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Prat, Smith Head East For Weekend Saratoga Stakes Engagements

Having doubled the win total of his closest rival with a productive Week 3 of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meeting in Del Mar, Calif.,, leading rider Flavien Prat was scheduled to ride three races on at the seaside track on Thursday and then head for Saratoga and the big stakes weekend there.

Prat enters Week 4 here with 20 wins from 70 mounts, an impressive 29 percent win rate and has recorded top-three finishes in 63 percent of his starts. The native of France, who marked his 29th birthday on Wednesday, will be in upstate New York on Friday to ride Public Defender (2-1) in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame Stakes for Chad Brown. Prat rides two more for Brown on Saturday – Always Carina in the $500,000, Grade 1 Test Stakes and Flavius in the $120,000 Lure.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who like Prat is represented by agent Brad Pegram, is also headed to Saratoga with a key assignment being on Secret Protector for Charles Appleby in the $1 million Saratoga Derby Invitational.

Prat and Smith will remain there for Sunday's card where the main event is the $700,000 Saratoga Oaks.

Among those hoping to capitalize in the — “While Prat's away, it's an opportunity to make hay” – sweepstakes at Del Mar are Juan Hernandez, Umberto Rispoli, Abel Cedillo and Kyle Frey.

Hernandez (10 for 72) is second in the standings with Rispoli (9 for 60) and Cedillo (9 for 70) tied for third. Frey (8 for 35) rounds out the top five.

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Saddling 10 winners from 54 starters, Peter Miller, often teaming with Prat, has double the victory total of Bob Baffert (5 for 21). Mark Glatt, Simon Callaghan and Peter Eurton all have recorded four wins in the first 10 days of the meeting.

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TVG Expands Collaboration With Jockeys

Officials at TVG have announced that members of the Del Mar riding colony will collaborate with the network to enhance its daily coverage of horse racing.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who has appeared in commercial endorsements for TVG in the past, will be joined by his colleagues Umberto Rispoli, Flavien Prat and Jessica Pyfer in contributing to broadcasts, social media content and overall online presence.

In addition to periodically wearing cameras on their helmets during races, all the jockeys will make appearances as special guests on the network when their riding schedules allow to provide previews and analysis of upcoming races. All will also contribute to news.tvg.com.

“We are so excited to welcome some of the brightest stars in the sport to the TVG team,” said Kevin Grigsby, Executive Producer and Senior Vice President of Television. “These riders will further enhance the fan experience through their unique perspectives and experiences both in and out of the saddle.”

In addition to Smith, Prat, Rispoli and Pyfer, TVG may expand its content collaboration with other riders in California and other major racing markets, Grigsby indicated.

“I am excited for the chance to work with TVG as my riding schedule allows,” said Smith. “TVG is part of the fabric of our sport, the network has always been supportive of the riders, and I'm looking forward to being able to further connect with the fans.”

TVG's Del Mar coverage this summer will also include Jockey Cams worn by Rispoli, Prat and Pyfer.

TVG has been a longstanding supporter of the Jockeys Guild PDJF and will again partner with the organization for the charity telethon later in the year.

The post TVG Expands Collaboration With Jockeys appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Classier Noses Out Defunded In Los Alamitos Derby

Even though several of the country's top 3 year olds call the West Coast home, Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif. had a challenging time trying to come up with enough starters for Sunday's Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby. With richer stakes elsewhere luring a number of possible entries away, the track postponed the race 24 hours to allow additional time for entries and came up with a field of five, including Bob Baffert trainees Classier and Defunded, who went two-three last time out in the Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Sunday, the Baffert horses improved on that performance, going one-two in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby.

The race was a straightforward one from the start. Classier took the lead from the break, striding out to a length and a quarter lead over It's My House and Defunded, with Ingest and Back Ring Luck a length and a half back. The field maintained their running positions through the backstretch, with Abel Cedillo on Defunded waiting for the final turn to start bidding for the lead.

