Tag: Del Mar

Prat Rides Four Winners, Sweeps Both Stakes As Del Mar Resumes Racing

Three-time Del Mar riding champ Flavien Prat overcame a battle with COVID-19 and returned to riding at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif., on Friday. He underscored his return to good health, good horses and good luck with a four-win afternoon including a sweep of the two stakes races on the program, the track's first since Sunday, July 12.

The 27-year-old Frenchman gave flawless rides to his quartet of winners, which included a 2 1/4-length tally on Red Baron's Barn or Rancho Temescal's Big Sweep in the $125,000 Fleet Treat Stakes and a late-running neck score aboard Andrew Farm and O'Connor's Jo Jo Air in the Daisycutter Handicap.

Prat, who had ridden at Del Mar only on Opening Day, July 10, previously, was the track's leading jock last summer and projected himself back into the fray for this go round. He now has five winners to rank second on the riders' roster to Del Mar newcomer Umberto Rispoli and his eight firsts.

Big Sweep ran the seven furlongs of the Fleet Treat in 1:24.44 and paid $4.60 and $3.00 in a four-horse field that did not allow for show betting.

Jo Jo Air covered five furlongs on grass in :56.29 and paid $9.20, $4.80 and $3.60 across the board.

Finishing second in the Fleet Treat for California-breds was KMN Racing's Been Studying Her and third was Brown, Klein or Lebherz's Smiling Shirlee.

The runner-up in the $65,000 Daisycutter was LNJ Foxwoods' Lighthouse, while Fairview's Tomlin pulled in third.

Del Mar will continue its four-day weekend Saturday with an 11-race card starting at 2 p.m. A trio of stakes will be offered on the afternoon, including the $150,000 San Diego Handicap featuring the return to racing of champion Maximum Security.

FLAVIEN PRAT (Jo Jo Air, winner) — “It all fell into place. I watched videos of her races. She broke well and relaxed. We were right in behind the favorite (Stealthediamonds) and I felt good. Then she gave me her big kick. A good race for her.”

BLAKE HEAP (assistant to Wesley Ward, Jo Jo Air, winner) – “She shipped in from Kentucky before this was scheduled for last week (Saturday, July 18). So when it got cancelled, we've had her here for two weeks now. The extra week gave her time to acclimate and get a work over the (turf) course (July 19, 4f, :48.80) so it worked out really well. We knew the three (Stealthediamonds) was going to go fast early so I just told (Flavien Prat) to see how she breaks and save some running for the last. She's going back to Kentucky on Monday and Wesley will decide where she goes from there.”

FRACTIONS:  :22.24  :44.83  :56.29

The stakes win was the second of the meet for rider Prat and his first in the Daisycutter. He now has 46 stakes wins at Del Mar. It was also his fourth victory on the day's card.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Ward, but his second in the Daisycutter (2015, Shrinking Violet). He now has nine stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owner is Richard Brodie (Andrew Farm) of Warren, MI and Mrs. Charlie O'Connor.

The post Prat Rides Four Winners, Sweeps Both Stakes As Del Mar Resumes Racing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Beat Ray At Del Mar Online Contest: A Bear Trap On The Beach

The only good thing I can say about racing being cancelled last weekend at Del Mar is that I didn't have to lose another round in the track's Beat Ray Everyday online handicapping contest.

But with the return of racing on Friday kicking off a four-day, stakes-packed weekend at the seaside track, I am loaded for bear … literally.

Chris Fallica, the ESPN College GameDay personality known as The Bear and a skilled horseplayer in his own right, has been recruited by Del Mar to trounce challenge me in the second celebrity round of Beat Ray Everyday.

As its name implies, Beat Ray Everyday is an online contest offered every racing day of the Del Mar summer meet. It's free to play and you can still sign up here. All you have to do is bet a mythical $100 each day on the selected contest race in win, place or show bets on any horse or horses. You can read the specific rules here. At the end of the meet, the player with the highest bankroll with those wagers  becomes the “Beach Boss” and wins two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. Other prizes are available to top finishers and anyone who finishes ahead of me is entered in a drawing for even more prizes.

Every Saturday, a racing or sports celebrity will be a guest handicapper and take their turns beating me like a drum.

The Bear will join fellow handicapper Michelle Yu and me on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT on Del Mar's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube) to handicap the day's contest race, the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going a mile on turf as the ninth race. Tune in to hear our handicapping strategies and our bets for the contest.

Based on his Tweet, The Bear seems a bit overconfident going into this round.

I've spent hours reviewing replays and poring over past performances for the San Clemente. By any estimation, it's a wide-open race, though I'm pretty sure I've found the right horse, the late-running Irish-bred Croughavouke from the barn of Jeff Mullins. She's 6-1 on the morning line and overdue for a winning race after recording three seconds and a third in seven U.S. starts.

Despite that confidence Croughavouke, I'm placing a hedge bet on 15-1 outsider Over Attracted, who spent her early days in France and will be making her second U.S. start for trainer Carla Gaines and jockey Mike Smith.

