Tizamagician and Going Global were impact players during the Del Mar summer meeting.
Tizamagician won the Grade 3 Cougar II, a 1 ½-mile main track marathon on July 18 to cap the opening weekend of the meeting. The 4-year-old Tiznow colt then came back in the TVG Pacific Classic to lead for the first three quarters before finishing second to Tripoli in the $1 million, 1 ¼-mile signature event of the season.
Going Global came to Del Mar on a four-race winning streak on turf after being imported from Ireland, but had it snapped when beaten a half-length by Madone in the Grade 2 San Clemente on July 24, contested at one mile on the Jimmy Durante course. A month later, and at her more preferred distance of 1 1/8 miles, Going Global took control in the stretch and won the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks by a length.
For that effort, Going Global was a unanimous choice in the Del Mar media vote for top 3-year-old filly of the meeting.
Del Mar followers will get another look and a worldwide Breeders' Cup audience can avail itself of a first glance of the two summer stars in a pair of stakes with combined purses totaling $550,000 immediately preceding the nine Breeders' Cup races on Saturday's card.
Call the $250,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes and the $300,000 Goldikova Stakes an aperitif for the smorgasbord to follow – races with combined purses of $21 million – if you like. But call the TAA and the Goldikova highly competitive featuring the 4-year-old colt and 3-year-old filly Southern California fans have found very much worth watching. A capsule look:
Race No. 2: $250,000 TAA Stakes; Grade 3, 1 5/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up.
Lone Rock, a 6-year-old gelded son of Majestic Warrior trained by Robertino Diodoro is the 6/5 morning line favorite with Tizamagician, trained by Richard Mandella for MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm, the second choice at 8/5 in a field of seven. It's easy to see why.
Lone Rock had a four-race winning streak snapped when second in his first try at this distance in the Jockey Club Grand Prix at Belmont Park on Sept. 18. One of the wins in the streak, however, was an 11 ¼-length romp in the 1 ½-mile, Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap in June at Belmont in which Tizamagician was the runner-up.
Tizamagician followed the Brooklyn with his summer assignments here then was fifth to Medina Spirit in the Grade 1 Awesome Again on Oct. 2 at Santa Anita.
Del Mar's leading jockey Flavien Prat has been aboard for the last five starts and will be again on Saturday.
“He ran a really good race last time here and he's been training well. He feels strong and I think he will be ready to run another good one,” Prat said. “When (Lone Rock) beat us (in the Brooklyn), we had a really bad break, so we had an excuse and I hope things will be different this time.”
The field of seven from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Mad Grace (apprentice Jessica Pyfer, 30-1); Lone Rock (Ramon Vazquez); Cupid's Claws (Luis Saez, 6-1); Tizamagician; Zestful (Florent Geroux, 8-1); Locally Owned (Tyler Gaffalione, 6-1), and Hapi Hapi (Tiago Pereira, 30-1).
Race No. 3: $300,000 Goldikova Stakes; Grade 2, one mile (turf) for fillies and mares 3 years old and up.
Princess Grace, who made her summer mark here with a ship-in score in the Grade 2, 1 1/16-mile Yellow Ribbon on Aug. 7, is the 8/5 morning line favorite, barely ahead of 9-5 Going Global.
Trained by Michael Stidham and owned by Susan and John Moore, Princess Grace, a 4-year-old daughter of Karakontie, is on a four-race winning streak. She followed her Yellow Ribbon score with one in the Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 11 to set her career record at six wins and a second from seven starts with earnings of $886,860.
Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, whose services were called upon for the Yellow Ribbon, will be back in the irons.
Going Global, trained by Phil D'Amato since being imported, has been freshened since her Del Mar Oaks victory with five works at Santa Anita starting in late September and a finishing touch 1:01.80 for five furlongs here on Sunday.
“We've been planning for this race for the last month and a half and she's coming into it in really good shape,” D'Amato said. “This will be her first against older horses and we look at it as a good chance to see how we stand in that regard. Also it's a good prep for the Oaks at the start of the Santa Anita meet in December.
“I think there are a lot of contenders in there and Princess Grace is definitely the top one.”
The field of nine from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parentheses: Zofelle (Tyler Gaffalione, 6-1); Princess Grace; Abscond (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 8-1); Glesga Gal (Florent Geroux, 15-1); Ippodamia's Girl (Luis Saez, 20-1); Bodhicitta (Joel Rosario, 12-1); Going Global; Warren's Showtime (Juan Hernandez, 12-1), and Constantia (Umberto Rispoli, 15-1).
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