bob hess jr. | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Memories’ Meets ‘Love’ in Honeymoon

The top two 3-year-old turf fillies in California will face off for the first time along with five other foes in Sunday's nine-furlong GIII Honeymoon S. on the Santa Anita lawn.

Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince), named a 'TDN Rising Star' for a 4 1/2-length debut victory Sept. 5 at Del Mar, the $50,000 Keeneland September purchase backed that up with 2 1/4-length tally in the local Surfer Girl S. before finishing ninth with a troubled trip in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Switched to dirt, the gray was a half-length second in Los Alamitos's GI Starlet S., but finished seventh, beaten 24 lengths in the local GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 6. Returning to turf here Apr. 9, she went to the lead for the first time and responded with a dominant 4 1/2-length conquest of the GIII Providencia S. A repeat of the 90 Beyer she earned in that effort would make the Bob Hess Jr. trainee tough in here.

Her main competition is rail-drawn Island of Love (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Two-for-two by a combined 9 1/2 lengths over the span of just 10 days to open her career for Alessandro Botti last September in Italy, the bay was runner-up at 4-5 in the Lady Shamrock S. making her North American debut here Jan. 30 before checking in fourth in the China Doll S. as the favorite Mar. 6. The Phil D'Amato pupil then broke through in America with a 2 1/4-length triumph in the GIII Senorita S. going a mile on this course May 7.

The Coolmore connections' Ballet Dancing (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to have some upside for trainer Simon Callaghan. Bought for $800,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, the bay was third with a slow break and wide trip debuting over a turfy mile here Oct. 15 and rallied from ninth with a quarter-mile to go to break her maiden over the same course and distance May 7.

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Key Del Mar Names Reflect Upon 2021, Look Forward To 2022

The curtain comes down today on the Bing Crosby Season and, thereby, racing at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., for 2021. An appropriate time, it would seem, for a few key figures to, upon request, provide thoughts and comments on the summer and fall meetings this year, reflect back on COVID-marked 2020 and ahead to 2022.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper – “It has been a long couple years (2020-2021), but when all the dust settles, we've done terrific, and we've had a terrific year this year. I've learned not to count the people, just count the money on the tote board and there's your happy ending.”

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella – “The summer for our stable was wonderful (three stakes wins highlighted by United in the Eddie Read). The fall? It was nice to be down here, but we're packing up and heading north tomorrow licking our wounds…

“It was a big difference this year to have people back in the stands. That's what we need more of in racing is people to be here and have some fun and excitement. During COVID, it was just ourselves and the horses. With nobody to brag to after you won a race, it got pretty dull.

“Thankfully, we had racing and I don't want to take away from how lucky we were to have racing. A lot of businesses just stopped and we got to go ahead and continue to make a living without major job losses. But last year compared to this? There's no comparison. We need the people here.”

Trainer Peter Miller – “The summer was great (winning the training title and five stakes). The fall has not been up to our standards, but we've closed out with two wins on Friday and the (Jimmy Durante) stakes yesterday.”

Earlier this summer, Miller announced he was stepping back from racing and turning day-to-day operations over assistant Ruben Alvarado starting with the end of the Bing Crosby Season.

“Tomorrow morning I'm going to sleep in, have breakfast with my two boys and take them to school,” Miller said. “To say that has not been routine to this point is a real understatement.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – “It was nice to be able to go to the track and have people there again. Clients love to win at Del Mar, and even when you lose, it doesn't feel as bad there. It's a fun atmosphere and they've done a good job of keeping it that way. ”

Baffert won four stakes in the summer, among them the Debutante and Futurity, and added four more during the Bing Crosby meeting – among them the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. It boosted his track record stakes victory total to 147.

“I have the sign that says record (victory) No. 75, seems like a long time ago,” Baffert said … “I'll have a lot of 2-year-olds again next summer…It's the best place to develop young horses.”

Trainer Bob Hess, Jr. – “Our summer meet started out pretty darn slow, but we finished with a flourish. The fall has been a bit slow but productive. We had a big winner (Saturday) in Miss Mattie B ($61.80), a 2-year-old filly we look forward to (campaigning) next year.

“For our barn and racing in general, I believe this Del Mar dirt surface is the safest in the country and it's even better in the fall than it is in the summer. That's why I personally like to have my horses down here in the fall. It doesn't make economic sense, but I think it makes a lot of horse sense.”

