Pair Of Graded Grass Stakes Headline Saturday Card At Del Mar

Two graded grass stakes – both at a mile and one-eighth out of the track's unique angled infield chute — will highlight an 11-race card scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Del Mar – the Grade 2, $250,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and the Grade 2, $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes.

The Saturday program will have a first post a half hour earlier than normal – 1:30 instead of 2 p.m. – and that will be the case also with Sunday's and Monday's cards during the Labor Day weekend. The Mabee, which is Race 9 on the Saturday card, will go off at approximately 5:30 and the Derby will be the day's nitecap and run at approximately 6:30.

The Derby has drawn 14 runners and is, of course, for 3-year-olds as the culminating event in the track's turf triple for sophomores, having been preceded by the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes and the Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes.

The first three finishers in both of those “prep” races are back to give it a go in this 77th edition of the Derby, which makes for a delicious mix. And the fact that Del Mar's morning line maker, Jon White, has made his favorite a very tepid 9/2 tells you that the race looms wide open with a thrilling finish likely to decide the winner.

The Mabee has drawn nine fillies and mares for its 64th running and it, too, appears to be the kind of race where contention runs deep. LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag has been made a slight 3-1 favorite over Slam Dunk Racing, Stable Currency and Branham's Maxim Rate at 7/2.

Here are the fields for the two features from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby

  1. Double L Racing or Baffert's Hudson Ridge (Flavien Prat, 9/2)
  2. Holly and David Wilson's Barraza (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1)
  3. Reddam Racing's Hockey Dad (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1)
  4. Downstream Racing's None Above the Law (Joe Bravo, 12-1)
  5. Sayjay Racing's No Foolery Here (Giovanni Franco, 8-1)
  6. STD Racing Stable, Kenly or Miller, et al's Optimistic Valor (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1)
  7. Perry or Ramona Bass' Petruchio (Mike Smith, 20-1)
  8. Sterling Stables, Nentwig or CYBT's Cathkin Peak (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 12-1)
  9. Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1)
  10. Bruno, Gezon or Jones' Jimmy Blue Jeans (Kyle Grey, 12-1)
  11. Rockingham Ranch or Supreme Racing's Lincoln Hawk (Tiago Pereira, 20-1)
  12. Hronis Racing's Crew Dragon (Juan Hernandez, 8-1)
  13. Yuesheng Zhang's Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
  14. Wachtel Stable, Barber or Drion, et al's Flashiest (Abel Cedillo, 6-1)

John C. Mabee Stakes

  1. Maxim Rate (Hernandez)
  2. Clarke Cooper Family Trust, Lawless, Kruljac, et al's Quiet Secretary (Cedillo, 15-1)
  3. Dogtag (Rispoli);
  4. LNJ Foxwood's Nasty (Ricky Gonzalez, 20-1)
  5. Deborah McAnally Trust's She's Our Charm (Franco, 10-1)
  6. Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta (Desormeaux, 6-1)
  7. LNJ Foxwoods' Tapwater (Bravo, 6-1)
  8. Abdondanza Racing and Medallion Racing's Going to Vegas (Prat, 4-1)
  9. Aoshiba Corporation's Fast Jet Court (Van Dyke, 6-1)

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Rideforthecause Upsets Dogtag In Possibly Perfect At Santa Anita

Trainer Michael McCarthy's longshot Rideforthecause had three lengths to make up with a furlong to run, but she kept to her task and was able to nip heavily favored Dogtag by a head in Sunday's $75,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.  Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Rideforthecause got a mile and one quarter on turf in 2:02.45.

With defending champ Dogtag and Peruvian-bred Kuora sparring on the front end early, Dogtag, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, took charge around the far turn and just missed in a big effort.

Most recently second, beaten a nose by today's third-place finisher, Neige Blanche, in the Grade 3 Santa Barbara Stakes May 8, Rideforthecause was off at 7-1 in a field of eight fillies and mares three and up and paid $16.00, $4.60 and $3.20.

“I think I got to know her a little bit better, but even though last time, if you watch the replay, it was just the luck of the (head-bob),” said Gutierrez, who was aboard for the third consecutive time today.  “I knew it was going to be tough to catch (Dogtag) but my filly, every time I would ask her and would push her, she was giving me all she can…I looked for the wire and it was a little far, so I wasn't 100 percent confident.  But I knew she was charging all the way until the end.”

Owned by Alpha Delta Stables, LLC, Rideforthecause, a 5-year-old Ontario Canadian-bred mare by Candy Ride out of the Giant's Causeway mare Danceforthecause.  A G2 winner at Woodbine this past September, she was making her fourth start for McCarthy today and she now has two stakes wins and an overall mark of 15-5-1-1.  With the winner's share of $48,840, she increased her earnings to $361,066.

The 1-2 favorite, Dogtag paid $2.40 and $2.10 while finishing three quarters of a length in front of Neige Blanche.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, French-bred Neige Blanche was off at 6-1 and paid $3.60 to show.

