Royal Ship Looms The Horse To Beat In Saturday’s San Diego ‘Cap

The Brazilian-bred 5-year-old Royal Ship has found his footing on dry land of late and could take a lot of beating at Del Mar Saturday as he heads a field of nine in the 80th edition of the $250,000, Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

The gelded son of Del Mar's 2008 Del Mar Futurity winner, Midshipman, fired two big shots at Santa Anita this spring, winning the Grade 2 Californian and being beaten a head in the Grade 1 Gold Cup. Both races were on the main track, a relatively new chapter for the South American who had raced primarily on the turf.

The bay will go postward Saturday with a couple of sizeable pluses in his sails. First, he's trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, always a good thing for a horse, especially so if you've come north from South America, a Mandella specialty. Then Royal Ship also gets the advantage of being guided by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, a man who has ridden more stakes winners then there are sailboats on San Diego Bay on a Sunday afternoon. The likely race favorite will pack topweight of 124 pounds and break from Post 4.

Second highweight at 123 and likely the favorite's chief threat is CRK Stable's Express Train, a hard-knocking colt by Union Rags who has won a graded stakes and been placed in three others thus far in 2021. The John Shirreff's trained 4-year-old will get the saddle services of his regular partner, J. J. Hernandez, as they start their journey from Post 5 right alongside Royal Ship.

Here's the full field for the San Diego from the rail out with weights and riders:

  1. Daniell or Daniell's Rushie (121, Umberto Rispoli)
  2. John Sondereker's Kiss Today Goodbye (120, Victor Espinoza)
  3. Joe Peacock's Sheriff Brown (118, Edwin Maldonado)
  4. Royal Ship
  5. Express Train
  6. Martin or Martin's Mo Mosa (120, Ramon Vazquez)
  7. Summer Wind Equine's Magic On Tap (120, Abel Cedillo)
  8. Hronis Racing's Tripoli (118, Tiago Pereira)
  9. Hronis Racing's Heywoods Beach (118, Trevor McCarthy)

The San Diego is considered the shore track's key prep race for its centerpiece – the $750,000 TVG Pacific Classic, which this year will be run on Saturday, August 21. It goes at a mile and a quarter for 3-year-olds and up.

Also on the Saturday card is the Osunitas Stakes, an overnight for fillies and mares that carries an $80,000 purse. The mile on the turf has drawn a field of nine, including a pair out of trainer Richard Baltas' barn in Nasty and Ippodamia's Girl.

First post Saturday is 2 p.m. for the 11-race card.

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Champion Maximum Security Back Out Front In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

Champion Maximum Security asserted his class when he captured the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on August 22, an effort that has once again moved the son of New Year's Day to the head of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.

In earning his tenth career triumph and fourth top-level victory, Maximum Security secured 16 first-place votes and 343 points to take the lead in the poll for the first time since March 2. The 4-year-old bay colt has won both of his starts since being transferred to the barn of Bob Baffert having previously annexed the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 25 in his first start under the care of the Hall of Fame trainer.

“He was a totally different horse today,” Baffert told the Del Mar publicity team after the Pacific Classic. He (jockey Abel Cedillo) got to know 'Max' last time and I'm happy for him. (Maximum Security) just does things effortlessly. He wasn't even blowing when he came back. I'm just so happy for this horse. It's not his fault what he went through. Today he showed that he is a great horse.”

With Maximum Security taking over the top spot, fellow multiple Grade 1-winner Vekoma drops one position to No. 2 with 8 first-place votes and 297 points. Tom's d'Etat (3 first-place votes, 250 points) is now third followed by Grade 1 Whitney Stakes-winner Improbable (232 points) in fourth.

Top sophomore Tiz the Law (11 first-place votes, 228 points) remains in fifth, just ahead of champion distaffer Midnight Bisou in sixth with 204 points. Zulu Alpha (109 points) ranks seventh while the Chad Brown-trained Rushing Fall (102 points) jumps up three spots to eighth on the strength of her triumph in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes on August 23.

Champion Monomoy Girl (1 first-place vote and 96 points) and By My Standards (81 points) round out the top 10.

With the September 5 Kentucky Derby less than two weeks away, Belmont and Travers Stakes hero Tiz the Law remains the leader in the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll with 39 first-place votes and 390 points.

Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector remains in second with 320 points followed by Honor A. P. (274 points) and fellow Grade 1 winner Authentic (249).

