Years ago a horse named Cigar was running on the turf. Nothing special, just an average grass horse. He did win an entry level allowance race at Del Mar, but that was about it.
Then one day, trainer Bill Mott and owner Allen Paulson decided to try their now 4-year-old colt on the dirt. Cigar ran off 16 straight victories, tying Citation's old mark for most consecutive wins and eventually vaulting Cigar into racing's Hall of Fame.
This should not be mistaken as a comparison to Cigar but there's a horse in the Peter Eurton barn named Exaulted that started out as your average, everyday dirt horse until this year when the connections decided to try him on the turf. He hasn't lost since and will try to extend his win streak to five this Saturday in the G2 Del Mar Mile, one of the five graded stakes featured on Pacific Classic Day.
“That's what I have to think,” Eurton says when asked if the surface switch was the key to Exaulted's turnaround. “He was always pretty healthy. Growing up he had little issues but nothing ever serious.”
The son of Twirling Candy only won once in his first 11 races. He broke his maiden winning an entry level allowance race at Santa Anita. Exaulted ran twice at Del Mar last summer finishing third and fifth in entry level allowance races.
“He didn't run bad,” Eurton says. “He was always knocking on the door but he wouldn't finish. (The grass) made him more of a stayer.”
So to start his 6-year-old campaign, Eurton made the switch to grass.
“He's by a turf sire,” Eurton says. “His size is not your typical turf horse. He's like 17-hands so we always thought he'd be a dirt horse and it just kind of worked out. It's just too bad I didn't try it earlier.”
He won an entry level allowance in January; a non-winners of two in February; the G3 American in April and the G1 Shoemaker Mile on Memorial Day. All were at Santa Anita.
Trainer Philip D'Amato has brought his full complement of turf runners to the party on Saturday. In the Mile he has Count Again and Balnikhov, winner of last year's Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar.
“He (Balnikhov) really likes this turf course down here,” D'Amato says. “He's trained really well post Eddie Read and I think he should be set to run one of his 'A' races.”
Balnikhov finished a fast-closing second to stablemate Gold Phoenix in the G2 Eddie Read in July.
Bob Baffert will send out Du Jour, winner of the $100,000 Wickerr on opening weekend. The son of Temple City will have the services of rider Flavien Prat, who is flying in from the east coast and will ride this weekend.
Last year's Wickerr winner, Irideo, will take the outside post in the 10-horse 'Mile' field. He posted back-to-back runner up finishes, both behind Exaulted, in the G3 American and the G1 Shoemaker Mile before a head-scratching, sixth-place finish in this year's edition of the Wickerr. Trainer Marcelo Polanco is hoping for a better effort this time.
“Since we got here I've been working him on the grass,” Polanco says, “so he's getting used to it and he does work good on the turf.”
Irideo had two bullet works over consecutive weekends earlier this month. He also has a new rider.
“We have Tiago Pereira,” Polanco says. “He worked the horse the last time. They got along real good and he seems like the right guy for this horse. He's an easy horse to ride. You make one move and that's about it. He's got to relax in the first part (of the race) and he'll give you a good race.”
The G2 Del Mar Mile is the seventh race on the 11-race Saturday card. Approximate post time is 4:30 p.m. First post for Saturday's races is at 1:30 p.m.
Here's the field from the rail with the jockeys:
- Du Jour (4-1);
- Sumter (Mike Smith, 15-1);
- Count Again (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1);
- Exaulted (Juan Hernandez, 3-1);
- Balnikhov (Hector Berrios, 6-1);
- Visitant (Geovanni Franco, 12-1);
- I'm A Gambler (Antonio Fresu, 8-1);
- War At Sea (Victor Espinoza, 10-1);
- Twist (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1), and
- Irideo (Tiago Pereira, 10-1).
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