Fractions on the race were 25.42, 51.22, 1:15.33 and 1:38.70.

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Mandella’s Cup Runneth Over With Memorial Day Weekend Runners At Santa Anita

Memorial Day weekend at Santa Anita could remind Richard Mandella of a Breeders' Cup in miniature.

The Hall of Fame trainer, winner of nine Breeders' Cup races including four of the eight at Santa Anita on Oct. 25, 2003, has 11 nominations to stakes races this holiday weekend starting this Saturday through Memorial Day, Monday, May 31.

He plans to run most of them, two in Grade 1 events on Memorial Day, Royal Ship in the Hollywood Gold Cup with Mike Smith and Dogtag in the Gamely under Umberto Rispoli.

Multiple graded turf stakes winner United goes in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham on Saturday with regular rider Flavien Prat. “He's doing great,” Mandella said of United, who won the Whittingham by a nose last May.

Winner of eight races with a bankroll surpassing $1.5 million, Mandella refers to the 6-year-old Giant's Causeway gelding as “a big pet” around the barn.

Soothsay, unbeaten in two starts including the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks, goes in next Sunday's Grade 2 Summertime Oaks. “She's doing real well,” Mandella said of the bay daughter of Distorted Humor.

Last but not least, Bombard seeks his first graded stakes win in Saturday's Grade 3 Daytona Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

“I hope we do the best we can,” Mandella said in anticipation of a successful and prosperous holiday.

Santa Anita presents seven graded stakes on Memorial Day weekend, three of them Grade 1 on May 31: the Hollywood Gold Cup for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and a quarter; the Shoemaker Mile, a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' Challenge Race on turf; and the Gamely for fillies and mares, thr3ee and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Next Saturday's features are the aforementioned Whittingham for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ¼ miles on turf, the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at seven furlongs, and the Grade 3 Daytona Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

Next Sunday's headliner is the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at 1 1/16 miles. In all, seven lucrative stakes will be decided over the holiday weekend offering $1.6 million in purse money.

Mandella's four Breeders' Cup winners in 2003 were Action This Day (Juvenile), Halfbridled (Juvenile Fillies), Johar (dead-heat in Turf) and Pleasantly Perfect (Classic).

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‘She’s Got A Big Future’: Dogtag Takes Possibly Perfect As Heavy Favorite

Trainer Richard Mandella's heavily favored Dogtag rallied from mid-pack to take Sunday's $75,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes by 1 ¼ lengths, thus providing Santa Anita's runaway leading rider Flavien Prat with his fourth win of the day and his 79th victory through 56 racing days at the Arcadia, Calif., track.

With a hillside start, Dogtag was allowed to settle into stride in the first run by the wire as Prat had her on a long rein, about 3 ½ lengths off pacesetter Desert Oasis heading into the far turn.  Despite the fact Dogtag had moderate fractions to run into, she unfurled a dazzling turn of foot around the turn and hit the front turning for home, from where she was not seriously challenged.

A handy 1 ½-length second condition allowance winner while pressing the pace at a flat mile here on May 16, Dogtag, a 4-year-old filly by War Front who is owned by her breeder, LNJ Foxwoods, was off as the 4-5 favorite in a field of seven fillies and mares and paid $3.60, $2.80 and $2.20.

“She was very professional and she handled the course beautifully,” said Prat, who was aboard for the first time today.  “The mile and a quarter is always a question, but just about everybody was trying it for the first time and the way she relaxed, it was no problem at all.  When I asked her around the turn, she took me to the lead very nice, it looks like she's got a big future.”

Out of the Unbridled's Song mare Diamond Necklace, Dogtag who was Grade 3 stakes placed last July at Saratoga when trained by Chad Brown, picked up her third non-graded stakes win in her third start for Mandella and improved her overall mark to 9-4-1-2.  With the winner's share of $48,360, Dogtag increased her earnings to $247,511.

“She seems to be getting better and better,” said Mandella.  “I thought she'd break sharp and be on the lead, but Flavien got her to settle real nice, which was good.  He usually does the right thing.  We'll go ahead and point to the John Mabee at Del Mar (Grade 2, 1 1/8 miles on turf Sept. 5).”

Ridden by Tiago Pereira, Don't Blame Judy rallied from next to last to finish second, besting a late closing Pretty Point by a head.  Off at 10-1, Don't Blame Judy paid $6.60 and $4.20.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Pretty Point got rolling late from last and paid $3.80 to show while off at 9-1.

With three days remaining in the current stand which concludes next Sunday, Prat has built an unsurmountable 23-length advantage over Abel Cedillo, 83-60.

Fractions on the Possibly Perfect were 23.70, 48.20, 1:12.82 and 1:37.26.

Racing resumes on Friday with first post time for a nine-race card at 1 p.m.

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