- D’AMATO EYES ONE-TWO FINISH IN SAN MARCOS
- O’NEILL HOPES TO BAFFLE HIS FOES ON SUNDAY
- WONG HAS RIGHT STRATEGY IN THE ‘SHAMROCK’
- HOFMANS REMEMBERS THE LATE ALPHABET SOUP
- JAPANESE JOCK FUKUMOTO GETS FIRST SANTA ANITA WIN
D’AMATO HAS TWO FOR THE MONEY IN SAN MARCOS
Phil D’Amato entered two horses with disparate styles in Sunday’s Grade II San Marcos Stakes, front-running Acclimate and closer Say the Word.
The marathon turf veterans finished a length apart in the Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 26, Say the Word coming from seventh and last to overtake his pace-setting stablemate.
“We expect Acclimate to be in front again,” said D’Amato, who trails Bob Baffert 14-12 through 16 racing days. “Say the Word should be coming late as usual, so we’re hopeful they’ll run one-two.”
The $225,000 San Marcos will be decided at 1 ¼ miles on turf with a hillside start.
Acclimate, an eight-year-old California-bred gelding by Acclimation, has a 7-6-5 record from 29 starts with earnings of $683,872. He was second in the San Marcos on Feb. 6, 2021.
Say the Word, a seven-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready bred in Ontario, Canada, has a 7-4-5 record from33 starts with earnings of $822,792.
The San Marcos, race seven of nine with a 12:30 p.m. first post time: Dicey Mo Chara, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Lincoln Hawk, Juan Hernandez, 8-1; Say the Word, Kent Desormeaux, 2-1; Friar’s Road, Flavien Prat, 5-2; Acclimate, Ricardo Gonzalez, 5-2; and Bob and Jackie, Jose Valdivia Jr., 5-1.
O’NEILL HOPES TO ‘BAFFLE’ RIVALS ON SUNDAY
Two horses, one a maiden winner on turf, the other on dirt, will represent Doug O’Neill in Sunday’s $75,000 Baffle Stakes for three-year-olds and 6 ½ furlongs on the grass.
They are Don’t Swear Dave, a son of Connect who broke his maiden going six furlongs on turf at Santa Anita Jan. 9, and Franklin One Star, a California-bred son of Danzing Candy who captured his debut race last Dec. 3 going 5 ½ furlongs on dirt at Los Alamitos.
“Don’t Swear Dave really took to the turf, winning his maiden race on it,” the trainer said. “We’re trying to duplicate that big effort on Sunday. He’s doing well.
“Franklin One Star’s pedigree says grass won’t be a problem, but obviously this will be his first time on it. That said, horses that run well at Los Al run well on turf, so hopefully it transfers well for him.”
The Baffle, race nine: Maglev, Umberto Rispoli, 5-2; Echosmith, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Smuggler’s Run, Juan Hernandez, 3-1; Olympic Legend, Jose Valdivia Jr., 20-1; Il Capitano, Joe Bravo, 10-1; Don’t Swear Dave, Mario Gutierrez, 5-1; Franklin One Star, Kyle Frey, 10-1; and Shut Up Michael, Flavien Prat, 3-1.
WONG HAS SPEED IN LADY OF SHAMROCK
Barring the unforeseen, Jonathan Wong expects Shoppingforpharoah to lead her five rivals on a merry chase in The Lady of Shamrock Stakes Sunday, a $75,000 event for three-year-old fillies at a mile on turf.
On paper, the daughter of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah out of the Smart Strike mare Smart Shopping looks like the lone speed in the race.
“It looks like she should be the dominant speed in there,” said Wong, who trains the filly for Tommy Town Thoroughbreds LLC. “But we don’t know about the (Phil) D’Amato horse (the Irish-bred Island of Love, who won her only two starts in Italy by a combined margin of 9 ½ lengths).
“It looks like she’s been forwardly placed in her races overseas,” Wong added. “But who knows what kind of speed she really has? We’re training our horse in the mornings to settle and sit off horses, so if someone wants to go crazy and try to outgun us for the lead, I won’t be upset at all.
“The American Pharoahs seem to pretty versatile, synthetic, dirt, turf, sprinting, routing, nothing much seems to bother them.”
