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Pinehurst, Murray Head Field For Monday’s Del Mar Futurity

The curtain comes ringing down on a highly successful Del Mar race meeting Labor Day Monday with a pair of juvenile stakes races topping the bill – the championship-caliber Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity and the Del Mar Juvenile Turf.

There will be 10 races offered on the holiday with an early first post of 1:30 p.m. The Juvenile Fillies Turf will run as Race 9 a bit after 5 p.m. and the Runhappy Futurity will follow as Race 10 shortly after 5:30.

A half-dozen well-bred and well-meant colts will put on a show in the $300,000 Futurity, which will be contested at its usual distance of seven furlongs. No fewer than three Hall of Fame trainers will take a crack at this 74th edition of the race including one – Bob Baffert – who is known as Mr. Futurity in these parts.

Baffert, who has two runners for the race, has won Del Mar's top event for 2-year-olds 14 times, starting with his champion Silver Charm in 1996. The other two Hall of Famers – Mark Casse and Steve Asmussen – each have a single entrant in the extended sprint, but, in both cases, they've come loaded for bear.

Baffert's pair are SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Golconda Stable, Stonestreet Stable, et al's Murray and SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, et al's Pinehurst. Both were impressive straight maiden winners earlier in the Del Mar meet and, with Baffert's mo-jo behind them, both will draw many eyes and heavy action Monday.

Casse's runner is Best Pal Stakes winner Pappacap, who is a homebred for Rustlewood Farm and Asmussen's starter is Downstream Racing's American Xperiment, who won smartly in a straight maiden race at Saratoga on July 30.

The Juvenile Turf drew nine 2-year-old for a mile spin on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course with a $100,000 purse as a target for them to shoot at.

The morning-line favorite in the race is Sierra Racing or Sterling Stables' Silver Surfer, a gray gelding who has been racing exclusively in Ireland and came stateside to trainer Phil D'Amato's barn in July. He's listed at 5/2 to capture the 10th running of the stakes, which serves as a prep for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf scheduled to be run at Del Mar on November 5.

Here are the full fields for both races with riders and morning line odds:

Runhappy Del Mar Futurity – Pappacap (Joe Bravo, 3-1); Opas or Sinatra's Olympic Legend (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 12-1); Lovingier, Fasihuddin or Navarro's Finneus (Tiago Pereira, 12-1); Pinehurst (Mike Smith, 5/2); Murray (Flavien Prat, 2-1), and American Xperiment (Umberto Rispoli, 5/2).

Del Mar Juvenile Turf – Silver Surfer (Bravo); Paradise Farms, Staudachere, et al's My Mane Champ (Rispoli, 12-1); Martin or Yamamoto's Mogollon Rim (Flavien Prat, 6-1); Sergio Zepeda Jr.'s Shortman (Valdivia, Jr., 30-1); ERJ Racing or Kenney's Mackinnon (Juan Hernandez, 3-1); Peter Redekop's Aquitania Arrival (Abel Cedillo, 5-1); Aldan Butler's Thirty Four Coupe (Smith, 15-1); Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Optimising (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1), and Thomsen Racing's Socal Red (Pereira, 20-1).

Monday's card is the 31st and final day of summer season No. 82 at the shore oval. The track will return to action on Wednesday, November 3 for its 15-day fall session that will include the Breeders' Cup Championship races on November 5 and 6.

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Public Sector Gets Second Saratoga Turf Win In Saranac

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector followed up his win in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes with a one-length win over Repole Stable's Never Surprised in the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Four weeks after his one-length win on the Saratoga turf, Public Sector broke sharply from the first post, Irad Ortiz, Jr. taking up position on the hedge as Never Surprised took the head in the opening furlong. Content to sit back in fourth, Public Sector moved off the hedge on the backstretch, as Never Surprised set fractions of :24.73 for the first quarter and :49.19 for the half-mile. On the far turn, Ortiz angled Public Sector through an opening between horses, going two wide entering the stretch.

Never Surprised maintained his lead into the Saratoga straight, but Public Sector made his bid for the front to his outside, easily passing the former frontrunner in the final furlong to win the G3 stakes by a length. Like the King was third.

The final time for the 1 1/16-mile Saranac was 1:41.78 over a firm turf course. Find this race's chart here.

Public Sector paid $4.40, $2.30, and $2.10. Never Surprised paid $2.80 and $2.40. Like the King paid $3.00.

“He broke well and Irad let them run a way a little bit. I thought maybe he would run on to the turn and make them go a little bit more, but he decided to take that first eighth of a mile that way where he just let them get a way a little bit, but quickly he scooted up into the pocket not too far away. From there, I thought we at least had a fair chance to win the race without knowing how he would do when he would draw alongside a really good horse” trainer Chad Brown said after the race.

“I got a perfect trip. We broke well from the one-hole and two horses had speed, so I sat off of them. When it was time to roll, I asked my horse and he was loaded. When he switched leads, he gave me a good turn-of-foot. He responded really well,” Irad Ortiz, Jr. told the NYRA Press Office after the Saranac.

