Smoove It Might Keep Team O'Neill Rolling
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Sharla Rae came out of her victory in Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Oaks in “excellent” condition, Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill said Sunday morning. “She ate well and she’s as happy as can be,” Mora said.
The upset ($14.40) win by the 3-year-old daughter of Afleet Alex was her first in a graded stakes. It was the first stakes victory at Del Mar for veteran jockey James Graham, who has ventured West after many Midwest-based years.
“My first stakes win at Del Mar and it’s a Grade I. I don’t do things by half measure, do I?” Graham said afterward.
It was the fourth stakes victory of the meeting for O’Neill, tops among trainers. O’Neill also leads the overall trainer standings with 13 victories, three more than Jerry Hollendorfer.
Team O’Neill will send out three representatives today and the last of them, Smoove It, could advance O’Neill’s totals in both the overall and stakes categories. The 4-year-old daughter of Square Eddie is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the $150,000 Solana Beach Handicap, the ninth on a 10-race card.
Smoove It will face eight rivals. Majestic Heat, entered in both the Oaks and the Solana Beach, finished fifth in Saturday’s Oaks in what was her fourth start of the meeting.
WHAT’S IN A NAME – SOLANA BEACH HANDICAP
The Solana Beach Handicap acknowledges the city just to the north of the track and has been contested annually since 1997. It was on the schedule for Halo Dolly, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, every year from 2011-2013 and she produced three straight wins.
AT LONG LAST, TARIS-SAM’S SISTER MEET AGAIN
Four-year-old fillies Sam’s Sister and Taris met last December 26, Opening Day of the Santa Anita Winter Meeting, and finished 1-2 respectively, a half-length apart, in the Grade I LaBrea Stakes.
Sam’s Sister, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, continued on to a 2015 campaign that opened with a victory in the Grade II Santa Monica Stakes in January and competitive efforts in stakes at Laurel Park, Keeneland and back to Santa Anita from February to June.
Taris, a $2.35 million purchase for Derrick Smith, Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier at auction last November, incurred an ankle injury that required surgery. The return to racing for the daughter of Flatter trained by Simon Callaghan is set for today in the Grade III $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap.
Taris, to be ridden by Gary Stevens, is the 2-1 favorite on oddsmaker Russ Hudak’s morning line. Sam’s Sister, with Rafael Bejarano in the irons, is the 5-2 second choice.
WHAT’S IN A NAME – RANCHO BERNARDO HANDICAP
The Rancho Bernardo Handicap is a nod to the city north and east of Del Mar. It has been contested annually since 1973. It was won in 2014 by Judy the Beauty, who went on to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, taking both races under Mike Smith.
CLOSERS – DMTC Executive Vice President Tom Robbins announced that, as was the case Sunday, the track will be closed for training for all except Pacific Classic horses from 7:45 – 7:55 a.m. Monday and Tuesday … X-rays taken Saturday evening showed no serious injuries to jockey Corey Nakatani, according to his agent, Jim Pegram. Nakatani was spilled in the paddock by Run for Retts before Saturday’s seventh race, but got back aboard and rode the 27-1 shot to victory. Aftereffects of the spill caused Nakatani to take off his mount, Majestic Heat, in the next race, the Grade I Del Mar Oaks, and Sweet Promises in the 10th-race finale. Nakatani is reportedly “body sore” and has been excused from his scheduled mounts Sunday on Guns Loaded for Mike Puype in the third race and She’s Flush for Ed Moger, Jr. in the Solana Beach Handicap. Pegram said Nakatani will be fine and return to riding when racing resumes Wednesday … Selected workouts from 186 officially timed on dirt and 28 on turf Sunday morning: Dirt – Hard Aces (6f, 1:13.60), Big Cazanova (6f, 1:13.60), Wild Dude (5f, 1:01.20), Stellar Wind (5f, :59.80), Midnight Storm (5f, :58.40), Ralis (4f, :51.60), Mrazek (4f, :49.60), Gimme Da Lute (4f, :48.60), American Pharoah (4f, :47.60 breezing); Turf – Ganesh (1m 1:42.00), Soul Driver (6f, 1:14.40), Istanford (6f, 1:15.60), Obviously (5f, 1:01.40), Kulik Lodge (5f, 1:02.60), Big John B (5f, 1:02.60), Ashleyluvssugar (5f, 1:03.00), and Soi Phet (4f, :49.80).
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
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