Trainer Phil D'Amato – “We've had a nice exciting year (26 wins overall, six stakes) and we're looking forward to 2022. I think it's only going to get better.”

The post Key Del Mar Names Reflect Upon 2021, Look Forward To 2022 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Hess, Desormeaux A Winning Trainer-Jockey Duo

Bob Hess Jr. and Kent Desormeaux could have been winners in another sport.

Hess had aspirations as a Major Leaguer when pitching for Stanford University in 1983-84, playing for his college team with future Major Leaguers Jack McDowell, Mike Andrete, and Ed Sprague before graduating with a degree in economics.

Louisiana native Desormeaux, 51, had visions of becoming another Pete Maravich but came up short, however not as a rider. In 1989, he won 598 races, a record that still stands.

Each went on to become established in their eventual profession, horse racing. All these years later, they remain one of racing's most successful trainer-jockey combos, having enjoyed a magical run of some 500 victories at a nearly 35 percent average.

For bettors, it's a winning formula that has evolved into Hess + Desormeaux = profit. Case in point: a classic ride by Desormeaux gave Hess another victory when Aloha Kitten purred home first by a half-length despite stumbling badly at the start in Friday's opening race at an $11.80 payoff at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. It was the first start in more than five months for the daughter of Kitten's Joy.

The latest stakes win came with Cairo Memories in last Sunday's $200,000 Surfer Girl Stakes for two-year-old fillies at a mile on turf. Owned by long-time client Cathy Schroeder and David Bernsen, the $50,000 bargain daughter of Cairo Prince earned $120,000 and is unbeaten in two races, one more impressive than the other.

Next up, Del Mar's $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at one mile at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5.

Bob, 56, is the son of a famous trainer, and Kent, a naturally gifted Hall of Fame jockey and three-time Kentucky Derby winner, reached the apex in a racing family that includes respected multiple graded stakes-winning trainer Keith, his older brother.

Ultimately, the Bob and Kent show coalesced into one of racing's winningest jockey-trainer combos, reminiscent of yesteryear when one jockey rode exclusively for one stable.

“Other than the obvious,” Hess said, “our relationship is based on mutual trust and respect. There are plenty of top riders out here. But with Kent and I, it all starts with being honest with one another, trusting each other and respecting each other.”

It's a rock-solid foundation that more than three decades later still doesn't seem to have a pebble in its path.

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Cairo Prince Filly a ‘Rising Star’ at Del Mar

Ignored at 16-1 debuting around two turns on turf Sunday, Schroeder Farms LLC's Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) overcame some immaturity to dominate her Del Mar rivals and earn 'TDN Rising Star'-dom.

There wasn't much on the grey's worktab to catch the eye, and she was unveiled here by the typically patient Bob Hess, Jr. outfitted with blinkers and a shadow roll. Walking out of the gate, Cairo Memories tugged her way up between horses past the stands for the first time and was in midpack and off the inside by the time they took the first turn. She continued along under a snug hold behind a :48.67 half, and was up into fourth midway around the home bend. Kent Desormeaux gave the cue to quicken after six panels in 1:13.47, and she gobbled up ground to seize the lead before streaking away under good-looking strides, bumping the margin to 4 1/2 lengths at the line. Second timer Peanut Butter Cup (Candy Ride {Arg}) completed the exacta for the Hess barn.

The 15th juvenile winner this year and third 'Rising Star' in his stallion career for Airdrie Stud's Cairo Prince, Cairo Memories is a full to Cariba, SW, $221,750, a $400,000 KEESEP yearling who won Saratoga's Caress S. last year. A $50,000 September yearling herself, Cairo Memories's Collected half-brother is cataloged as hip 1511 in this year's upcoming auction. Cairo Memories is out of a half-sister to GSW Hello Liberty (Forest Camp) and to the dam of GSW grassers Significant Form (Creative Cause) and Hay Dakota (Haynesfield).

3rd-Del Mar, $72,500, Msw, 9-5, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:37.64, fm, 4 1/2 lengths.
CAIRO MEMORIES, f, 2, Cairo Prince
                1st Dam: Incarnate Memories, by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Witness Post, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Most Likely, by Fappiano
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Schroeder Farms LLC; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Robert B. Hess, Jr. *$50,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP.

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