Del Mar | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mo Forza Makes Sparkling Return In Del Mar Mile Handicap

Bardy Farm and OG Boss' Mo Forza, making his first start in seven months, looked like he'd never been away as he powered past a good field of turfers in capturing the $152,000 Del Mar Mile Sunday at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

The 4-year-old colt by top stallion Uncle Mo out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed, scored by 4 1/4 lengths under Flavien Prat in the good time of 1:33.27 for the mile and, as the 6-5 favorite, paid $4.40, $3.00 and $2.40 across the board. He is trained by Peter Miller.

This was the 34th running of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile and it rewarded its winner with a purse of $90,000, pushing his bankroll to $614,460. The bay has now won five of his 11 starts, four of those victories coming in stakes races, including the Hollywood Derby last fall at Del Mar.

“Peter (trainer Miller) and I talked before the race and we noted that there looked like a lot of speed in the race,” said Prat. “That turned out true. He told me he took his blinkers off and he was hoping for the best. I had a good trip; my horse was relaxed. Then, when I say 'Go,' he had a really strong response.”

“That gave me goose pimples,” said Miller. “I was just hoping I had him tight enough and ready to perform. These were a good group of horses, but he's exceptional. To see this horse back in the winner's circle is really exciting. He had a tendency to get rank in his races last year and wanted to run over horses, so we thought we didn't want that problem this year so we took the blinkers off. He's been working without them and I thought that if it doesn't work out I'm going to look like an idiot, but thank goodness it worked out. We think the Breeders' Cup will definitely be the end of the year with one race in between.”

Bardy Farm is the nom du course for former trainer and breeder Barry Abrams, who raced horses for many years with great success on the Southern California circuit. He is home battling cancer these days but this horse – who Abrams also bred – had to pick his head up for sure. His partner in the colt is Onofrio Pecoraro of San Diego.

Finishing second in the feature was Kelly Brinkerhoff and Bog Grayson, Jr.'s Restrainedvengence and third was Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm's Royal Ship.

The riding and training stars of the day were Prat and Miller, who combined to win three races on the 11-race card. Besides Mo Forza they also clicked with Querelle ($4.60) in the 2nd Race and Worthy Turk ($8.20) in the 7th. Prat is now second-leading rider at the meet with 34 wins after 19 days of racing. Miller leads the trainers' list with 18 firsts. Prat has been Del Mar's top rider on three different occasions, while Miller has been the leading conditioner seven times.

The stakes win was the 10th of the meet for rider Prat, but his first in the Del Mar Mile. He now has 54 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the third of the meet for trainer Miller, but his first in the Del Mar Mile. He now has 32 stakes wins at Del Mar.

Nobody could solve the Pick Six mystery on Sunday resulting in a $89,465 carryover and a $19,171 Jackpot carryover when racing resumes Friday at Del Mar starting at 2 p.m.

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Needless to Say Another Debut Winner for Not This Time

8th-Del Mar, $57,500, (S), Msw, 8-23, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.91, ft.
NEEDLESS TO SAY (f, 2, Not This Time–Camille C {MSW & GSP, $400,205}, by Roman Dancer), favored at 3-2, gave her freshman sire (by Giant’s Causeway) his ninth winner, his second of the day, and his second impressive debut victress of the weekend at Del Mar. The dark bay filly was away sharply and was soon at the head of affairs, setting fractions of :21.93 and :45.90. She extended her advantage down the lane without being asked and finished geared down and 3 1/4 lengths to the good of Ensley’s Dream (Smiling Tiger). Harris Farms purchased Camille C, with Needless to Say in utero, for $25,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The mare, who was third in the 2010 GII Hollywood Oaks, produced a colt by Clubhouse Ride in 2019 and a filly by Mr. Big in 2020. She was bred back to Smiling Tiger this year. Not This Time’s daughter Princess Noor was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after her sparkling debut at Del Mar Saturday. The Taylor Made stallion was represented by his eighth winner when Time Goes On won the five race at Prairie Meadows just shortly before Needless to Say’s victory Sunday. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000.
O-Harris Farms, Inc. & Per Antonsen; B-Harris Farms (CA); T-Dean Pederson.

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Baffert: Jockey Club Gold Cup Under Consideration For Maximum Security

As an example of the strength and fitness of Maximum Security, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert pointed out that the 2019 3-year-old male champion was not breathing deeply as he returned to pose in front of the infield board following his victory Saturday in the Grade 1, $500,000 TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

This after running 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.24, leading wire-to-wire and putting an easy three lengths between himself and runner-up Sharp Samurai at the finish.

Trackside on Sunday morning, Baffert related how the 4-year-old son of New Year's Day practically dragged handlers back to the barn Saturday evening and was fine in the morning light. Baffert also said that as gratifying and emotional as the TVG Pacific Classic win was – it brought tears to the eyes of owners Gary and Mary West – it was not the most impressive of Maximum Security's two-race Del Mar tour de force.

“The most impressive race was the San Diego (Handicap, July 25),” Baffert said. “He was inside, got stopped, had to overcome trouble and a slow track and still won.”

Comparatively, the Pacific Classic, Maximum Security's second start for Baffert and second with Abel Cedillo in the irons, was a day at the beach. From an outside, five of six, post Maximum Security broke alertly and Cedillo was able to get positioned on the lead, near the rail and never relinquish it.

The inevitable next questions: what and where for his next start and will it be at a place where Cedillo or Luis Saez will ride, will be left for another day. Post-TVG Pacific Classic, Baffert had mentioned the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 10 as a prelim to the Breeders' Cup Classic – the TVG Pacific Classic was a “Win and You're In” qualifier – in November at Keeneland. But he's not making any commitment.

“I'm not sure yet,” Baffert said.

