John Shirreffs | Horse Racing Free Tips

Midcourt A Standout In Del Mar’s Native Diver Stakes

C R K Stable's Midcourt, the defending champion in Saturday's $100,000 Native Diver Stakes, looms as the one to catch and the one to beat in the 42nd edition of the nine-panel headliner that honors one of California's all-time great racehorses.

The Grade 3 stakes has drawn a short field of five and will be presented early on the nine-race Del Mar program – Race 2 to be exact. With the regular 12:30 first post in place, the stakes should go off shortly after 1 p.m.

Native Diver was the first California-bred to win $1 million in purses as he raced a remarkable 81 times between 1961 and 1967. The near-black speedster by Imbros out of the Devil Diver mare Fleet Diver – so popular and so ubiquitous that he earned the nicknames “The Diver,” “The California Comet” and “The Black Horse” — won an equally remarkable 37 races including a trio of local victories in the San Diego Handicap and a tally in the Del Mar Handicap on Sept. 4, 1967 that was the final start of his exceptional career.

Midcourt, a gelded 5-year-old by Midnight Lute, has won five of his 14 starts, including his 5 3/4 length triumph in last year's Native Diver. The John Shirreffs-trained runner – a winner of $546,695 in purses — has been handled by Victor Espinoza in most of his career starts and will have the Hall of Fame rider in the tack again Saturday. He's been running very competitively with Grade 1 horses of late and is listed as a solid 4/5 favorite on the Native Diver morning line.

Here's the lineup for the Saturday feature from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Hronis Racing's Combatant (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1); Don Alberto Stable's Stellar Sound (Tyler Baze, 6-1); Fox Hill Farms or Siena Farms' Royal Ship (Mike Smith, 4-1); Midcourt, and Jay Em Ess Stable's Extra Hope (Juan Hernandez, 3-1).

Combatant has a notable bankroll – all $1,049,498 of it. The 5-year-old ridgling by the late sire Scat Daddy has a claim to fame in capturing this year's edition of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap back in March, one of his four wins (to go with five seconds and five thirds) in 28 total starts. John Sadler trains Combatant.

Extra Hope chased home Midcourt in last year's Native Diver. The now 4-year-old homebred colt by Shanghai Bobby is a winner of three of 13 outings and has banked $234,831. He's trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Richard Mandella.

The first 36 runnings of the Native Diver were held at the now defunct Hollywood Park in Inglewood near Los Angeles International Airport. Upon his death, Native Diver was buried on the Hollywood Park grounds. But when the track was closed (and remade into what is now SoFi Stadium where the L.A. Rams and the L. A. Chargers play professional football), the horse's remains were dug up and shifted to Del Mar where they were reinterred in its infield.

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Tamarkuz Colt Red Flag Cruises To Bob Hope Victory At Del Mar

The million-dollar yearling Spielberg went off as the odds-on favorite, but it was Red Flag – who “only” cost $220,000 at the same Kentucky sale – flying home the winner Sunday in the seventh edition of the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar.

Red Flag, from the first crop of the Speightstown stallion Tamarkuz, battled early with his more-expensive rival, but assumed command under Victor Espinoza approaching the quarter pole and drew out under a hand ride to an easy 7 1/4-length triumph. The victory was worth $60,000 from the $100,500 purse and pushed the youngster's earnings to $94,100 after three starts. He covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.56.

Red Flag is owned by Tina and Jerome Moss of Los Angeles and is trained by John Shirreffs. The chestnut colt's green and pink colors were familiar ones to those who followed the amazing career of the champion mare Zenyatta, co-owned by Jerome Moss and trained by Shirreffs.

Finishing second was Eric Homme's Uncle Boogie and third was Reddam Racing's Ambivalent. Spielberg, who is owned by a group that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing or Madaket Stables and others, and went off at 3-5, finished fourth nearly 10 lengths behind the winner.

Red Flag paid $23.40, $9.60 and $9.40 across the board. Uncle Boogie returned $6.00 and $5.60, while Ambivalent paid $6.60 to show.

“John (trainer Shirreffs) said, 'You know him (Espinoza broke his maiden on him last out on Oct. 10 at Santa Anita), go ahead and see what you can do with him.' He broke running and he wanted to go. He seemed to be more professional today than last time. He's still a baby and he was fooling around before. Be he was good today and did all the right things. He'll go farther, for sure. With the way he ran today, why not?”

