flavien prat | Horse Racing Free Tips

Del Mar Wraps Up with Handle Increase; Prat Edges Rispoli for Jockey Title

During these unprecedented times of global pandemic and spectator-free stands, the 81st Del Mar summer meet wrapped up Monday with a gripping battle to the wire between Flavien Prat and Umberto Rispoli for leading jockey honors. They were tied at 49 races apiece going into the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity, with Prat winning on Dr. Schivel (Violence) and Rispoli finishing fourth on Scooby (Fast Anna). It was the penultimate race of the meet and left Prat alone atop the rider standings with 50 wins and $2,968,918 in earnings. It marked the fourth leading jockey title at Del Mar for Prat in the last five years, who won 15 black-type events during the meet.

Trainer Peter Miller was a runaway winner of the trainer title, notching 28 wins and $1,498,472 in earnings. It was his fourth leading training title of Del Mar’s summer meet. Conditioner Phil D’Amato came in second with 20 wins. Leading owner honors went to both Reddam Racing and Hronis Racing with the former having higher earnings–$452,180–and the latter having more wins with seven.

Del Mar closed out the summer meet with an 8% increase in total wagering compared to last year, in spite of having 27 racing days in 2020 compared to the 36 days of 2019. Total wagering was $466.68 million, an increase of $34.71 million compared to the $431.98 million of 2019. Average daily handle was $17.28 million, an increase of 44% from 2019 when fans were allowed. Online wagering increased by 125% in the state of California, with out-of-state wagering growing by 65%. Del Mar was a first-time host of California’s wagering for the GI Kentucky Derby with the seaside track handing $24.8 million on the day, the fourth-highest wagering day in Del Mar’s history.

In addition, Del Mar field size increased from 8.0 runners per race last year to 8.4 runners per race this year.

“Given the extraordinary circumstances, we are very pleased with our results,” said Joe Harper, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s CEO. “The racing product was first-rate and players around the country responded in kind. It is especially gratifying that we were able to achieve positive business results while maintaining our commitment to the health and safety of our workforce and our neighbors despite the obvious challenges.”

The post Del Mar Wraps Up with Handle Increase; Prat Edges Rispoli for Jockey Title appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Prat Edges Rispoli For Del Mar Riding Title; Miller Tops Among Trainers

A victory aboard Dr. Schivel in the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity was the decider as Flavien Prat overcame the unwavering challenge of newcomer Umberto Rispoli to win the riding title of the 81st Del Mar summer season at the seaside track near San Diego, Calif.

Prat won twice on an 11-race closing day program Monday while Rispoli was blanked. A victory in the seventh race, on Joe L. Turner's Table for Ten for trainer Phil D'Amato, forged a 49-49 tie atop the standings.

The 1 3/4-length score in the Futurity, the traditional closing day feature and penultimate race of the meet, secured a title defense for Prat and his fourth championship, solo or shared, in the past five years. The Futurity was the 15^thstakes victory of the meeting for the 28-year-old native of France, a single-season record for a jockey.

The race between Prat and Rispoli, a 32-year-old native of Italy in his debut season at Del Mar, had drama like the final minutes of a tense NBA playoff or NCAA tournament basketball game. There were four ties and seven lead changes from the second weekend of the meeting through closing day. Three of the lead changes came on the last three days of a four-day, Labor Day weekend to end the meet.

On Saturday, Prat won four while Rispoli was blanked to take a 46-45 advantage in wins. But Rispoli responded the next day with four wins to Prat's two to take a 49-48 lead into the final day.

Rispoli had incredible success on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, winning 35 of 115 races on the surface, a 30 percent victory rate. Over one weekend in the middle of the meeting he went 7-for-14 in turf events.

Miller, a resident of nearby Encinitas, notched his fourth summer meeting title, equaling the number of fall championships he has logged in the six years Del Mar has been a venue for that session.

Miller saddled 28 winners from 116 starters, an eight-win margin over Phil D'Amato and 13 over third-place Bob Baffert.

The 28 wins was the second-most in securing a summer title for Miller. He had 21 to prevail in 2012; 20 in tying Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer in 2014 and 31 in 2018.

Miller and Hall of Famer Bob Baffert tied for most stakes wins with six each. One of them was the third stakes dead heat in Del Mar history when Miller's Proud Emma and Baffert's Message couldn't be separated at the wire in the Tranquility Lake Stakes.

