Peter Miller | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mo Forza Gets Emotional Del Mar Mile Victory

Mo Forza repeated as race champion in his first start in more than 10 months, recording his third Grade 2 victory in a row, edging out Smooth Like Strait by a head in the final strides.

“I was worried if I had him fit enough, I really was,” trainer Peter Miller said. “But he's a champion and he's got that heart of a champion. I'm just glad I had him fit enough. Just enough.”

Mo Forza was owned by the late Barry Abrams, a highly-respected trainer/owner/breeder on the Southern California circuit for many years who died last October after a 15-year battle with cancer.

“I've never had a horse that brought so much emotion to me,” Miller said. “Just seeing him in the barn, I think of Barry. The horse is special, big time.”

Smooth Like Strait was the first of two runner-up efforts for trainees of Mike McCarthy, who sent out stable newcomer Master Piece in the Del Mar Handicap.

“They both came back well and we're happy with the efforts,” McCarthy said.

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Mo Forza Repeats In Del Mar Mile

A year ago, Mo Forza surged to the front in the last eighth of the 2020 Del Mar Mile, winning the Grade 2 stakes by 4 1/4 lengths. In the 2021 edition, the 5-year-old had to work a little harder to find the winner's circle, overcoming a slow pace to sprint past Smooth Like Strait in the final strides, winning his second Del Mar Mile by a head on Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Off of a ten-month layoff, Mo Forza ducked in at the start of the G2 stakes, cutting off Count Again to take up position behind leader Nepture's Storm, Smooth Like Strait, and Hit the Road. On the front end, Nepture's Storm ran the first quarter of a mile in :23.69 and then slowed the pace down, the half-mile timed at :48.52. Mo Forza lingered toward the back of the short field, seven lengths off Neptune's Storm through the backstretch. On the turn, jockey Flavien Prat asked his horse to go, taking him to the outside for their closing run.

Into the stretch, Smooth Like Strait moved past Nepture's Storm, taking a short lead in the last eighth, but both Hit the Road and Mo Forza were on the move. Mo Forza closed fastest, passing Smooth LIke Strait in the last yards, hitting the wire a head in front of Smooth Like Strait. Hit the Road was third with Nepture's Storm and Count Again rounding out the field.

The final time for the G2 Del Mar Mile was 1:35.03. Find this race's chart here.

Mo Forza paid $4.20, $2.60, and $2.10. Smooth Like Strait paid $2.60 and $2.20. Hit the Road paid $2.60.

“He did it last year and he did it again this year, so all the credit goes to the trainer. He broke well and then relaxed nicely for me. He really responded when I asked him to run and we were in a sprint from the eighth mile pole home. I knew we got up,” Prat said after the race.

“I was worried if I had him fit enough, I really was,” trainer Peter Miller said after the Del Mar Mile. “But he's a champion and he's got that heart of a champion. I'm just glad I had him fit enough. Just enough.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bardy Farm, Mo Forza is by Coolmore stallion Uncle Mo out of the Unusual Heat mare Inflamed. Trained by Peter Miller, the 5-year-old is owned by Bardy Farm and OG Boss. With this win, Mo Forza has a lifetime record of seven wins in 13 starts for career earnings of $914,460.

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Glatt Says Dr. Schivel Exited Bing Crosby In Good Health

A year after winning the $300,000 Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes with 3-year-old Collusion Illusion, trainer Mark Glatt did it again Saturday with another sophomore colt, Dr. Schivel at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

It's the first time one trainer has won the premier sprint stake of the meeting back-to-back with 3-year-olds tackling older rivals. And, as Glatt states it, there's no secret or trick to pulling off the unprecedented.

“When you have a really good 3-year-old, like this horse and Collusion Illusion last year, going against older is not that big a factor,” Glatt said. “When you have just an average horse, I think (age) comes into play a lot more.”

Dr. Schivel, a Kentucky-bred son of Violence, broke his maiden here in his third career start last August and came back a month later to win the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity for trainer Luis Mendez in early September.

Transferred to Glatt's barn, the colt was given a nine-month layoff, then overcame some bumping to win his 2021 debut in a June allowance race at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., that signaled stakes readiness.

