Sunday's Cougar II a Del Mar Handicap prep for Red King
Red King won the Del Mar Handicap last August, a Grade 2, 1 3/8-mile marathon on grass that is a “win-and-you’re-in” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Trainer Phil D’Amato and the Little Red Feather Racing and partners ownership group would dearly love to repeat that success when the 82nd running of the Del Mar Handicap is conducted Aug. 21 as part of a mega-stakes program that includes the meet’s signature $750,000 Pacific Classic (G1). Especially since, to the winner, goes a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf when racing’s two-day championship event is held at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6 this year.
So, to prepare the 7-year-old son of English Channel for next month’s assignment, Red King is set to run in Sunday’s $100,000 Cougar II Stakes (G3). The Cougar II is an eighth of a mile longer than the Del Mar Handicap and on the main, dirt track rather than the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
D’Amato was asked if the Cougar II should therefore be considered a logical, or illogical Del Mar Handicap prep?
“I’ve used this angle before,” D’Amato said. “One day (racing secretary) David Jerkens will write a prep for the Del Mar Handicap. I’ve been asking him for six years and I know one day he will.
“Until that happens, if you have a marathon grass horse you really can’t take a conventional approach to the Del Mar Handicap. So this race makes sense.”
D’Amato saddled Big John B, owned by Michael House, to accomplish the Cougar II-Del Mar Handicap double in 2015. So, as D’Amato points out, he’s not treading in uncharted territory. For Red King, however, it is only the second non-turf race in a career of 33 starts, two graded stakes wins and $483,755 in earnings.
“The bonus is that if he shows he can run on the dirt at the marathon distance, it opens the doors to some other races down the road,” D’Amato said.
Red King has made three starts in 2021, all at Santa Anita and all resulting in third-place finishes, the most recent in the San Juan Capistrano (G3) on June 19.
“He bounced out of the San Juan Capistrano really well and that’s why we’re even considering doing something like this,” D’Amato said.
D’Amato saddled three graded-stakes winners during the Santa Anita winter/spring meet and plans for the winning trio to appear here. San Juan Capistrano winner Acclimate is aiming for the Del Mar Handicap, Honeymoon and Providencia Stakes champion Going Global is nominated to next weekend’s San Clemente and San Simeon winner Gregorian Chant is a candidate for the Green Flash turf sprint.