ran second in a stakes race so I think he belongs here and I think he’ll make a good impression.”
Maltese Falcon will have the services of leading rider Juan Hernandez.
Kid Azteca could be the sleeper. The son of Sharp Azteca had a legitimate excuse for his poor showing in the Oceanside on opening day.
“He got stepped on and he pulled a hind shoe,” trainer Peter Miller said. “Not all of the way off, half of the way off which is even worse. So we’re going to put a line through the Oceanside.
“He’s doing well. It’s a wide-open race, and he should run much better this time.”
The La Jolla goes off as the 10th race on the 11-race Sunday program. Approximate post time is 9:30 p.m. EDT.