“I didn't really expect that kind of performance,” said Shirreffs. “I was hoping to get a placing. He broke his maiden from way off the pace and he's been doing better and better in the mornings, but he's not a brilliant work horse. So this was a pleasant surprise. You always hope but you never know. He's gone from 5 1/2-furlongs to seven, so it looks like he'll be able to go longer. It's special because (owners) Mr. and Mrs. Moss were here today and got to see him run.”

Leading rider Abel Cedillo and leading trainer Peter Miller won the nitecap together with Magical Thought ($20.60) and stayed on top in each of their categories after eight days of the current 15-day session. Cedillo now has 13 firsts and Miller has seven. Cedillo was the top rider at last fall's Bing Crosby meet and Miller has won four different versions of the “second season” at Del Mar.

Del Mar will return to action on Friday with first post at 12:30 p.m.

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Tamarkuz Colt Dominates Bob Hope to Become Sire’s First Stakes Winner

Tina and Jerry Moss’s Red Flag became the stakes winner for his freshman sire, 2016 GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile victor Tamarkuz (Speighstown), with a romping 7 1/4-length score in the GIII Bob Hope S. at Del Mar Sunday. Sent off at 10-1, the chestnut colt was widest of four scrambling on the front end early, with Weston (Hit it a Bomb) down along the rail and favored Spielberg (Union Rags) and Coastal Kid (Coast Guard) all to his inside. Weston took a slim advantage after a quarter in :22.37, but the race changed in an instant when Coastal Kid, caught in tight quarters between the tiring Spielberg and the rallying Red Flag, took up sharply near the three-eighths pole. Red Flag surged to the lead with authority after a half in :45.34 and extended his advantage with every stride down the lane. Uncle Boogie (Ride On Curlin) rallied for second over Ambivalent (Constitution). Spielberg settled for fourth. After an inquiry into the incident on the turn, the stewards made no change to the order of finish.

“He broke running and he wanted to go,” said winning rider Victor Espinoza. “He seemed to be more professional today than last time. He’s still a baby and he was fooling around before. But he was good today and did all the right things. He’ll go farther, for sure. With the way he ran today, why not?”

Winning trainer John Shirreffs admitted the romping victory surprised him.

“I didn’t really expect that kind of performance,” said Shirreffs. “I was hoping to get a placing. He broke his maiden from way off the pace and he’s been doing better and better in the mornings, but he’s not a brilliant work horse. So this was a pleasant surprise. You always hope but you never know.”

Red Flag opened his career with a well-beaten fifth-place effort going 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track at Del Mar Sept. 6, but moved to the lawn to graduate in late-running style going that same distance at Santa Anita Oct. 10.

“He’s gone from 5 1/2 furlongs to seven, so it looks like he’ll be able to go longer,” Shirreffs said. “It’s special because Mr. and Mrs. Moss were here today and got to see him run.”

Pedigree Notes:

Canadian breeder Elaine Macpherson purchased Surrender, in foal to Morning Line, for $40,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale. The foal the mare was carrying was Surrender Now, who won the 2017 Landaluce S. The 11-year-old mare has a yearling colt by Tiznow, who RNA’d for $23,000 at last month’s Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale. She produced a colt by Mendelssohn this year and was bred back to Catholic Boy.

The winner’s third dam is graded stakes winner and Grade I placed Mackie, dam of graded winner Mr. Mellon (Red Ransom) and Seeking the Best (Ire) (Seeking the Gold).

