East Coast invader earning respect in Saturday's Del Mar Oaks
Trainer Graham Motion won the 2011 Del Mar Oaks with Summer Soiree, the first of his five stakes victories at the seaside oval. On Saturday, the English-born conditioner, who saddled Animal Kingdom to win the 2011 Kentucky Derby, seeks to add a second Del Mar Oaks score to his total with the French-bred 3-year-old filly Colonia in the 62nd running of the Grade 1, $300,000 turf test.
Imported from France after her fifth career start there in April, Colonia trained well at Graham’s Fair Hill, Md., center and made an impressive U.S. debut, sweeping from last in a field of 10 to a 1 ¾-length victory in the $100,000 Hatoof stakes at Arlington Park on July 7.
“The way she blew by them, it looked like she did it easily,” said track oddsmaker Russ Hudak, whose morning line has Colonia the 7-2 favorite in a highly competitive field of 12.
Since her last race, Colonia had three works at the Fair Hill center, then shipped to Del Mar, arriving Wednesday, accompanied by Motion assistant Alice Clapham. Motion will remain on the East Coast Saturday and Clapham will handle the saddling duties.
The field from the rail: Ms Peintour (Tiago Pereira, 20-1), Streetwithnoname (Joe Talamo, 20-1), Fool’s Paradise (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1), Ollie’s Candy (Tyler Baze, 9-2), Fatale Bere (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1), Paved (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1), Colonia (Joel Rosario, 7-2), Californiagoldrush (Flavien Prat, 8-1), Ms Bad Behavior (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), So Hi Society (Evin Roman, 12-1), Movie Moment (Gary Stevens, 20-1), Animosity (Tyler Gaffalione, 8-1).
The Oaks is scheduled as the eighth race on an 11-race program.