Mark Glatt, trainer of TVG Pacific Classic runner-up Sharp Samurai, said the 6-year-old gelding, making only his fourth start on dirt in a 21-race career, also came out of the race in good order. Sharp Samurai was entered in both the Classic and today's Grade II $150,000 Del Mar Mile on grass and opted to go in the Classic.

The $100,000 runner-up share of the Classic purse, compared to $90,000 for a win in the Mile, says it was a wise decision. But Glatt wasn't patting himself on the back.

“I don't have a crystal ball and he would have been tough in the race today,” Glatt said Sunday morning. “But we (now) know he can run on dirt and that gives us a lot of options.”

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Maximum Effort

Whether you love him or have mixed feelings about him, there is one thing about Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) that is very hard to dispute: he is an outstanding racehorse.

Prohibitively favored at 40 cents on the dollar to take Saturday’s GI TVG Pacific Classic in his second start since being transferred to the barn of Bob Baffert, the bay absorbed race-long pressure but, realistically speaking, never looked like losing in securing an all-expenses-paid berth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November. When the dust had settled, the 4-year-old had a margin of three lengths on a very game and persistent Sharp Samurai (First Samurai), while Midcourt (Midnight Lute)–who almost stole the show in the GII San Diego H. last time out-came home a well-beaten third.

“We mapped it out that he’s the quickest horse, he’s ready and now you can ride him with a lot more confidence. Once he took the lead I figured he’d be fine,” said trainer Bob Baffert, winning the marquee race of the Del Mar meet for the sixth time, equaling the record of the great Bobby Frankel. “‘Max’ was relaxing really nice. He was a totally different horse today. [Maximum Security] just does things effortlessly. He wasn’t even blowing when he came back. I’m just so happy for this horse. It’s not his fault what he went through. Today he showed that he is a great horse.”

Having won the inaugural Saudi Cup in February, Maximum Security was making his debut for Baffert in the San Diego in the aftermath of the federal indictment of trainer Jason Servis. Adding further intrigue to an already complicated situation was news that the jockey that knew Maximum Security best, Luis Saez, had contracted the coronavirus and was restricted from traveling from New York.

Enter Abel Cedillo, a rising star on the Southern California circuit, but who had never known a spotlight as white hot as the one he was about to experience. Very little went according to script in the San Diego. Clearly the one to beat, his fellow riders race-rode Maximum Security and he was unable to make the running. Under a drive for the better part of the last four furlongs, he somehow managed to peg back Midcourt on the wire to score by a nose. Connections promised a fitter racehorse this time around and he delivered–to the max.

Kicked straight into the lead from gate five by Cedillo, Maximum Security took the Pacific Classic field under the line for the first time and although the opening fraction of :23.93 was hardly demanding, it was a contested pace, as Sharp Samurai was glued to his flank, with defending champ Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro) prominent three wide. Midcourt was restrained off the pace this time around, with longshots Mirinaque (Arg) (Hurricane Cat) and Dark Vader (Take of Ekati) the back markers.

Maximum Security galloped them along at an even tempo–the half-mile was posted in :47.98–and was asked for a bit more speed passing the four-furlong pole after six panels in a very comfortable 1:12.37. Sharp Samurai kept up the pressure around the turn and at one point perhaps looked to be traveling slightly better than the chalk, but Maximum Security turned away his very pesky foe entering the final eighth of a mile and pulled clear, covering his final quarter-mile in a solid :24.74.

“The race went pretty much how I thought,” said Cedillo. “[Trainer] Bob [Baffert] told me to keep him off the rail, because the speed was inside. If someone wanted to run up inside of us, I would have let them. He just galloped around the track. I was a little surprised that the outside horse [Sharp Samurai] was with us early and he stuck around. He ran big, but whenever he would get close, my horse would pull away on his own. He still had a little left at the end. I have to say this is probably the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”

Pedigree Notes:

Maximum Security’s dam was acquired by Gary and Mary West for $80,000 in foal to Pioneerof the Nile at Keeneland November in 2014 and was sold to Korean interests for $11,000 carrying a full-sibling to the then unraced 2-year-old Maximum Security, who would make a victorious debut in a maiden $16,000 claimer about six weeks later. Lil Indy and her weanling Korean-bred full-sister to Maximum Security were acquired and returned to the U.S. and prepared for last year’s Keeneland November sale. Lil Indy fetched $1.85 million in foal to Quality Road, while the weanling was bought back on a bid of $190,000. Lil Indy, a half-sister to MGISW Flat Out (Flatter), produced a colt by Quality Road Apr. 23 and was bred back to Curlin.

Saturday, Del Mar
TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC S.-GI, $500,500, Del Mar, 8-22, 3yo/up,
1 1/4m, 2:01.24, ft.
1–MAXIMUM SECURITY, 124, c, 4, by New Year’s Day
                1st Dam: Lil Indy, by Anasheed
                2nd Dam: Cresta Lil, by Cresta Rider
                3rd Dam: Rugosa, by Double Jay
O-Gary & Mary West, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor &
Derrick Smith; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Bob
Baffert; J-Abel Cedillo. $300,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3yo Colt,
12-10-1-0, $12,191,900. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sharp Samurai, 124, g, 6, First Samurai–Secret Wish, by
Street Cry (Ire). ($85,000 Ylg ’15 KEESEP). O-Red Baron’s Barn
LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC & Mark Glatt; B-Cudney Stables
(KY); T-Mark Glatt. $100,000.
3–Midcourt, 124, g, 5, Midnight Lute–Mayo On the Side, by
French Deputy. ($450,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $60,000.
Margins: 3, 2 3/4, NO. Odds: 0.40, 10.10, 7.40.
Also Ran: Higher Power, Mirinaque (Arg), Dark Vader.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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