Sunday, Del Mar
BOB HOPE S.-GIII, $100,500, Del Mar, 11-15, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.56, ft.
1–RED FLAG, 120, c, 2, by Tamarkuz
                1st Dam: Surrender, by Stormy Atlantic
                2nd Dam: Beaucette, by Mr. Prospector
                3rd Dam: Mackie, by Summer Squall
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($50,000
Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $220,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Jerome S. & Tina
Moss; B-Elaine MacPherson (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs; J-Victor
Espinoza. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $94,100. *1/2 to
Surrender Now (Morning Line), SW, $281,585. **First
black-type winner for freshman sire (by Speightstown).
Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Uncle Boogie, 120, c, 2, Ride On Curlin–Rated Xtreme, by
Magna Graduate. ($11,000 Ylg ’19 OBSOCT; $38,000 2yo ’20
OBSOPN). O-Eric Homme; B-Pinky Mendoza (FL); T-Andrew
Lerner. $20,000.
3–Ambivalent, 120, c, 2, Constitution–Screwgie, by Smart Strike. ($95,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP; $550,000 2yo ’20 OBSMAR). O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-J Stephen McDonald (KY); T-Doug F. O’Neill. $12,000.
Margins: 7 1/4, 1, 1 1/4. Odds: 10.70, 4.50, 9.10.
Also Ran: Spielberg, Weston, Coastal Kid.
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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Smooth Like Strait, Field Pass Face Off In Sunday’s Grade 2 Twilight Derby

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait returns to Southern California and will try to stretch his speed to a mile and one eighth on turf as he heads a field of nine sophomores in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita.

A resounding 2 ½ length winner of the Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap two starts back, Smooth Like Strait, who is trained by Michael McCarthy, finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite in a Grade 2 stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5 and will likely vie for favoritism with midwestern invader Field Pass, who he faced on Sept. 5.

A two-time Grade 3 winner in Kentucky, trainer Mike Maker's Field Pass was a close third in the same race Smooth Like Strait was favored in Sept. 5 and he's won four out of his seven starts this year.

C R K Stable's Express Train, who showed much promise at age two, will be trying turf for the first time on Sunday in what will be his third start of the year for John Shirreffs and rates a big chance in what appears to be a wide open Twilight Derby.

SMOOTH LIKE STRAIT

Owner: Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

A Kentucky-bred colt by Midnight Lute, he made the lead turning for home in the Grade 2 American Turf on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, but tired late to be beaten four lengths. A gutty one mile minor turf stakes winner three starts back at Churchill Downs on May 23, he's won two out of his last three starts and was also a winner of the Grade 3 Cecile B. DeMille Stakes six starts back on Dec. 1, 2019. Smooth Like Strait is four for nine lifetime with earnings of $277,823 and he'll be reunited with Umberto Rispoli, who pointed him to victory in the La Jolla Handicap as the 4-5 favorite.

FIELD PASS

Owner: Three Diamonds Farm Trainer: Mike Maker

A Grade 3 winner going a mile and one eighth on synthetic Polytrack at Turfway Park on March 14, he notched his second Grade 3 win over a “good” turf three starts back at Keeneland on July 12. Most recently third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, a race in which he rallied to wrest command from Smooth Like Strait in mid-stretch, he was a gate to wire winner of an ungraded stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf four starts back on June 20 at Churchill. Field Pass, who defeated Smooth Like Strait by 2 ¼ lengths on Sept. 5, has demonstrated ample versatility and the ability to get the Twilight Derby distance. With an overall mark of 13-5-2-2, he's the leading money earner in the field with $472,610 and he'll no doubt vie for favoritism when ridden for the first time by Drayden Van Dyke.

EXPRESS TRAIN

Owner: C R K Stable, LLC Trainer: John Shirreffs

A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, this colt by Union Rags broke his maiden going one mile on dirt in his second start by 14 ¼ lengths and in his final start at age two, was a well beaten fourth at 5-2 in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth on Sept. 27, 2019. An impressive two length winner of a 6 ½ furlong allowance on Aug. 23, a race in which he overcame a stumble at the start, he flattened out a bit late when second, beaten three quarters of a length as the 4-5 favorite in a one mile allowance here Sept. 26. In what will be his third start off a long layoff, Express Train should be a tighter horse on Sunday as he tries turf for the first time in his sixth career start with regular rider Mike Smith aloft.

THE GRADE 2 TWILIGHT DERBY WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

Farmington Road—Flavien Prat-124
Express Train—Mike Smith—124
Margot's Boy—Tiago Pereira—124
Kiss Today Goodbye—Victor Espinoza—124
Dominant Soul—Edwin Maldonado–124
Smooth Like Strait—Umberto Rispoli—124
Scarto—Juan Hernandez—124
K P All Systems Go—Abel Cedillo–124
Field Pass—Drayden Van Dyke—124

First post time for a 10-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. Santa Anita's races can be viewed live and free of charge at santaanita.com.

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