The Lady of Shamrock, race five: Travel Smart, John Velazquez, 4-1; Shoppingforpharoah, Ricardo Gonzalez, 3-1; Island of Love, Flavien Prat, 8-5; Lucky Girl, Joe Bravo, 8-1; Fuente Ovejuna, Juan Hernandez, 4-1; and Gold Dragon Queen, Umberto Rispoli, 6-1.
HOFMANS: ‘ALL GOOD MEMORIES’ OF ALPHABET SOUP
Trainer David Hofmans understandably had nothing but fond memories of his 1996 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup, who was euthanized Friday at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Georgetown, Ky. due to chronic kidney disease.
Foaled on March 31, 1991, Alphabet Soup was 31.
“I guess his kidneys finally gave out,” said Los Angeles native Hofmans, who turned 79 on Thursday. “He’s been a good horse to a lot of people. He was super; I’ve got all good memories about him.”
Alphabet Soup, a descendant of Nearco, was a gray son of Cozzene out of the Arts and Letters dam Illiterate. He compiled a 10-3-6 record from 24 lifetime starts, earning $2,990,270 for Mrs. Georgia Ridder’s Ridder Thoroughbred Stable.
He set a track record for 1 ¼ miles at Woodbine when he won the 1996 Classic, defeating both the great Cigar and Preakness winner Louis Quatorze. Upon the death of A.P. Indy on Feb. 21, 2020, Alphabet Soup became the oldest living winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Alphabet Soup raced in 1997 at age six, his best effort coming in defense of the San Antonio Handicap when he finished second to Gentlemen. Alphabet Soup retired to stud duty at Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs in Midway, Ky.
“He was an absolute pleasure to train and an absolute pleasure to race,” Hofmans said. “He tried hard almost every time.
“If he didn’t win it was usually because I had him in the wrong race, but he was a good horse to be around, I’ll tell you.”
BAY AREA TRAINER BILL DELIA PASSES AT 75
The Northern California racing community is mourning the loss of popular longtime trainer and former jockey William “Bill” Delia, who died Thursday due to complications of Covid-19.
He was 75.
Delia, born on December 5, 1946, began his apprenticeship as a jockey in 1966. After a riding career in which he piloted 304 horses to the wire first, Delia switched to training winners. Beginning in 1985 and completing a career that spanned over four decades, Delia won 975 races from 7,952 starters, his runners amassing purse earnings of $16,735,424.
A recent accolade for Delia came when, after a stellar year for his barn in 2019, the Bay Area native was honored with the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) Trainer of the Year award.
FINISH LINES: Congratulations to jockey Juan Hernandez for his triple on Friday’s eight-race program . . . Congrats are also in order for jockey Daisuke Fukumoto, a 24-year-old Japanese native who got his first Santa Anita win in Friday’s first race aboard the Dan Dunham longshot Majestic Wind ($25.80). The win also marked Fukumoto’s 200th North American victory. Most recently seventh in the final 2021 Woodbine standings, he is represented by agent Patty Sterling…Santa Anita’s Surfer Girl and Zuma Beach Stakes have been upgraded by the American Graded Stakes Committee and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association from listed events to Grade III status starting February 2022 through January 2023, while the Baffle and the Speakeasy have been enhanced to the Listed level . . . There were 146 recorded workouts Saturday, including a bullet five-furlong drill in 59.20 by Bob Baffert trainee Merneith, a nominee to next Saturday’s Grade II Santa Monica Stakes which she won last year . . . Trainer Doug O’Neill reports Hot Rod Charlie “worked well” in Dubai Thursday in preparation for his prep race Feb. 4 that hopefully will lead to the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 26. “If all goes well, we’re good to go,” the trainer said . . . Santa Anita Oaks winner Soothsayer worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 Wednesday for Richard Mandella in advance of the Grade I Beholder Mile March 5. The Hall of Fame trainer has Twilight Derby winner Subconscious on course for the Grade III Thunder Road Stakes on Saturday, Feb. 5 . . . Peter Eurton has promising debut winner Queen of Thorns on target for the Grade III Las Virgenes Stakes next Sunday, Feb. 6…Tom Quigley’s pre-race handicapping guest for Sunday is horseplayer Seminar Skip. Sunday’s simulcast network seminar will begin at 11:20 a.m.
