Early returns at Del Mar tell a story this meet on grass and it is now just a question of whether the early returns will continue or if the form with be scattered. The inkling here is that because of the short meeting, the early returns at Del Mar are for real.
Traditionally during the summer meet at Del Mar, the grass course tends to play a little heavy early in the meeting until there are a few races run over the surface. The early returns at Del Mar suggests a similar trend is presenting itself.
In the first turf race of the meet on November 11, there were several runners that had similar speed. The rail horse Americana, my selection, just had a race on grass and seemed set to roll. But a sprinter stretching out, Little Nati, and the favorite, Go Argento, dueled Americana into submission.
That left the door wide open for the long-fused Mo’vette. The Richard Baltas student was out of the money in her previous two starts but she overcame a bumping incident at the break, rallied three wide, and drew off when called upon. She ended up coming from third to last and she paid a juicy 11-1.
The sixth race was the next grass event and my selection Comes the Dream was between horses early, rallied three wide, had a length and a half to make up with a furlong to go but got the job done at 4-1.
Okay, so two turf races were in the books opening day and maybe the turf course was packed down. The final grass race was the feature, the Kathryn Crosby Stakes. The complexion of the race totally changed when the outside horse Glory was scratched. When this happened a chain of events went into place.
The race immediately became a pace-less affair and you have to give it to jockey Tyler Baze and trainer Gary Sherlock. They read the past performances and saw there was no speed and adapted a strategy of sending their charge Do the Dance to the lead. All Do the Dance did was tango right into the winner’s circle as the longest shot on the board. She was 13-1, she was never challenged for the lead and she won the $99,000 stakes.
The first race on November 12 was a turf race for maidens and the winner went wire-to-wire and the second finisher came from dead last.
The Let It Ride Stakes, named for the movie starring Richard Dreyfuss and Jennifer Tilly, was up next on November 12. Here, the speed force and the favorite set moderate splits and had nothing left. The winner, Defiantly, was last after three-quarters of a mile, had only one horse beat with a furlong to go, but came home like gang busters to score despite trouble at 13-1.
A late-running charge won the next grass race as the chalk and the winner of the final grass race also came from off the pace. That runner, He Will, lost by only a neck in his previous try at Del Mar but he accelerated late and won with something left to give.
On the first Sunday of the Del Mar fall meet four turf races were on tap and speed was king in the first event. Gary Stevens sent Plastered along on legitimate splits and the filly drew away at the end.
‘Leave it to Beaver’ fans got paid in the next race as Eddie Haskell got an ideal journey going 5 furlongs on turf. The colt, trained by Doug O’Neill, sat third early and proved best at 5-1.
Mrs. Norris figured to run big in the 7th race on November 13. She had run well in the Sandy Blue Handicap at Del Mar in the summer but was dull in this particular race. The winner, Dynamic Mizzes K, was never further than two lengths off the pace before getting up by a head at 9-1.
The last turf race of the weekend was a mile and a sixteenth fray for maidens. The favorite Kona Dreams was coasting on the lead but thoughts of Hawaii may have materialized and he faded badly. That gave Colonel Samsen a shot to command attention. The runner came from second to last to win a desperate neck decision.
Granted, this is just a small sample of early returns at Del Mar, but the point to be made is when the pace figures to be contested on grass, closers can prevail and when there is limited pace, a leader has a shot to go all the way.