After being tied for the fifth spot last week, Gamine now owns that position outright with 207 points – one point more than her expected Kentucky Oaks rival Swiss Skydiver (206). Thousand Words (138 points) holds in seventh with King Guillermo (102), Ny Traffic (77) and Travers runner-up Caracaro (60) completing the top 10.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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‘You’ve Got To Run When You’re Ready’: Higher Power Takes On Maximum Security In San Diego

Trainer John Sadler has saddled the winner of the last three runnings of the San Diego Handicap at Del Mar. A fourth would appear to be a tough task considering the intimidating record and presence of rival Maximum Security.

But Sadler, and his major client Hronis Racing, are hardly ones to be intimidated. And there's recent history on their side.

“Maximum Security is one of the best horses in the world,” Sadler said. “But you've got to run when you're ready, and we're ready right now.”

Sadler has entered TVG Pacific Classic defending champion Higher Power for the Grade II $150,000 San Diego, a 1 1/16-mile main track event that is the primary stepping stone to the Classic. His 5 ¼-length convincing Pacific Classic victory was the highlight of a 2019 campaign as a 4-year-old in which the son of Medaglia d'Oro won three times and compiled earnings of more than $1.2 million for Hronis.

Higher Power opened 2020 with a last-place finish of 10 as the favorite in the Pegasus World Cup in January at Gulfstream Park, then went unraced until a runner-up finish, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Improbable, in the Hollywood Gold Cup on June 6 at Santa Anita.

“We were very happy with it,” Sadler said. “It was a very good second, coming as it did off a really extended layoff because of travel and COVID. We brought him down here where he's run well before and plan to run him twice – the San Diego and the Pacific Classic.”

Sadler and Hronis also have Combatant, a 5-year-old son of Scat Daddy who is also entered in Sunday's Grade II, $200,000 Eddie Read Stakes on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Combatant won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap on March 7 in his second start for Sadler after previously being based in the Midwest with Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. A venture to Hot Springs, Ark., in May for the Oaklawn Handicap produced only an 11th place finish in a field of 13. Combatant, generally a come-from-behind type, has four wins from 25 lifetime starts and earnings of $1,033,998. One victory, and $294,740 in earnings, came from turf races.

“He got cut off and generally had a bad trip at Oaklawn, so we've given him time off,” Sadler said. “Even if I go with him on the grass instead of the San Diego he's still a candidate for the Pacific Classic.”

Catalina Cruiser secured victories in the San Diego Handicap for Sadler, carrying Hronis colors, in 2018-19. In 2017 eventual champion Accelerate did the honors. Accelerate's victory was over the Bob Baffert-trained Arrogate, then the No. 1 ranked horse in the world. Arrogate finished fourth, beaten 15 lengths. Baffert will saddle Maximum Security on Saturday.

The San Diego Handicap, planned for July 18, was rescheduled a week later due to COVID-19 and post positions were re-drawn. It made no difference for Higher Power.

“They drew the race twice and I got the rail both times,” Sadler said. “The post is not my favorite, but we'll live with it.”

The field from the rail: Higher Power (Flavien Prat); Ax Man (Mike Smith); Sharp Samurai (Jorge Velez); Combatant (Drayden Van Dyke); Maximum Security (Abel Cedillo), and Midcourt (Victor Espinoza).

Prat's agent, Derek Lawson, was asked how he felt about going up against Maximum Security with Higher Power. “The same as I felt going up against Maximum Security with Country House in the Kentucky Derby,” Prat said.

Racing fans know how that turned out.

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Baffert Has ‘A Really Good Feeling’ About Maximum Security Ahead Of San Diego

The Del Mar barber's knowledge of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, whose distinctive white locks he was trimming, apparently did not extend to the horses in Baffert's deeply talented stable.

So, asking about the best horses Baffert had on hand for the Del Mar summer meeting was a logical conversation starter or extender.

“Well, I've got this horse Maximum Security …” Baffert said.

“Oh, I know THAT horse,” the barber exclaimed.

Maximum Security, the horse that crossed under the wire the apparent winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby before an extensively-chronicled disqualification, the first in Derby history. The multi-million-dollar earner that, also in extensively-chronicled circumstances, was transferred in March to the care of Baffert.

Maximum Security, the 4-year-old son of New Year's Day who will make his first start for Baffert, and first in nearly five months, in Saturday's $150,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar.

“He's a very famous horse,” Baffert said in a phone interview earlier this week. “I'm very excited and a little bit nervous for him to run. There's a lot of pressure when you're around really good horses and we always have that.”

Any trainer looks forward to a new horse in the stable and there are physical checks to be made upon arrival, which Maximum Security passed routinely. There was, however, one obstacle to overcome in the transition according to Baffert.

“Every trainer feeds a little differently and at first he was kind of a finicky eater when we got him,” Baffert said. “Which was strange, because he doesn't look like he ever missed a meal in his life. But once we got that worked out, he has been fine.

