Del Mar news: Baffert-trained Metropol to miss Bob Hope Stakes
Saturday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes – the first of nine graded stakes on the fall racing at Del Mar schedule – is right in the wheelhouse of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
It’s for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs on the main track, conditions which have produced an ample number of victories that have contributed to his track leading numbers for stakes and overall wins by a trainer.
It is the distance and age group – albeit for fillies – that provided Baffert’s most recent stakes victory, with Chasing Yesterday in Monday’s $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes.
So it was no surprise to see Baffert with two prime candidates, Metropol and Mucho Gusto, in a field of seven when post positions were drawn for Saturday’s program. Both were impressive winners at first asking in maiden special weight races: Mucho Gusto by four lengths on September 20 at Los Alamitos; Metropol by three-quarters of a length at Santa Anita on October 8.
But Wednesday morning, Baffert’s double-barrel opportunity reduced to a single shot.
“Metropol got sick. He had a 103 temperature and we’re going to have to scratch him,” Baffert said by phone from Santa Anita. “The owner had already flown in and I had to call with the news.”
Metropol is owned by the Peachtree Stables of John Fort.
Metropol, a son of Shackleford who was a $200,000 purchase at the Ocala sale in April, was the 4-1 co-third choice on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line. The scratch still leaves Baffert with the 5-2 morning line favorite, Mucho Gusto, a son of Mucho Macho Man owned by Michael Peterson.
The field from the rail: Extra Hope (Flavien Prat, 7-2), Mucho Gusto (Joe Talamo, 5-2), Savagery (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Owning (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1), Sparky Ville (Jeff Bonde, 3-1) and Sueno (Kent Desormeaux, 15-1).
Nine entered for Sunday's featured Cary Grant Stakes
Edwards Going Left, the defending champion in the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes, was among nine entered Thursday for Sunday’s 42nd running of an event that was known as the On Trust before becoming a part of the fall racing at Del Mar.
The Cary Grant is at seven furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds and older.
Edwards Going Left, a 4-year-old son of Midnight Lute owned by Hronis Racing and trained by John Sadler, rallied from nex-to-last of seven after a half-mile to a half-length victory Solid Wager in the 2017 edition of the Cary Grant. Solid Wager is also entered for a rematch in the race.
Post positions were to be drawn later Thursday but the entrants, in alphabetical order with trainers in parentheses are: Ann Arbor Eddie (Doug O’Neill), Brandothebartender (Craig Dollase), Edwards Going Left (John Sadler), Grecian Fire (Jerry Hollendorfer), Monoso (Hector O. Palma), Shades of Victory (Reed Saldana), Solid Wager (Peter Miller), Touching Rainbows (Phil D’Amato) and Tough But Nice (Hector Palma).
Influx of imports expected for closing weekend turf stakes
Nominations close at midnight Friday for seven turf stakes, and the Native Diver on dirt, that will be presented next week (November 22-25) and on the final weekend (December 1-2).
The lists of nominees for races such as the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby (Dec. 1) and Grade 1 Matriarch (Dec. 2) will be released Friday afternoon.
Racing secretary David Jerkens said he has been pleased with the nominations already received from trainers based in the East like Chad Brown, Christophe Clement, George Weaver, Todd Pletcher and Michael Stidham and is anticipating big fields in the graded stakes and other races as a result.