Mullins Enjoys Turf Stakes Success at Del Mar
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Gabriel Charles’ win in Saturday’s Grade I Eddie Read Stakes combined with the victory by Soul Driver in the Opening Day Oceanside Stakes made for a nice first three days of the meeting for trainer Jeff Mullins.
But Mullins, 51, knows the truth behind the racetrack caution to avoid getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows and is proceeding accordingly.
“Coming into this meeting the condition book was a little bit different and there were races that fit me better than Santa Anita did,” Mullins said following the Read, his second Grade I in 18 Del Mar Stakes victories. “So when you get here and the book hits you where you need it to, that helps.”
Mullins won four of the first seven races in which he saddled runners here. But the winner of the 2005 meeting training title, in which he had 23 wins, remains realistic about the stable’s hopes.
“I’m not going to win the training title. I don’t have (numerically) the horsepower,” Mullins said. “This is nice. It has been a long time coming and we needed it,” Mullins said. “
Mullins said Gabriel Charles and Soul Driver both came out of their races well. Decisions regarding their next starts, nearer the end of the meeting, will be made later.
‘PLAN B’ WILL BE NECESSARY FOR ABUNDANT SATURDAYSCRATCHES
Three of the four scheduled turf races, the exception being the Grade I Eddie Read, were moved to the main track Saturday.
As a consequence there were 18 horses scratched from those three races. The field for the 60th running of the $80,000 Osunitas Stakes, was reduced from 12 to five, among them 7-2 morning line favorite Elektrum and Personal Diary, winner of the 2014 Grade I Del Mar Oaks.
Personal Diary was among four horses husband and wife trainers Phil and Vicki Oliver shipped from Kentucky last week for the Del Mar meeting with more to come.
“All we’ve had is rain back there (Kentucky) and I figured when we got here we wouldn’t have a problem,” Phil Oliver said with a laugh. “We’re hoping to get another race written for her as soon as possible. I just don’t want it to get too close to the John Mabee (Grade II, $250,000,) I want to get a race over the turf before the Mabee. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
AMERICAN PHAROAH TODAY
The Triple Crown champion walked in the area around trainer Bob Baffert’s barn a day after his six-furlong workout in 1:11.40 on Saturday morning.
CLOSERS -- A field of 11 was entered Saturday for Wednesday’s featured $80,000 Wickerr Stakes, the first of six stakes events during the second week of the meeting. Other Week 2 stakes are the $100,000 Cougar II Handicap on Friday, the $200,000 Fleet Treat Stakes and $200,000 San Diego Handicap on Saturday and the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Handicap and $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes on Sunday … Selected workouts from 144 officially clocked on the main track Sunday: Bayern (6f, 1:13.20), Obviously (5f, 1:00.80), Fanticola (4f, :49.40).
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
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