After running on easy lead throughout, Mike Smith and Classier had plenty left for his stretch run and challenge from his stablemate. In the straightaway, Defunded closed the gap with Classier but was unable to pass his fellow Baffert trainee, coming within a nose of Classier at the wire. With this victory in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby, Classier earns his first stakes win of his career. Ingest, It's My House, and Back Ring Luck rounded out the field of five.

Find this race's chart here.

The short field meant no show wagering at Los Alamitos. Classier paid $4.60 and $2.20. Defunded paid $2.10.

Mike Smith knew Classier had plenty of potential in only his fourth start. “I waited until the eighth pole to ask him and when he saw (Defunded) he really dug in. This is a big colt with a lot to him and he is going to get even better.''

Baffert, who earned his fifth straight win in this race, was glad that he started Classier in the G3 Derby despite beating fellow trainee Defunded. “I wasn't going to run (Classier) in this race. I talked to the ownership group and told them I was going to work him and if he worked well I'd run him. He worked very well (:47 1/5 half-mile July 1 at Santa Anita), so we decided to go. I really thought and the rider (Abel Cedillo) thought Defunded had him the whole way. It was pretty exciting and I was really hoping for a dead heat because I've always wanted one of those in a stakes so you don't have to make that other call. We thought he'd be on the lead last time, but he stumbled leaving the gate and he really needed the race (the Grade 3 Affirmed June 13). He's going to improve off this. I can take my time with him now and figure out a spot because he is bred to be superstar.''

Classier is a 3-year-old colt owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, and Robert Masterson. He was sired by Empire Maker out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell. Bred in Kentucky by Mary Sullivan, Classier was consigned by Lantern Hill Farm and purchased for $775,000 by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables at the Keeneland September 2019 Yearling Sale. Sunday's win improves Classier to two wins in four lifetime starts for total winnings of $155,000.

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Crazy Beautiful Sails Through Mud To Easy Win In Delaware Oaks

The day might have been seen its share of rain, but a muddy track and the field of eight others were no trouble for Kenny McPeek's Crazy Beautiful. At Delaware Park in Wilmington, De., the daughter of Liam's Map bided her time behind the early leaders, made her move for the lead coming out of the final turn, and then pulled away from the rest of the horses to win the Delaware Oaks going away.

At the start, Orbs Baby Girl took command, with Hybrid Eclipse and Crazy Beautiful running a short length behind her. The longshot held the lead through the backstretch, with Mike Smith and Crazy Beautiful hovering on the outside, waiting for the right moment to make their move. On the final turn, as Hybrid Eclipse started to challenge Orbs Baby Girl, Crazy Beautiful went with her, drawing even with both fillies as they entered the stretch. On the straightaway, Crazy Beautiful took an easy lead, stretching her advantage out to six lengths, winning the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks in 1:46.33.

Midnight Obsession, Leader of the Band, Hybrid Eclipse, She's a Hot Mess, Orbs Baby Girl, Baby Gundin, Juror Number Four, and Exogen rounded out the field of nine.

Find the race's chart here.

“She jumped better than she ever has leaving the gate,” said winning rider Mike Smith. “It has always been a little bit of a problem with her. I was really happy with that just because of the track being good and because there was not a lot of speed in the race, I wanted to be somewhat closer. We had one tiny anxious moment just past the 3/8ths pole when they picked it up and she kind of lost focus briefly. I barely touched her and she threw me into the rumble seat. That is when I knew we would be fine. After that, it was just all her. I took a peek at the big screen and I felt like I was watching Sunday night football.”

Crazy Beautiful paid $2.60, $2.10, and $2.10. Second place Midnight Obsession paid $3.60 and $2.80. Leader of the Band paid $3.40 to show.

Crazy Beautiful follows up her win in the Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita in her last start, for a record of three wins in five starts in 2021. She was sired by Liam's Map out of Indian Burn, by Indian Charlie. Bred by Carolyn Vogel, Crazy Beautiful is owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred III. She was purchased for Phoenix Thoroughbred by McPeek at the Fasig-Tipton 2019 Fall Yearling Sale for $250,000 from consigner Little's Bloodstock.

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