Talamo eyes Del Mar stakes double header with Klimt, Danzing Candy

Jockey Joe Talamo has a chance to, as they say in his native Louisiana, laissez les bon temps rouler on Saturday when he has mounts on a major contender and the morning line favorite in the stakes double header.

The good times will roll indeed for Talamo if the 27-year-old Cajun gets winning efforts out of Klimt, the 3-1 third choice on the morning line in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes, and/or Danzing Candy, the 8-5 favorite, in the Grade II $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes.

Winning two stakes in one day would not be unprecedented for Talamo. He’s done it a few times while racking up over 100 graded stakes wins in 11 years and has even doubled up in Grade I’s on the same day a time or two.

But twin wins Saturday would add nicely to two previous stakes scores during the meeting and increase his Del Mar career total to 49, approaching a Top-12 all-time position here.

“Winning two would be pretty cool, but just to win one would be good, I won’t be greedy,” Talamo said Friday morning, during a break from riding workouts.

Klimt was the champion 2-year-old of the 2016 summer meeting, winning both the Best Pal Stakes and the Del Mar Futurity under Rafael Bejarano. Owner Kaleem Shah transferred the Quality Road colt from trainer Bob Baffert to Art Sherman and the decision was made to give him time off rather than run in the Triple Crown series.

Klimt made a comeback in the Los Alamitos Derby on July 15, finishing second to West Coast with Bejarano up. Bejarano will ride Gato Del Oro in the Shared Belief.

“I’ve never ridden him in a race, but I’ve been working him in the mornings and he’s been working real good,” Talamo said. “I know he was coming off a layoff in his last one, the Los Al Derby, and I think that was a pretty good race for him. He’s been getting over this track really well. I know he’s 2-for-2 on this surface and he’s really got a good shot.

“He drew well, and I think it will set up well for him. If the pace is soft, he can be up close and if it isn’t I think he can be a few lengths off and then come on, just like he did in the futurity.”

The field from the rail: Cistron (Tyler Baze, 8-1), True Valor (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Gormley (Victor Espinoza, 5-2), Gato Del Oro (Rafael Bejarano, 4-1), Stone Hands (Evin Roman, 20-1), Klimt (Joe Talamo, 3-1) and Battle of Midway (Flavien Prat, 2-1).

The Shared Belief, a mile dirt test for 3-year-olds, goes as the seventh on a 10-race program.

Danzing Candy comes in on the second three-race winning streak of an 11-race career that has produced six wins and $700,930 for the 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy. Talamo was up to start the streak in May at Santa Anita. Mike Smith kept it going in the Lone Star Park Handicap later that month and the San Carlos Stakes in July at Santa Anita.

Smith is riding several horses at Saratoga on Saturday, so trainer Bob Baffert went back to Talamo.

“I feel blessed to get the opportunity because he’s a really nice horse,” Talamo said. “He has so much natural speed and he can carry it a long ways. He drew perfectly as well, and I think I’ll be able to get in a good position right away and go from there.”

The field from the rail: Moe Candy (Victor Espinoza, 6-1), Solid Wager (Martin Pedroza, 20-1 ), Mr. Hinx (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), Silent Bird (Kent Desormeaux, 5-1), Blameitonthelaw (Evin Roman, 12-1), Kobe’s Back (Flavien Prat, 6-1), Calculator (Rafael Bejarano, 6-1), Danzing Candy (Joe Talamo, 8-5), Home Run Kitten (Brice Blanc, 20-1), Giant Expectations (Gary Stevens, 12-1) and Denman’s Call (Tyler Baze, 12-1).

The Pat O’Brien, a “Win and You’re In” Challenge series qualifier for the $1 million Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile here on Friday, November 3, is the ninth on a 10-race card.

Since he’s not the regular rider for either horse, does he feel like Saturday could be an audition for a bigger role in future races for the two standout horses?

“In this game, it feels like you’re always auditioning,” Talamo said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity and we’ll take it one race at a time and go from there.”