In the racing vernacular, a “daisycutter” is a grass horse, one whose high action makes him or her especially adept on the greensward. Thus the name of Friday's overnight stakes at Del Mar, the $65,000 Daisycutter Handicap offered at five furlongs over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course as as the San Diego area track returns to action following a weekend lost to COVID-19 circumstances.
Racing will be conducted Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday this week, with the weekend's stakes highlight being the return of Maximum Security, the 2019 3-year-old male champion, making his first start for trainer Bob Baffert.
Friday's card also includes the $125,000 Fleet Treat Stakes that drew a closely matched field of five California-bred 3-year-old fillies.
Topweight in the field of nine fillies and mares in the Daisycutter goes to Driver or Driver's Stealthediamonds, a 4-year-old daughter of the late champion California sire Unusual Heat, who was a good grass horse himself and sired a slew of top turf runners.
The steady Stealthediamonds – in the top three in 15 of her 19 lifetime starts – will pack 124 pounds and get the saddle services of veteran Agapito Delgadillo. Her trainer is Mike Puype, who haltered the quick and consistent lassie for $80,000 for her current connections last October at Santa Anita. She's been hung the 5/2 morning line favorite for the Daisycutter.
Here's the field for the 18th edition of the Daisycutter from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:
LNJ Foxwoods' Lighthouse (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1); Fairview's Tomlin (Roberto Gonzalez, 10-1); Stealthediamonds; Michael House's Mischiffie (Rubin Fuentes, 12-1); Ten Broeck Farm's Mucho Amor (Juan Hernandez, 15-1); Andrew Farm or O'Connor's Jo Jo Air (Flavien Prat, 7/2); Tim or Kelley Goodwin's Storming Lady (Aaron Gryder, 8-1); Rockingham Ranch's Surrender Now (Abel Cedillo, 4-1), and Hronis Racing's Artistic Diva (Victor Espinoza, 8-1).
The Daisycutter will be the ninth of 11 races on the Friday card.
First post Friday – as it will be for all days at the 2020 Del Mar summer meet – is 2 p.m.
The 34th edition of the seven-furlong Fleet Treat drew the one, two, three finishers from the Melair Stakes going a mile and one-sixteenth at Santa Anita on June 21 and that trio figures strongly in considerations for the Del Mar dash.
The third-place horse that afternoon – Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temesca's Big Sweep – has been established a slight 9/5 favorite over the other two, mostly off her two-for-two sprint credentials and the presence of top rider Flavien Prat.
Following close behind is Brown Jr., Klein or Lebherz's Smiling Shirlee at 2-1 and the Melaire winner, Benjamin and Sally Warren's Warren's Showtime, at 7/2.
Rounding out the field are KMN Racing's Been Studying Her and Nick Alexander's Loud Loud Music.
Here's the field from the rail out with riders and weights:
Been Studying Her (Abel Cedillo, 125); Smiling Shirlee (Mike Smith, 120); Warren's Showtime (Jorge Velez, 125); Loud Loud Music (Tiago Pereira, 120), and Big Sweep (120).
The Fleet Treat goes as the fourth race.
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