Bred in England by The Kathryn Stud, the 3-year-old colt is by Kingman (GB) out of the Montjeu (IRE) mare Parle Moi (IRE). Public Sector was purchased by owner Klaravich Stables from consigner Clearwater Stud for $217,822 at the 2019 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. His win in the Saranac brings Public Sector to three wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of $378,600.

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Cilla Rallies In Saratoga Stretch To Win Prioress

After a stretch duel with Souper Sensational that saw the two brushing not once but twice, Cilla, last-out winner of the Blue Sparkler at Monmouth Park, rallied late to win by a half-length at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Under Tyler Gaffalione, Cilla broke sharp and then settled into fourth behind Oxana and Edie Meeny Miny Mo, who traded the lead early in the six-furlong Prioress. Victor Espinoza, in from California to ride Edie Meeny Miny Mo for a second time, took over entering the far turn, but could not hold on to the advantage entering the stretch. To her outside, both Cilla and Souper Sensational took up position for their stretch runs, with Ricardo Santana, Jr. poised to send Souper Sensational on as they hit the Saratoga straight.

Gaffalione and Cilla stayed with her, the two fillies dueling in the race's final furlong. As they approached the wire, Cilla rallied past Souper Sensational in the race's final yards to a half-length lead at the finish. Li'l Tootsie was third.

Ricardo Santana, Jr. claimed foul after the race, citing interference by Cilla and Gaffalione in the stretch, but the stewards dismissed the foul, allowing the final results to become official.

The final time for the six furlongs was 1:10.05 over a fast track. Find this race's chart here.

Cilla paid $23.40, $6.20, and $3.40. Souper Sensational paid $2.50 and $2.10. Li'l Tootsie paid $3.50.

“She's fast and she's a 3-year-old. There's limited opportunities for those fillies. We felt like after we got her on track a couple of races ago and that we were going to let her step along and buy her way to the next one. She's obviously bought her way to this one.” Brett Brinkman said after the Prioress.

“As soon as Ricardo [Santana, Jr., aboard Souper Sensational] put a head in front of me, I asked her and she surged back to them, so I was confident that we were going to be able to come back to them. I was confident that we were able to get back,” Gaffalione told the NYRA Press Office after the race. “She fought gamely and all the credit goes to the connections for having her ready.”

Bred in Louisiana by Brett A. Brinkman and P. Dale Ladner, the 3-year-old filly is by California Chrome out of the Into Mischief mare Sittin At the Bar, a black-type stakes winner in Louisiana. Owned by P. Dale Ladner, Cilla is trained by Charlton Baker. The Grade 2 Prioress is the filly's fourth win in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in ten starts.

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Connie Swingle Leads 1-2 Alexander Finish In Del Mar’s Generous Portion Stakes

Nick Alexander's homebred Connie Swingle grabbed a good spot early in the six-furlong Generous Portion Stakes Friday, then drew well clear in the lane to tally by 3 1/4 lengths Friday at Del Mar as the 7-10 favorite in a field of 10 2-year-old California-bred fillies.

Owner-breeder Alexander also ran second in the $102,000 feature with his Carmen Miranda. Finishing third was George Krikorian's homebred Big Novel.

Connie Swingle, who was ridden by Giovanni Franco and is trained by Phil D'Amato, had scored the initial victory of her career in a straight maiden race at Del Mar on August 6 and her winner's share of $57,000 in the dash increased her bankroll to $108,000.

Final time for the 29th edition of the six panels was a solid 1:10.89. The winner paid $3.40, $2.60 and $2.20. Carmen Miranda returned $6.80 and $4.00, while Big Novel paid $3.00.

The track's Pick 6 Single Ticket Jackpot wager went unsolved one more day and its carryover rose to $419,662 for Saturday's 11-race card, which will be off and running with an early first post of 1:30 p.m. PT.

GEOVANNI FRANCO (Connie Swingle, winner) – “Phil (trainer D'Amato) told me to play the break and get a good spot with her. We did that. She was running nice and easy and when we got to the turn, I think she was playing with them (other horses). When we straightened out in the lane she just went. She's very talented.”

PHIL D'AMATO (Connie Swingle, winner) “I think she showed her class down the lane. That's a very respectable time for Cal-bred 2-year-old fillies. I think she'll run on and the same for (runner-up) Carmen Miranda (whom he also trains). I think she's just kind of dying for two turns. On to Santa Anita.”

FRACTIONS: :22.23 :45.04 :57.76 1:10.89

The stakes win is the second of the meet for rider Franco, but his first win in the Generous Portion. He now has five stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the third of the meet for trainer D'Amato, but his second (Long Hot Summer, 2014) in the Generous Portion. He now has 32 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owner and breeder is Nick Alexander of Del Mar and Santa Ynez, Calif.

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