“After he won his comeback race, we were eyeballing a race in New York (Sunday's 6 ½-furlong, $200,000 Amsterdam) at Saratoga that was a straight 3-year-old race,” Glatt said. “As we got further removed from his comeback race we (considered) how difficult it is to ship in to Saratoga and how he loves this track.

“Several of the owners live around here and want to watch the horse run, so I thought it was best to stay here and give it a try.”

The $180,000 winner's share of the purse pushed Dr. Schivel's career earnings to $416,000 from six career starts. The Bing Crosby was a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same course on November 6.

Glatt said Sunday morning that Dr. Schivel and Law Abidin Citizen – third in the 2020 Crosby, fourth Saturday beaten less than a length – both came out of the race in good health. A third Glatt entrant in the Crosby, defending champion Collusion Illusion, was scratched due to a minor injury incurred in a training run Friday.

“It probably would have been safe to run him but the ownership group and I thought it was best to err on the conservative side and have him run another day,” Glatt said. “I don't know when, but I don't think that day will be very far off.”

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Trainer Bob Baffert said that Eight Rings, the Crosby runner-up beaten a neck at odds of 16-1, came out of the race with a shoe on one hoof that was bent nearly in half, but was otherwise fine.

“We were happy with him and thought he showed a lot of heart,” Baffert said. His next assignment remains to be determined.

Trainer Peter Miller reported that third-place finisher and 3-2 favorite C Z Rocket, beat only a half-length, exited the effort well. “He ran great, but you can't make up as much ground as he needed to on this track the way it's playing,” Miller said.

C Z Rocket will not defend his title in the $200,000 Grade 2 Pat O'Brien Stakes on August 28. “We'll wait for Santa Anita,” Miller said.

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None Above The Law Upsets The Chosen Vron In Real Good Deal

Downstream Racing's gray stretch runner None Above the Law found a perfect spot just behind the leaders early, then pounced at the quarter pole and won in the clear in Friday's featured Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif.

The Golden State Series offering was worth $175,500 in total and $99,750 to “Law's” connections. The homebred gelding – whose winning margin turned out to be 5 1/4 lengths – was winning the fifth race of his career and raised his bankroll to $304,060.

Downstream Racing is the nom du course of J. Kirk Robison of El Paso, Texas.

The 3-year-old test was conducted over seven furlongs and the winner covered the distance in 1:22.90 after fractions of :22.98, :46.20 and 1:10.65

Leading rider Flavien Prat was in the boot on “Law” for his third winner of the afternoon.

“We were in a good spot and he was comfortable,” said Prat. “The draw helped us. When I asked him (to go), he was a willing horse. He's a nice horse.”

Leading trainer Peter Miller tightened the cinch on the son of Karakontie for his third victory on the day.

“The No. 1 horse (The Chosen Vron) towered over the field, but he didn't fire today,” said Miller. “And it's hard to win from behind on this track. Our horse tries every time and Flavien (Prat) gave him a great ride, so we couldn't be happier.”

After eight days of racing at the Del Mar stand, Prat now has 16 wins and is well in front in the jocks' standings. Miller has racked up eight victories to easily lead the trainers' parade.

Finishing second in the Real Good Deal was the odds-on favorite The Chosen Vron, who is owned by the partnership of Fetkin, Sondereker or Thornburg, et al, while running third was Brown, Klein or Lebherz's Letsgetlucky.

The winner paid $22.00, $4.00 and $2.60 across the board. The Chosen Vron returned $2.10 and $2.10, while Letsgetlucky paid off at $3.20 for the show.

The track's Pick Six Single Ticket Jackpot wager was not hit for the sixth day in a row and its carryover pot ran up to $441,366.

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Post time for Saturday's 11-race card is 2 p.m.

The stakes win was the fifth of the meet for rider Prat and his fourth in the Real Good Deal Stakes. He now has 65 stakes wins at Del Mar, 12th most of all riders all time.

The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Miller and his third in the Real Good Deal Stakes. He now has 40 stakes wins at Del Mar.

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