Schoolofhardrocks On The Right Path Now
Asked for an overall assessment of the career of Schoolofhardrocks, the 5-2 second choice in the opening line for Saturday’s Grade II $150,000 La Jolla Handicap, trainer David Hofmans was nothing but forthright.
“I think that we’ve pretty much mismanaged him,” Hofmans said. “When you have a three-year-old that has a lot of talent, you try and get in that (Kentucky) Derby mix. He has a lot of talent, but he’s still young and green.
“It took us a couple races to realize he wasn’t ready for that. Then we tried to go long on the turf, because of his pedigree and since we’ve done that, he seems OK.”
A winner in his racing debut at Del Mar on August 31 of last year, the second and third races in the career of the son of Rock Hard Ten were in the Grade II San Felipe (4th) and Grade I Santa Anita Derby (last of eight) in March and April. On Kentucky Derby Day, May 3, ‘Rocks was still at Santa Anita, finishing second in the Desert Code 6 ½-furlong turf sprint.
A victory at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita on May 31 prompted a ship to Chicago and a fourth-place finish in the Grade III American Derby at Arlington Park on July 12. Back in California, Schoolofhardrocks has turned in two bullet works over the dirt at Los Alamitos.
“He’s always been a good horse in the mornings,” Hofmans said. “He has a lot of raw talent and he’s maturing and has really come into himself. I think he’ll be a really good four-year-old. “
Schoolofhardrocks is one of three sons of Rock Hard Ten in a field of six for the La Jolla. The others are Sammy Mandeville and Tonito M. The La Jolla will go as the fifth on a 10-race card and will be the first stakes over the newly-renovated Jimmy Durante Turf Course since the July 27 California Dreamin’ Handicap.
“It’s a concern, but I think the turf course is going to be fine,” Hofmans said. “I think they’ve softened it up some. It was a little too hard at first, a little too unforgiving.”
The field, from the rail out: Argyle Cut (Corey Nakatani, 7-2), Schoolofhardrocks (Martin Garcia, 5-2), I’ll Wrap It Up (Elvis Trujillo, 15-1), Sammy Mandeville (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Tonito M. (Victor Espinoza, 4-1) and Enterprising (Mike Smith, 2-1).