Del Mar news: Skye Diamonds looks to sparkle in Rancho Bernardo
The Rancho Bernardo Handicap was one of many highlights in the 2017 campaign of Skye Diamonds, the latest in a line of claimed horses that trainer Bill Spawr has turned into stakes winners.
Splitting rivals in the stretch, the then 4-year-old California-bred daughter of First Dude won by 1 ¼ lengths, giving her back-to-back graded scores coming as it did after the Great Lady M at Los Alamitos.
Sunday, Skye Diamonds is back to defend her title in the Grade 3, $100,000 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares. Skye Diamonds is 0-for-5 since the 2017 Rancho Bernardo with four of the defeats in 2018.
But Spawr, 78, is hopeful that the return to the race and conditions of her last victory will get the $40,000 claim who has career earnings of $618,150 back into the winner’s circle.
“She’s training well and her last race was the best she’s run this year,” Spawr said. “She was hooked on the lead and put away a couple (rivals) and fought down the stretch before (Marley’s Freedom) got past her late.”
Skye Diamonds, the 9-5 second choice to Anonymity (8-5) on the morning line, started her 2018 campaign with second-place finishes to Selcourt in the Grade 3 Las Flores and Grade 2 Santa Monica at Santa Anita and sixth of seven in the Grade I Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day.
“Just bad luck,” Spawr said.
“She caught Selcourt when Selcourt was really good,” said Jon Lindo, who owns a quarter-interest in Skye Diamonds. “The Kentucky race you can throw out because it was rainy and nasty all day.
“We’ve got no excuses (Sunday) we’re hoping this race can really get her back on track and in the winner’s circle.”
The field from the rail: Turkish Tabby (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1), Yuvetsi (Tyler Baze, 6-1), Anonymity (Flavien Prat, 8-5), Skye Diamonds (Tiago Pereira, 9-5), Deer Valley (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1) and Moonshine Memories (Mike Smith, 3-1).
STRONG FIELDS EXPECTED FOR PACIFIC CLASSIC SUPPORTING STAKES
In addition to the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic, the card for Saturday, August 18, will also feature the Grade 2, $250,000 Del Mar Handicap and the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks.
The Del Mar Handicap, sponsored by Japan Racing Association, is a “Win and You’re In Qualifier for the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. Twenty-six horses have been nominated, among them Catapult and Prime Attraction, the 1-3 finishers in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 22 and potential East Coast invaders Conquest Sandman and Manitoulin.
The Oaks, which generally determines the meeting’s three-year-old filly champion, closed with 20 nominations. The racing office lists 10 “probables:” Expecting, Animosity, Fatale Bere, Flammetta, Fool’s Paradise, Got Stormy, Ollie’s Candy, Paved, So Hi Society and Toinette. Listed as “possibles” are: Colonia, Daddy is a Legend, Ms Peintour and West Palm Beach.
The draw for the Pacific Classic is Tuesday afternoon. The rest of the Saturday races will be drawn Wednesday morning.
MEET LEADERS PRAT, MILLER GET SEPARATION FROM PURSUERS
Jockey Flavien Prat and traner Peter Miller increased margins atop the leaderboards Friday. Prat won two on the eight-race card, one of them in combination with Miller. The victories were Nos. 19-20 for Prat during the first 18 days of the meeting and enabled him to open a five-win bulge over Drayden Van Dyke.
Miller gave a leg up to apprentice Heriberto Figueroa aboard Stop the Violence ($4.00) to win the second race and Wild Wild Kingdom ($13.80) in the third. Miller also boosted Prat up on Angel Alessandra ($8.40) in the fifth. Miller’s three wins gave him 17 from 58 starters, a six-win lead over Doug O’Neill and Jerry Hollendorfer.
Figueroa’s win on Wild Wild Kingdom was No. 40 of his career, dropping his weight allowance from seven to five pounds.
CLOSERS – Selected works from 183 officially timed Saturday morning: Ashleyluvssugar (4f, :48.80), Edwards Going Left (4f, :49.40), Madame Stripes (4f, :50.80), Roadster (4f, :47.60), Shenandoah Queen (4f, :49.80), St. Joe Bay (4f, :50.40), Beach View (5f, 1:01.80), Brill (5f, :59.80), Ransom the Moon (5f, 1:00.80), Rowayton (5f, :59.40) and Thirteen Squared (6f, 1:12.60).