Ray's Beat Ray Everyday plays:
July 10: $100 win on Hit the Road. Result: Won and paid $5.20 ($260 total)
July 11: $100 win on Voodoo Song. Result: Fifth as 2.90-1 favorite
July 12: $100 win on Going to Vegas. Result: Sixth at 6.10-1
July 24: $50 win/place on Surrender Now. Result: To come
July 25: $40 win/place Croughavouke; #20 win Over Attracted: Result: To come

The post Beat Ray At Del Mar Online Contest: A Bear Trap On The Beach appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Hope To Provide Some Opportunities’: George Bradvica Taking On New Role As Agent For Brice Blanc

George Bradvica, a fixture at management level positions and in racing offices at Santa Anita, Pomona and Del Mar for over 30 years, is tackling a racetrack job that's new to him with characteristic enthusiasm.

On Wednesday, Bradvica agreed to become the agent for jockey Brice Blanc, beginning at Del Mar.

“I contacted 47 trainers by phone today and I start making the rounds in the backstretch tomorrow,” Bradvica said. “I think Brice is a hell of a rider. He's got a reputation for being better on the turf than dirt which I think is unfounded and I don't believe.

“I think he's very good on either surface and I'm going to promote him, and that idea, and give him representation like he hasn't had before. I know I'm not going to change people's minds on the spot, but I hope to provide some opportunities and then the proof will be in the winning.”

Bradvica said he has been around horses since the age of five. His father and uncle owned ranches in Riverside County and he has early memories of a training center there that was home to trainer Rex Ellsworth where he was allowed to do stable work.

Veterinary school at UC Davis didn't work out, but he earned a degree in economics and was hired by Alan Balch to work at Santa Anita in the early 1980s. As an assistant to Balch he was instrumental in innovations like a nightly TV replay show, park and ride arrangements for fans when the track drew upwards of 80,000 on Big 'Cap Days and assisting in operations as the track served as the main equestrian venue -along with Fairbanks Ranch Country Club near Del Mar – for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

England's Prince Phillip, husband to Queen Elizabeth, was the president of the Federation Equestrian Internationale at the time.

“I met him three times,” Bradvica said. “He said it (1984 Olympics) was the best Equestrian event ever. And I'm pretty sure it was the only one ever to make money.”

Bradvica was the general manager for the race meetings at Pomona, which followed the Del Mar summer session, for 20 years and for the last 13 has been in a similar position for the Surfside Race Place satellite facility on the Del Mar Fairgrounds. During the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meetings he has worked in the racing office and as a placing judge.

“I've never been a jockey agent, but I've gotten to know a lot of them, as well as trainers from working in the racing office,” Bradvica said. “I think this is a natural fit for me and I'm looking forward to it.”

The post ‘Hope To Provide Some Opportunities’: George Bradvica Taking On New Role As Agent For Brice Blanc appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

United Tabbed As Morning Line Favorite For Sunday’s Eddie Read Stakes

LNJ Foxwoods' United, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, was named the 8-5 favorite on John Lies' morning line for Sunday's $200,000, Grade II Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar.

A 5-year-old son of Giant's Causeway, United will break from the outside post in a field of seven for the 1 1/8-mile run over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course which often determines the top grass horse of the meeting.

United was last seen at Del Mar running second as the even-money favorite, beaten a neck by Oscar Dominguez, in the Hollywood Turf Cup on December 1 of last year. United is 2-for-2 in Grade II stakes starts in 2020 – the San Marcos and Charlie Whittingham at Santa Anita – to boost his career earnings to $1,133,549.

The field from the rail: Bowie's Hero (Tiago Pereira. 4-1); Originaire (Umberto Rispoli, 9-2); Sharp Samurai (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Combatant (Jorge Velez, 12-1); Cleopatra's Strike (Abel Cedillo, 8-1); Neptune's Storm (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1), and United (Flavien Prat).

Sunday's other stakes offering, the $125,000 California Dreamin' at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, drew a field of 11 California bred or sired older males. Paradise Road Ranch's Camino Del Paraiso, trained by O.J. Jauregui, drew the rail and was tabbed the 5-2 morning line choice.

Defending summer meeting training champion Doug O'Neill will have a pair of representatives in Whooping Jay and Irish Heatwave. “They're both in good form and even though they both drew way outside the rail is at zero so that helps,” O'Neill said this morning. “It's a bigger field than I expected but regardless they're both doing well and we're optimistic they'll run well.”

The field from the rail: Camino Del Paraiso (Drayden Van Dyke); Galilean (Flavien Prat, 3-1); Brandothebartender (Umberto Rispoli, 15-1); Desmond Doss (Tiago Pereira, 15-1); Grinning Tiger (Heriberto Figueroa, 12-1); Loud Mouth (Juan Hernandez, 20-1); Ultimate Bango (Ruben Fuentes, 8-1); Three Ay Em (Mike Smith, 12-1); Whooping Jay (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1); Take the One O One (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1), and Irish Heatwave (Abel Cedillo, 6-1).

The post United Tabbed As Morning Line Favorite For Sunday’s Eddie Read Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights