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Wesley Ward Ships Live Chance To Del Mar For Saturday’s Best Pal

When Wesley Ward ships one in – standby. Mr. Ward does not come to play, be it anywhere in the U.S., or Europe, too. The man fires bullets from coast to coast and across the ocean.

Eight times already he's rung the stakes bell at Del Mar and Saturday he's aiming for another gong with a quick 2-year-old colt named Roderick, who ran away and hid from a straight maiden field at Belmont Park in New York on June 21 in his lone outing and – in a lineup that lacks a stakes winner – looks like a solid favorite for the 50th edition of the Best Pal Stakes.

The race, a six-panel spin for juveniles that carries Grade II status and a $150,000 purse, has drawn a field of seven runners and Roderick has drawn post No. 4 and Del Mar's leading rider, Flavien Prat. Ward, the former Eclipse Award winning jockey (top apprentice, 1984), is likely to watch his charge run from his headquarters in Lexington as his west coast guy – trainer Blake Heap – saddles his Into Mischief colt Saturday for his ownership group that goes under the name Breeze Easy.

The local hope with the best chance to outfoot the youthful invader appears to be Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Herd Immunity, a Union Rags offspring who won at first asking in a straight maiden race at Santa Anita in early June, then was shipped to Churchill Downs where he ran third in the Bashford Manor Stakes on June 27. For his go in the Best Pal, the Peter Miller-trained colt will be partnered by Abel Cedillo and break from post No. 5.

Here's the full field (in post position order with riders and morning line odds) for the 2-year-old headliner that is a key prep to the meet's top event for the juvenile set, the Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Labor Day, September 7:

Strauss, Suarez or Tsukashima's Sonic Brees (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1); Reddam Racing's Ambivalent (Mario Gutierrez, 5-1); Kaleem Shah's Schnell (Ruben Fuentes, 12-1); Roderick; Herd Immunity; Drakos or Hanson's Weston (Drayden Van Dyke, 5-1), and Altamira Racing Stable's Girther (Ricky Gonzalez, 6-1).

Weston, who is trained by Ryan Hanson, broke his maiden in good fashion at Santa Anita on June 21. The Kentucky-bred gelding by the War Front stallion Hit It a Bomb, has had three solid works at Del Mar since and gets his chance to step up a notch Saturday.

Girther, also trained by Peter Miller, scored his initial victory in his second start here at Del Mar on July 11, hanging on for a nose tally at five furlongs. He's a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Brody's Cause.

The Best Pal will go as the sixth race on an 11-race card that also features the Grade II, $150,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for fillies and mares. First post Saturday is at 2 p.m.

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Del Mar To Increase Attendance Limits To Four Owners Per Horse

The Thoroughbred Owners of California received significant positive feedback from the owners who attended the races at Del Mar last weekend, and space has been increased to four licensed owners per horse for the upcoming race dates.

Unfortunately, non-licensed guests are still not permitted. If a horse has more than four owners wishing to attend the races, TOC will do its best to accommodate if space is available. Owners wishing to attend should email Mary Forney, Executive Director of TOC (mforney@toconline.com) to secure access, and reservations can be made up until 24 hours before race day.

On race day, owners must show their license when entering the Del Mar Race Track and park in the designated area just outside the clubhouse. Owners will enter through the gate on the east side of the track across from the receiving barn. Owners will be required to be on the owner reservation list, provide their CHRB owners license, and undergo a full Covid-19 health screening including a temperature check. Masks will be required to be worn at all times, and owners must respect social distancing guidelines.

The first come, first served seating is located in the spacious clubhouse box seat area. At this time, owners must remain in the clubhouse seating area and may not enter the paddock or the winners circle. Owners are still not permitted to access the backstretch. Any violation of this strict policy will result in a forfeiture of racetrack privileges.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact TOC Executive Director Mary Forney at (626) 826-3782.

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Wide-Open Lineup Of Seven Fillies Entered For Friday’s Sorrento

In what appears to be a wide-open edition of the Grade II, $150,000 Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar, seven fillies will face starter Jay Slender Friday for a six-furlong tussle that will reward the one home first with a nice payday, a chunk of black type and a leg up toward the meet's top prize for 2-year-old distaff runners — the $250,000, Grade I Del Mar Debutante on Sunday, September 6.

The 52nd running of the race features a trio of local juveniles who all scored their maiden victories last out; a trio of out-of-town runners who also scored their maiden victories last out, and a first-time starter who drew a big price at a 2-year-olds in training sale and has been working steadily toward her debut.

Here's the lineup from the rail out with riders:

Reddam Racing's Get On the Bus, Mario Gutierrez up; Kagele or Shaw's September Secret, Abel Cedillo; Tricar Stables' Exchange Vows, Assael Espinoza; Erich Brehm's My Girl Red, Flavien Prat; Chapman or Tsujimoto's Trip to Seoul, Edwin Maldonado; Chapman or Biddinger's Scaterra, Umberto Rispoli, and Chapman Or Tsujimoto's Scat's Choice, J.C. Diaz, Jr.

The three locals have the benefit of both experience and a feel for the Del Mar strip. In September Secret's case that is especially so in that she won a $50,000 maiden-claiming race at the shore oval on July 24 and now is wheeled back just over two weeks later for her stakes debut. She's a California-bred by Grazen and is trained by Peter Miller.

My Girl Red, bred by her owner and sired by Texas Red, a horse Keith Desormeaux – My Girl Red's conditioner – also trained, comes off a four and a half-length score at Santa Anita in a straight maiden race on June 14. Leading rider Flavien Prat chooses to stay with her for her stakes debut.

Exchange Vows won by three in a $50,000 maiden-claimer at Los Alamitos on July 2. She's turned in three five-furlong works at Del Mar since.

The trio of out-of-towners are part-owned and trained by James Chapman. Trip to Seoul scored her first victory at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia; Scaterra broke through in her first attempt at Arlington Park outside Chicago, and Scat's Choice was a winner at Belterra Park in Cincinnati.

The first-timer fetched $340,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sale in March after working an eighth of a mile in :10.1. She's by the top stallion Uncle Mo and has had a series of steady works for his stakes – and racing – bow.

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Del Mar Adds Make-Up Date On Monday, Aug. 31

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has announced it will run a make-up day of racing on Monday, August 31. It expects to present a 10-race card starting at 2 p.m. The added date means Del Mar will finish up its 2020 summer race meet with two four-day weekends — August 28 to 31 and September 4 to 7.

On the heels of a recently announced 10% purse increase, the seaside track's extra day will bring the number of race days for its 81st summer season to 27. Originally, 28 racing days had been planned.

The track's racing office has been adding extra races to its regular cards to make up for the lost date as the meet moves through its scheduled Friday through Sunday timetable.

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