Del Mar: Weekend turf stakes draw out-of-town trainers
Judging by the nominations for the remaining turf stakes races at Del Mar, there will be an increase in out-of-town visitors at Del Mar next weekend. Trainers Chad Brown, Graham Motion, Bill Mott, Rodolphe Brisset, Charlie Appleby and Mark Casse all have nominated horses for the closing weekend’s races.
Casse has a string of nine horses already on the grounds. His assistant, Shane Tripp, is overseeing the group while they’re here.
“We came out for the Breeders’ Cup,” Tripp said, “and then Mark decided to come down here and stay. We’ve run a couple and hit the board a couple of times. Next weekend we’ll be busy.”
Casse has nominated Webslinger to the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby and Go With Gusto to the Jimmy Durante (G3) on Saturday. Then they’ll send out Dead Pan in the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) on Sunday.
Casse is based at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada but Tripp said he thinks they might keep a couple of their horses in Southern California for the winter.
“I think we might,” Tripp says. “There are a couple of spots at Santa Anita on opening weekend that they’re looking at, but I haven’t heard any definite plans yet.”
New York-based trainer Chad Brown has entered two horses in the Derby. Program Trading won the Saratoga Derby (G1) in August and came back and ran second to Integration in the Virginia Derby (G3) in September. Brown’s other horse in the Hollywood Derby is Redistricting, who ran seventh in the Belmont Derby (G1) in July before coming back to win an entry-level allowance race at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet last month.
That’s not the last you’ll see of Brown at Del Mar next weekend. The four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer has four horses nominated for the Matriarch (G1) set for Sunday. They are Beaute Cachee, Fluffy Socks, Surge Capacity and Whitebeam. Fluffy Socks would be making her third trip to Del Mar. She ran third in the 2021 Del Mar Oaks. That was after winning the Jimmy Durante Stakes in 2020. Surge Capacity just won the Valley View (G3) at Keeneland and Whitebeam beat In Italian in the Diana (G1) at Saratoga this summer.
Other horses who could ship in are Memorialize, winner of the Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct last out, and Yatta, both from the Graham Motion barn and both nominated for the Jimmy Durante. Motion also has nominated Sanderson for the Cecil B. DeMille. Brisett may bring Santorini to the Derby as may Appleby with Silver Knott. Mott has nominated Wakanaka to the Matriarch.
Nineteen fillies have been nominated for the Jimmy Durante, including Grand Slam Smile, winner of the Golden State Juvenile on the Friday Breeders’ Cup undercard. Entries for the one mile on the turf test will be drawn on Wednesday.
The Hollywood Derby has 15 colts nominated. The local contingent is led by Dandy Man Shines, who won the $75,000 Let It Ride Stakes on opening day; Maltese Falcon, winner of the La Jolla (G3) this past summer at Del Mar, and Seal Team, winner of the Twilight Derby (G2) on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Santa Anita. Entries for the 1 1/8-mile turf race also will be drawn on Wednesday.
Fourteen fillies and mares have been nominated for the Matriarch. Closing Remarks, winner of the Yellow Ribbon (G2) and the John Mabee (G2) during the summer meet at Del Mar, is being pointed to the race as well as Dolce Zel, winner of the $75,000 Kathryn Crosby earlier in the fall meet.
And 12 colts are being considered for the Cecil B. DeMille, including Lord Bullingdon, winner of the Golden Mile at Santa Anita on the Friday Breeders’ Cup undercard. Entries for both the Matriarch and the DeMille will be drawn Thursday.
A fifth stakes race is also slated for next weekend. The $100,000 Stormy Liberal turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up will be run Saturday. Fourteen of horses have been nominated, including Tony Ann, winner of the Franklin (G2) at Keeneland; defending champion Turn on the Jets; Lane Way, winner of the Eddie D (G2) last out at Santa Anita and Johnny Podres, runner up to Kings River Knight in the California Flag last out.