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Saratoga, Del Mar Team Up For All-Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 featuring all graded stakes action from Saratoga and Del Mar. The sequence will include three Grade 1s and a pair of Grade 2 contests.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Saratoga will host the first two legs of the sequence, starting with the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid for 3-year-old fillies competing at 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course in Race 9 at 5:39 p.m. Eastern. The Chad Brown-trained Technical Analysis will look to duplicate her effort from when she won the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 over the Saratoga inner turf. Spanish Loveaffair, who faced top-flight competition last out in running eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in the opening leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series on July 10, will be sent out by Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. New York-bred Runaway Rumour won her first three starts for trainer Jorge Abreu, including an off-the-pace half-length victory in the Wild Applause in June at Belmont Park going one mile. After running fourth in the Lake George in her first run over the Saratoga grass, the Flintshire filly will return to the Spa.

The featured race at Saratoga, the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama, will see Malathaat out for revenge against Maracuja after the latter's last-out win in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 24 at Saratoga. Malathaat was a hard-fought winner of the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs and captured the Grade 1 Ashland on April 3 at Keeneland. A victory in the Alabama would make Malathaat the fifth filly in the past decade to capture the Kentucky Oaks-Alabama double. For Maracuja, a win in the Alabama would make her the fifth horse in the last decade to score the CCA Oaks-Alabama double. Crazy Beautiful, the winner of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 27, ran 10th in the Kentucky Oaks. But the Kenneth McPeek trainee rebounded to win the Grade 3 Summertime Oaks on May 30 at Santa Anita ahead of a six-length romp in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 3 at Delaware Park.

Del Mar will host the concluding three legs, starting with the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the turf in Race 9 at 9 p.m. Eastern. The Brown-trained Fluffy Socks, the Lake George runner-up last month, will be returning to the track where she won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante in November. Madone, a winner of 5-of-7 starts for trainer Simon Callaghan, enters from a rallying win in the Grade 2 San Clemente on July 24 at Del Mar. The Irish-bred Feathers, trained by Peter Miller, will make her graded stakes debut, while fellow Irish-bred Soaring Sky will make her North American debut for conditioner Jessica Harrington.

The Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic for 3-year-olds and up will be contested in Race 10 at 9:30 p.m. as a nine-horse field competes at 1 1/4 miles on the main track. Express Train, winner of the San Diego Handicap, was installed the 3-1 morning line favorite. The Union Rags colt, trained by John Shirreffs, has posted a 4-4-2 record in 12 career starts as he enters the “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Classic in November, also held at Del Mar. Royal Ship, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, has won six of his 14 starts with earnings of $293,305 and will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. Dr Post, the 2020 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes runner-up who last out won the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, will also look to make an impact shipping to the West Coast.

Concluding the Cross Country Pick 5 will be the Grade 2, $300,000 Del Mar Handicap in Race 11 at 10 p.m. The 11-horse field for 3-year-olds and up running at 1 3/8 miles on the turf will see Shirreffs send out Astronaut, second in the Grade 3 San Jan Capistrano, square off with the Brad Cox-trained Arklow, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in November in his previous start at Del Mar.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, August 21:
Leg A: Saratoga – Race 9, G2 Lake Placid (5:39 p.m.)
Leg B: Saratoga – Race 10, G1 Alabama (6:13 p.m.)
Leg C: Del Mar – Race 9, G1 Del Mar Oaks (9:00 p.m.)
Leg D: Del Mar – Race 10, G1 Pacific Classic (9:30 p.m.)
Leg E: Del Mar– Race 11, G2 Del Mar Handicap (10:00 p.m.)

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United, Madone Target Del Mar Handicap, Oaks For Next Starts

United and Madone came out of their respective Grade 2 wins in the $250,000 Eddie Read and $200,000 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Saturday in fine fettle, their trainers reported Sunday morning.

And with those lucrative first steps taken, the connections are eyeing even bigger things on August 21 as part of the five-stakes mega card for TVG Pacific Classic Day. For United, it's the $300,000 Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, a “Win & You're In” qualifier for the $3 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf here on November 6. For Madone, it's the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

In defending his Eddie Read title United, a 6-year-old gelded son of Giant's Causeway, rebounded from a lackluster last-of-four effort in the Charles Whittingham on May 29 at Santa Anita. That effort had his Hall of Fame trainer mystified until a small bruise was found under a shoe.

Under Flavien Prat on Saturday, United went willingly between rivals on the far turn and prevailed by a neck in a stretch duel with even-money favorite Smooth Like Strait.

United covered the 1 1/8 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:49.49 which compared to 1:46.71 in the 2020 victory.

“Different race, different horses,” Mandella said.

“He went back to his old form,” said Prat.

A year ago, the G2 Eddie Read win prompted Mandella to toy with the idea of entering United in the TVG Pacific Classic. After a few days of thought, and also becoming aware that the Classic purse had been dropped from $1 million to $500,000, Mandella opted for the Del Mar Handicap. United was second by a head to Red King in that one.

