Next Shares springs a 'very rewarding' upset in Del Mar's Seabiscuit
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Rallying on the rail into and through the stretch, 26-1 longshot
Next Shares and jockey Jose Valdivia, Jr., won the Grade 2 $200,000
Seabiscuit Handicap Saturday.
When the leading horses drifted out turning into the stretch, Next Shares took advantage of the opportunity to surge to the lead and then had enough left to resist the late challenge of 3-2 favored Sacred Life and win by a half-length in 1:42.00 flat for the mile and one-sixteenth over the infield grass course.
River Boyne was third, a head back of the runner-up and a length and one-half in advance of fourth-place Majestic Eagle in the field of nine older runners. Cleopatra’s Strike was scratched.
Owned by Iavarone, McClanahan and Dunn and trained by Richard Baltas, Next Shares, a Kentucky-bred son of Archarcharch, scored his seventh victory in 29 starts. First money of $120,000 increased his career bankroll to $1,677,771.
“I think for him it’s always good to have a little cut in the ground," Baltas said. "He doesn’t like the firm turf. He likes it a little softer. It was very rewarding."
Baltas said he "never gave up" on Next Shares, who entered Saturday 1-for-7 in 2019, with that prior victory on Jan. 5.
"He just had a couple bad trips," the trainer added. "I didn’t do any rain dances. I’m running seven or eight horses on the grass and those that like it will run well and those that don’t won’t. This horse was ready today and had a great trip.”
Next Shares paid $56.40, $14.40 and $8. Sacred Life returned $3.40 and $2.60, while River Boyne returned $3.80 to show.
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