Miller went wire-to-wire for the meeting. He saddled four winners on the opening weekend to get a lead by two and it was only threatened briefly. D'Amato put together back-to-back two-win days on August 14-15 to move within one, 15-14, of the top of the leaderboard.

But Miller padded the lead with three-win days on August 23 and August 28 and maintained a comfortable margin through the final seven days of racing.

Jockey	Mounts	1st	Purses
Flavien Prat	216	50	$2,968,918
Umberto Rispoli	203	49	$2,326,254
Abel Cedillo	246	30	$2,240,567
Juan J. Hernandez	213	29	$1,513,034
Tiago Josue Pereira	141	21	$863,202
Drayden Van Dyke	132	17	$1,224,242
Ricardo Gonzalez	132	16	$829,040
Mario Gutierrez	103	14	$781,150
Victor Espinoza	66	7	$628,454
Mike Smith	59	7	$506,012

Trainer	Starts	1st	Purses
Peter Miller	116	28	$1,498,472
Philip D'Amato	83	20	$1,010,690
Bob Baffert	63	15	$1,432,102
Doug F. O'Neill	118	13	$843,545
Richard Baltas	94	12	$735,930
John W. Sadler	73	12	$709,370
Simon Callaghan	32	11	$461,240
Mark Glatt	74	8	$718,632
Peter Eurton	50	8	$327,540
William Spawr	29	8	$152,020

The post Prat Edges Rispoli For Del Mar Riding Title; Miller Tops Among Trainers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Buoyed By Larger Fields, Host Status For Kentucky Derby, Del Mar Sees Jump In Handle

Operating through challenges and uncertainty as a result of the ongoing pandemic, the 2020 summer race meet at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club near San Diego, Calif., delivered impressive results on several fronts, including the continuance of its industry-leading safety record.

Despite not having fans on track due to the pandemic and running 25% fewer race days than in 2019, Del Mar finished its 2020 summer race meet with an 8% total wagering increase compared to its 2019 summer meeting. Wagering totaled $466.68 million in 2020, an increase of $34.71 million compared to the $431.98 million wagered during the 2019 summer meet. Average daily handle for the 27-day 2020 session was $17.28 million, an increase of 44% over the daily average of $12.00 million for the 36-day 2019 summer meeting.

On-line wagering in the state and across the country picked up markedly and overcame the lower wagering on-track and at California's satellite locations. California on-line wagering increased by 125% from 2019, while out-of-state betting grew 65%.

“Given the extraordinary circumstances, we are very pleased with our results. The racing product was first-rate and players around the country responded in-kind,” said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's CEO, Joe Harper. “It is especially gratifying that we were able to achieve positive business results while maintaining our commitment to the health and safety of our workforce and our neighbors despite the obvious challenges.”

The track had run a 36-day meet racing five days a week over the past three years, but because of the environment surrounding the pandemic, cut back to 27 days this summer.

Due to the reshuffling of the Triple Crown calendar, Del Mar was the California wagering host for its first ever Kentucky Derby on Saturday, September 5. All told, Del Mar handled over $24.8 million on the day making it the fourth highest wagering day in its history.

Due to horse recruitment efforts and the support of California horse owners, Del Mar was able to increase field size from 8.0 runners per race in 2019 to 8.4 in 2020.

“This was a unique season on multiple levels, but once again our horsemen and women were outstanding,” said Del Mar's Executive Vice President for Racing, Tom Robbins. “They are a resilient group and we are extremely appreciative of their support. Together, we put on a terrific race meet.”

Del Mar's commitment to safety and welfare was on display once again as the track held one of the safest race meets in its history. In both 2018 and 2019, The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database ranked Del Mar the safest major racetrack in the United States.

Top quality racing and hard-fought competition rose up throughout the summer season. Superstar Maximum Security returned to action for new trainer Bob Baffert and scored a pair of wins – one by a nose in the San Diego Handicap, the other in dominant fashion in the TVG Pacific Classic. Baffert unveiled his latest young superstar when Princess Noor won for fun in the Del Mar Debutante, then another future star came to light when Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Dr. Schivel scored handily in the closing day Del Mar Futurity. Both those youngsters will be special to watch on down the line.