Mandella's focus is entirely on the G2 Del Mar Handicap this time.

“We're not on the roll we were last year,” he said.

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In the G2 San Clemente, Madone made amends for a no-factor performance from a wide trip in the Honeymoon at Santa Anita on May 22. That race was three weeks after a victory in the Senorita and trainer Simon Callaghan shouldered responsibility for the disappointment.

“I ran her back too soon,” Callaghan said. “She bounced, simple as that.”

Madone's victory ended a five-race win streak for Going Global, the 2-5 San Clemente favorite. Trainer Phil D'Amato said the Irish-bred filly came out of the race well and a rematch should be forthcoming in the Del Mar Oaks.

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Red King Gives Red-Hot D’Amato Sixth Del Mar Handicap Victory In Seven Years

The victory by Red King in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar Handicap brought attention to the rise of Phil D'Amato in the Del Mar trainer standings and the increased success of his stable after a chilly start.

At the delayed start of the second week of the meeting, Friday, July 31, D'Amato runners had two wins in 23 starts. Subsequent start-the-weekend numbers were: 3-for-29 on August 7, 7-for-43 on August 14 and 11 for 51 last Friday.

With one win Friday and two Saturday – the D'Amato/Umberto Rispoli combination followed up the Handicap victory with Salvator Mundi ($11.20) in the 11th race nightcap – D'Amato now has 14 wins from 60 starters and only trails Peter Miller by one on the leaderboard.

“Things have been clicking well the second half of the meet,” D'Amato said via text. “All those horses that finished second and third at the beginning of the meet have been able to come back and win. That really helps.

“Also, the ability to breeze turf horses on the turf here at Del Mar has really helped. I think it keeps the grass horses happier and they perform better in their races.”

Red King, a 6-year-old son of English Channel bred by Calumet Farm and owned by Little Red Feather Racing, had five works on the Del Mar turf leading up to his first start since a June 21 victory in the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita.

Given a masterful ride by Rispoli, Red King was able to pull off a $10.60 upset of heavy favorite United. The Handicap, sponsored by the Japan Racing Association, is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Turf in November at Keeneland.

D'Amato has now won the last four editions of the Del Mar Handicap and six of the last seven. After back-to-back victories in 2014-'15 with Big John B, D'Amato won with Hunt in 2017, Fashion Business in 2018 and Acclimate in 2019.

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Red King Holds Off United With Rispoli’s Perfectly Timed Ride In Del Mar Handicap

Jockey Umberto Rispoli rolled the dice, making a six-wide move toward the lead aboard Red King with a half-mile to go in Saturday's Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, then had just enough left to hold off the late charge of odds-on favorite United and Flavien Prat in the 1 3/8-mile turf fixture at the seaside track north of San Diego.

The victory in the $200,000 race gave Red King – owned by Little Red Feather, Gordon Jacobsen and Philip Belmonte – an automatic, fees-paid berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland on Nov. 7 as part of the “Win and You're In” Challenge Race Series that also provides a travel allowance to winning horses traveling to Kentucky.

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Red King covered 1 3/8 miles on firm turf in 2:15.75, winning for the seventh time in 28 lifetime starts. This was his second stakes win since D'Amato claimed him for $25,000 in February 2019. Earlier this year the English Channel 6-year-old horse won the 1 3/4-mile, G3 San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita.

United finished second, with Originaire closing for third and Proud Pedro fourth in the field of 11 older runners.

Red King paid $10.60.

Longshots Big Buzz and Ward 'n Jerry carved out the slow early fractions, going :25.07, :49.94 and 1:15.09 for the first six furlongs. Rispoli swung Red King to the outside in the run down the backstretch, moving toward the leaders after a mile in 1:40.07. He took command from North County Guy at the top of the stretch, opened up a lead and just lasted over United for the win.

“I didn't like how slow they were going, so I decided to move earlier today,” said Rispoli. “It takes a really good horse to do that, but I knew he had the stamina. I did this when I was riding in Europe. It was close at the finish because he was trying to pull h imself up. I am very happy. This horse gave me a Grade 3 win in his last start, and today he gave me a Grade 2. I want to keep it going with him.”

The stakes win was the seventh of the meet for Rispoli, riding his first seaon at Del Mar. It was the first of the meet for D'Amato but his fourth straight (and sixth of the last seven) in the Del Mar Handicap. He now has 27 stakes wins at Del Mar.

“I could see going along the backstretch Flavien (on United) was on the inside and Umberto was about to make that move on the outside. (Rispoli) timed in perfectly. I give all the credit to him. After the last race he was so high on this horse. He chose Red King over Originaire and that gave me a lot of confidence that he felt the horse was climbing up the ladder and to win this race is really special.”

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