“He's very intelligent and around here he's been kind of quiet.”

Maximum Security had two works at Del Mar, one more than was originally planned after the race was delayed a week by COVID-19 positives in the jockey colony.

He covered five furlongs in :59.60 on July 11, fourth-fastest of 88 at the distance that day, and came back a week later – the original date of the San Diego – to work a bullet six furlongs in 1:11.60.

“He's a big, strong horse and I can't be happier with the way he's training,” Baffert said. “He trains like a really good horse.”

Maximum Security will be ridden for the first time by Del Mar-based Abel Cedillo. Luis Saez, aboard for the last seven starts, tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago at Keeneland and is subject to travel restrictions.

“When I got the word on Saez, I asked around about who was open.” Baffert related. “Some (jockey agents) said, 'If it's Maximum Security, maybe I could get open.' But I really didn't want to take anyone's rider.”

Trainer Mark Glatt had nominated the multiple-stakes winning 6-year-old gelding Sharp Samurai, a turf specialist, to both the San Diego on dirt and the Eddie Read Stakes the following day on grass. The obvious strategy: provide opportunity for Grade II honors on either surface and a way of avoiding Maximum Security.

“Bob thought that because Abel and Luis Saez have similar styles, Abel would be a good fit and was his first choice,” Cedillo's agent, Tom Knust, said. “I thought that was very complimentary of both Abel and Bob.

“We ride a lot for Mark Glatt and Sharp Samurai's owners (Red Baron Barn and Rancho Temescal). We told them we would hold the mount if they wanted to run in the San Diego. They were nice enough to say they didn't want Abel to miss having the opportunity to ride 'Maximum'.”

With Maximum Security committed to the San Diego, Cedillo – most recently aboard Sharp Samurai in a third-place effort in the American Stakes at Santa Anita on June 21 – was free to take the call from Baffert. Once, that is, Baffert got clearance from owner/breeders Gary and Mary West of Rancho Santa Fe and their partners.

“(Cedillo) is strong and aggressive,” Baffert said. “He won on Fighting Mad for Gary and Mary West, he's won other races for me and he seems like he can handle the pressure. I'm happy to have him.”

The victory by Cedillo for the West stable was in the Grade II $200,000 Santa Maria Stakes at Santa Anita on May 31.

Cedillo, a 31-year-old native of Guatemala, was a dominant presence in Northern California before making a successful transition to the Southern California circuit a year ago. He's been doing the due diligence for what could be career-boosting opportunity.

“I was very excited when (Knust) said I have a chance to ride this horse,” Cedillo said. “Right now, I'm watching the replays of all his races. It looks to me like I'll have to kind of stay busy on him, but I'm going to try to talk to Luis Saez in the next few days and, of course, I'll talk to Mr. Baffert and see what they say.”

Under normal circumstances, Cedillo's assignment would be a one-race replacement for the proven Saez. But these are not normal times, with COVID-19 protocols curtailing jockey travel. And, Baffert said, Maximum Security is staying put for the summer.

“It's a challenge. We've got this great horse and we've got this race as a prep for the (TVG) Pacific Classic,” Baffert said. Del Mar's signature race, the Grade I, $500,000 mile and a quarter is scheduled for Saturday, August 22.

Back when Quarter Horse racing was the name of Baffert's game, he had a good one named Gold Coast Express transferred to his stable.

“The first time he ran for me, I was so excited when I gave (jockey) Danny Cardoza a leg up I almost threw him over the horse,” Baffert said. Gold Coast Express won eight races in a row and was the 1986 World Champion.

Unlike most Del Mar stakes races, especially the ones for juveniles, the San Diego has not been good to Baffert. He's won it once (Fed Biz, 2014) and had a couple of seconds (Paynter, 2013, Dr. Dorr 2016). But there were a couple of nasty ones, too.

In 1998 he ran his Triple Crown star and champion Silver Charm in the San Diego at odds of 3-10. Alas, they had to send out the proverbial search party to find him at the end of that one. Then, even more uncomfortably, there was 2017.

Arrogate came into the San Diego as the No. 1 ranked Thoroughbred in world, having won the Breeders' Cup Classic, Pegasus World Cup and Dubai World Cup. Arrogate went off at odds of 1-20 but was never much of a factor and finished fourth, beaten 15 lengths, by the John Sadler-trained Accelerate.

“The track can be tricky. Some horses like it and some don't,” Baffert said. “Arrogate didn't. But this horse has worked well on it and I think he likes this track.

“I have a really good feeling about this horse and I really want him to run well. What he's gone through in his career is not his fault.”

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