The battle for the Del Mar riding crown proved to be a season-long duel with two terrific riders – four-time champion Flavien Prat and the international newcomer Umberto Rispoli – hooked up in a fierce competition that went right down to the last day with Prat coming away a 50 to 49 winner by virtue of his score on Dr. Schivel in the Futurity. Trainer Peter Miller captured his eighth Del Mar training title when he saddled 28 winners over the course of the meet.

“There are so many people to thank for our success in this extremely unusual season,” said Josh Rubinstein, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's President and COO. “On the business side want to extend our appreciation to our broadcast partner, TVG, for its dedication and professionalism in bringing our races to a national television audience and promoting our brand every day. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the family of backstretch workers here who helped make this meet a success as well as officials from the San Diego County Department of Health, Dr. Ghazala Sharieff and her expert medical team at Scripps Health, whose guidance was invaluable.”

The post Buoyed By Larger Fields, Host Status For Kentucky Derby, Del Mar Sees Jump In Handle appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Dr. Schivel Defeats Spielberg For New Connections In Runhappy Del Mar Futurity

Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's new acquisition – the 2-year-old colt Dr. Schivel – paid instant dividends on closing day at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., when he shook off a pair of rivals into the stretch and raced on to score by a length and three quarters in the 73rd edition of the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity.

Rider Flavien Prat was aboard the son of the Kentucky sire Violence and it was his 50th win of the 27-day meeting. As it turned out, it also gave the 28-year-old Frenchmen his fifth Del Mar riding title after a fierce, season-long battle with the Italian newcomer Umberto Rispoli, who finished one behind with 49.

“He broke well, then he got a little aggressive on me,” said Prat. “I tried to give him a little breather on the turn, then when I asked him he was a runner. He's a nice colt.”

Prat was reminded the win put him ahead of Rispoli in the jockeys' race.

“Well,” Prat said, “if that's how I win the riding title, then that's great. At least now I know I can't get beat. However it turns out, it was good competition. He's a real competitor and an excellent rider. It was great to go against him.”

Dr. Schivel ran the seven furlongs of the Futurity in 1:24.16 and, as the race favorite, returned $4.80, $3.00 and $2.20 across the board. The $150,000 winner's share of the purse gave him a fresh bankroll of $197,000 after his second win in four starts.

Finishing second in the juvenile headliner was SF Racing, Starlight Racing or Madaket Stable's Spielberg and third was Drakos or Hanson's Weston.

Red Baron's Barn is the nom du course of veteran owner Jed Cohen of Encino, CA. Rancho Temescal is the racing moniker for his son, Tim, of Piru, CA. Together, they made a private purchase of Dr. Schivel from his owners/breeders – William Branch and Arnold Hill shortly after his maiden-breaking race at Del Mar on August 8. The colt ran today for his original trainer, Luis Mendez – giving him his first Grade 1 stakes win – but now will shift to the barn of the Cohens' trainer Mark Glatt.

“I loved the way he was moving (down the backstretch); he looked comfortable,” said Mendez. “And around the turn it looked like he had a lot of horse so I felt really good. And he got it done. I'm very proud of myself and the team for what we've done getting him to win this race. Now (that the horse is being transferred to another trainer) I thank the owners for giving me this horse and I've got to go back home and start breaking babies for them. I don't have any other feeling than that.”

Prat was scoring his 15th stakes win of the session, a Del Mar record for a reinsman. The previous mark of 13 was set by Rafael Bejarano in 2012.

In the race prior to the Futurity, Legacy Ranch's Big Fish triumphed by a length in the ninth running of the Del Mar Juvenile Turf. The 2-year-old colt by Mr. Big covered a mile on turf in 1:38.21 with Victor Espinoza in the tack and picked up a check for $60,000 from the total purse of $102,500. David Hofmans trains Big Fish.

Finishing second was Altamira Racing Stable's Ebeko and third was Reddam Racing's Ambivalent.

Big Fish paid $11.40, $6.20 and $4.20 across the board. He now has won two races and purses of exactly $100,000.

The Labor Day card was the final one of the 81st summer season at Del Mar. Racing will resume on Saturday, October 31 for the Bing Crosby meeting.

The post Dr. Schivel Defeats Spielberg For New Connections In Runhappy Del Mar Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post