Shrinking Violet favored to defend her Daisycutter title
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Shrinking Violet, a six-year-old daughter of Congaree, drew the No. 8 post and was made the 7-2 favorite on the morning line of oddsmaker Russ Hudak to defend her championship in
Friday’s featured $75,000 Daisycutter Handicap.
Trained and owned by Wesley Ward, Shrinking Violet will have Santiago Gonzalez in the saddle for the first time in the five-furlong turf sprint for California-bred fillies and mares. The 2015 Daisycutter was the most recent of eight wins in 23 career starts for Shrinking Violet, a career earner of $508,028.
The field from the rail: So Sweetitiz (Flavien Prat, 9-2), Late Spring (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1), Desert Steel (Tyler Baze, 12-1), She’s a Big Winner (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Cindy’s Secret (Agapito Delgadillo, 6-1), Home Journey (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1), Long Hot Summer (Joe Talamo, 6-1), Shrinking Violet (Santiago Gonzalez, 7-2), and Swift Lady (Mike Smith, 4-1). Also eligible are: Xoxo (Norberto Arroyo, Jr., 20-1) and BCZ Middleton (Fernando Perez, 20-1).
DEL MAR INTERN ALUM GETS WORLD WIDE OPPORTUNITY
Jack Carlino, a Del Mar intern in 2014, has been back at the place where he was introduced to thoroughbred racing seven years ago for a stopover before departing on what could be the adventure of a lifetime.
Carlino, 21, has been selected as one of 12 young people on a fast track to a career in the sport to participate in the Godolphin Flying Start program. Originally called Darley Flying Start (the name changed officially on August 1) and sponsored by Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, those selected from a large pool of applicants receive scholarships that will afford them experience in racing hotbeds at five different countries over the course of two years.
For Carlino, a recent graduate of the University of Louisville’s Equine Industry Program, the two-year scholarship will allow him to gain invaluable real world experience.
“You get a chance to learn about all the facets of the industry everywhere we go, and I’m excited to have been selected,” Carlino said. “We get to do a lot of big events. We get to go to the Kentucky Derby and the Dubai World Cup.”
The group will gather and commence its training at Kildangan Stud in Ireland on August 15. They will proceed to England and back to Kentucky in the first year and journey to Australia, Dubai and back to Ireland in the second year.
Carlino, from Phoenix, visited Del Mar with his family while on vacation in 2009 and “just kind of got hooked on it,” he said when serving his 2014 internship here. That internship may have given a boost to his prospects for the scholarship he now possesses.
“I think it helped,” Carlino said. “I spent a lot of time in the mornings with Dr. (Barrie) Grant (track veterinarian) with his exams. I think that helped and being able to work in every part of the racetrack helped too. The connections I made obviously helped, and you can see I enjoyed it. I’m still coming back (to Del Mar).
In addition to Carlino the 2016 Godolphin Flying Start group consists of: Jessica Berry (USA), Joe Callan (Ireland), Tim Donworth (Ireland), Christopher Farrell (Ireland), Megan Hebbert (England), Amie Karlsson (Sweden), Luke Morgan (Ireland), Laura Pouri-Robertson (New Zealand), Madison Scott (USA) and Renshuai Yi (China).
CLOSERS -- Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita winner Melatonin will not go for the “California Triple” in the TVG Pacific Classic, that race having been ruled out due to persistent illness, the Daily Racing Form’s Steve Andersen reports … Arrogate, a $560,000 purchase by Juddmonte Farms in the Keeneland September Sale in 2014, will make his fourth career start, seeking his third straight win, in Thursday’s second race. Another impressive effort would bolster the 3-year-old Unbridled’s Song colt’s candidacy for the Pacific Classic, trainer Bob Baffert said … Selected workouts from 293 officially timed over the last three days. Monday – Cupid (4f, :47.00), Dortmund (4f, :48.00), Midnight Storm (4f, :48.80), Alaskan Son (5f, 1:01.80), Bluegrass Bronco (6f, 1:15.00) and Ziconic (6f, 1:12.60). Tuesday – Cyrus Alexander (6f, 1:12.20). Wednesday – Hoppertunity (4f, :47.80), Indygo Holiday (4f, :46.20), Sawyer’s Hill (4f, :46.20), Vyjack (4f, :47.00), Big Gray Rocket (5f, :58.20) and Prize Exhibit (5f, 1:04.00).
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
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