fleet treat stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

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.

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In the racing vernacular, a “daisycutter” is a grass horse, one whose high action makes him or her especially adept on the greensward. Thus the name of Friday's overnight stakes at Del Mar, the $65,000 Daisycutter Handicap offered at five furlongs over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course as as the San Diego area track returns to action following a weekend lost to COVID-19 circumstances.

Racing will be conducted Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday this week, with the weekend's stakes highlight being the return of Maximum Security, the 2019 3-year-old male champion, making his first start for trainer Bob Baffert.

Friday's card also includes the $125,000 Fleet Treat Stakes that drew a closely matched field of five California-bred 3-year-old fillies.

Topweight in the field of nine fillies and mares in the Daisycutter goes to Driver or Driver's Stealthediamonds, a 4-year-old daughter of the late champion California sire Unusual Heat, who was a good grass horse himself and sired a slew of top turf runners.

The steady Stealthediamonds – in the top three in 15 of her 19 lifetime starts – will pack 124 pounds and get the saddle services of veteran Agapito Delgadillo. Her trainer is Mike Puype, who haltered the quick and consistent lassie for $80,000 for her current connections last October at Santa Anita. She's been hung the 5/2 morning line favorite for the Daisycutter.

Here's the field for the 18th edition of the Daisycutter from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

LNJ Foxwoods' Lighthouse (Drayden Van Dyke, 10-1); Fairview's Tomlin (Roberto Gonzalez, 10-1); Stealthediamonds; Michael House's Mischiffie (Rubin Fuentes, 12-1); Ten Broeck Farm's Mucho Amor (Juan Hernandez, 15-1); Andrew Farm or O'Connor's Jo Jo Air (Flavien Prat, 7/2); Tim or Kelley Goodwin's Storming Lady (Aaron Gryder, 8-1); Rockingham Ranch's Surrender Now (Abel Cedillo, 4-1), and Hronis Racing's Artistic Diva (Victor Espinoza, 8-1).

The Daisycutter will be the ninth of 11 races on the Friday card.

First post Friday – as it will be for all days at the 2020 Del Mar summer meet – is 2 p.m.

The 34th edition of the seven-furlong Fleet Treat drew the one, two, three finishers from the Melair Stakes going a mile and one-sixteenth at Santa Anita on June 21 and that trio figures strongly in considerations for the Del Mar dash.

The third-place horse that afternoon – Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temesca's Big Sweep – has been established a slight 9/5 favorite over the other two, mostly off her two-for-two sprint credentials and the presence of top rider Flavien Prat.

Following close behind is Brown Jr., Klein or Lebherz's Smiling Shirlee at 2-1 and the Melaire winner, Benjamin and Sally Warren's Warren's Showtime, at 7/2.

Rounding out the field are KMN Racing's Been Studying Her and Nick Alexander's Loud Loud Music.

Here's the field from the rail out with riders and weights:

Been Studying Her (Abel Cedillo, 125); Smiling Shirlee (Mike Smith, 120); Warren's Showtime (Jorge Velez, 125); Loud Loud Music (Tiago Pereira, 120), and Big Sweep (120).

The Fleet Treat goes as the fourth race.

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