“We definitely are going to supplement for the Sprint,” trainer and co-owner Eric Kruljac said Sunday. “Especially since it's at Santa Anita this year. We'll possibly look for a prep. Long range, you look at your options, but with horses it's a day-to-day thing with their health and such.”

The Bing Crosby was The Chosen Vron's eighth straight victory and first Grade I tally.

“He's perfect this morning,” Kruljac said. “He's a survivor. He had a lot left at the wire. He could have gone another quarter, I think. Watching the replays, he looked the strongest. I think he could be a miler.”

A next start has not yet been determined for Senor Buscador (Mineshaft), who gave trainer Todd Fincher his first stakes victory at Del Mar with his upset score in the GII San Diego H. Saturday.

He's tired,” Fincher said of the 5-year-old. “He ran hard.”

Of his first Del Mar stakes win, Fincher said, “It's great. I mean to win a Grade II at Del Mar is pretty high on your list. It's nice.”

Fincher did not commit to a next start for his charge.

“We don't know,” he said. “We'll either go seven furlongs or the mile and a quarter; we just haven't decided.”

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San Diego runner-up Tripoli (Kitten's Joy) was making his black-type bow in the San Diego and third-place Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) won the GII Californian S. in April.

Todd Pletcher ships in from New York with a strong contender in Dr Post (Quality Road). Capturing the GIII Westchester S. in his seasonal bow May 1, the dark bay checked in fifth in the Met Mile June 5 and returned to winning ways in the GIII Monmouth Cup July 17.

Tizamagician (Tiznow) has developed into a force to be reckoned with as a 4-year-old and has a shot at Grade I glory here. Romping by nine lengths in the GIII Tokyo City S. Apr. 18, the dark bay was second in Belmont's GII Brooklyn S. June 5 and rebounded with a win in Del Mar's 12-furlong GIII Cougar II S. July 18.

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“He came out of his work well and it looks like it's a go,” Fincher said.

Sheriff Brown, a gelded 5-year-old son of Curlin, shipped in from Texas for the  TVG Pacific Classic prep San Diego Handicap on July 17 and finished seventh of eight, beaten 8 ¾ lengths by Express Train.

“That was pretty much a throw-out,” Fincher said of the San Diego. “He had just shipped in and wasn't comfortable in his surroundings. And he's a horse that needs to be comfortable with his surroundings. We expect a lot better effort this time.”

Sheriff Brown has six wins from 21 lifetime starts and has been second or third on eight other occasions to accumulate earnings of $232,811. Fourteen of those races were at a mile or less.

“I've always wanted to try him at a longer distance, like a mile and a quarter,” Fencher said. “There are a lot of unknowns, but we're going to try it.”

Edwin Maldonado, aboard for the San Diego, has the call in the Classic.

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Express Train, under Juan Hernandez, was timed in 1:12.20, fastest of 12 workers at the distance. Toby Turrell caught the 4-year-old son of Union Rags, winner of the San Diego Handicap on July 17, with splits of :24.0, :36.20, :47.60 and :59.80 en route to the official clocking and had him galloping out to seven furlongs in 1:26.40.

Midcourt, a 6-year-old gelded son of Midnight Lute, was timed in 1:14.60 under Edwin Maldonado. Midcourt ended a six-month layoff with an allowance victory at Santa Anita in June.

Shirreffs said he was pleased with both works but was, “leaning” toward running only Express Train.

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“It went well. We're running in the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said via text of Magic On Tap's exercise.

Working with stablemate Private Mission, who Del Mar clockers also timed in :59 for five furlongs, Magic On Tap completed a series of three workouts since finishing fifth in the $250,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 17.

A stumble at the start severely compromised the 5-year-old son of Tapit's chances in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap, the major prep for the 1 ¼-mile TVG Pacific Classic. Magic On Tap had arrived at Del Mar with a record of three victories in six career starts and earnings of $228,800 and was fresh from a win in the seven-furlong Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., in May.

Later in the morning, Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella sent MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm's Tizamagician out for a five-furlong work in one minute flat with an interim clocking of :36.20 under exercise rider Austin Solis, the son of retired Hall of Fame jockey Alex Solis.

“He looked great. Couldn't be better,” Mandella said of the 4-year-old son of Tiznow.

Tizamagician has five wins in 18 career starts and earnings of $427,851. He stamped himself as a TVG Pacific Classic contender by winning the 1 ½-mile Grade 3 Cougar II Stakes on July 18.

Perry and Denise Martin's Mo Mosa, trained by Michael Maker, went five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Del Mar under exercise rider Marcelo Medina in a team work with stablemate Fight On. Track clockers recorded splits of :11.2; :23.0; :35.2, and a final quarter in :25.1.

“It was a great work, we were very pleased with it,” said Nolan Ramsey, in charge of the Del Mar string for Maker. “We need to speak with the owners. The Pat O'Brien is an option, but it (Pacific Classic) is still on the table for discussion.”

Mo Mosa finished fourth — behind TVG Pacific Classic nominees Express Train, Tripoli, and Royal Ship – in the San Diego Handicap shipping in from a stakes victory in May at Lone Star Park in Texas.

Cupid's Claws, owned by Flawless Racing and partners and trained by Craig Dollase, worked five furlongs from the gate at Del Mar in 1:00 under Umberto Rispoli.

“He looked good and he finished up very well,” Dollase said. “It's a go for the Pacific Classic.”

At Saratoga, Todd Pletcher-trained Dr Post worked four furlongs in :49.22, 27th of 80 at the distance. “We're pleased with his workout and he'll go west,” Pletcher said. “He is scheduled to ship on Tuesday.”

TVG Pacific Classic nominee The Great One went six furlongs in 1:13.20, but trainer Doug O'Neill said the 3-year-old is more likely to stay in competition with his age group peers in the $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes on August 29. Trainer Mike McCarthy said Independence Hall, who worked Friday, still has the Charlestown Classic as the main target.

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And down on the Jersey Shore is a big 14-race extravaganza that includes six stakes, five of them graded, highlighted by the G1 Haskell Stakes for 3-year-olds and the G1 United Nations for older turf runners. That card gets under way at noon ET.

The New York Racing Association, in partnership with Monmouth Park, is offering a $0.20 all-stakes pick 6 wager that includes four graded stakes from the Oceanport, N.J., track and two from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

So let's get this spectacular weekend summer party started (all times Eastern).

6:16 p.m. ―$500,000 Grade 1 Diana Stakes at Saratoga on FOX

The $500,000 Diana, the anchor leg of the all-stakes pick 6, is scheduled for 6:16 p.m. and can be viewed on the Fox network. It's drawn a field of eight fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on turf and includes Althiqa and Summer Romance from Godolphin trainer Charles Appleby's stable, the 1-2 finishers in the G1 Just A Game Stakes at Belmont on June 5. Althiqa, who won the Just A Game under Mike Smith at 7-1 odds, will have a new pilot on Saturday, Manny Franco, with Smith riding at Del Mar.

Summer Romance, who led the way into deep stretch in that race under Luis Saez, could find herself on the front end again in the Diana as the race does not have a lot of pace in the lineup.

Chad Brown has won the Diana the last five years and has a pair including Irish-bred 5-2 morning line favorite Lemista, second to Harvey's Lil Goil in her U.S. debut in the G3 Beaugay on May 8.The Raven's Pass filly was a Group 2 winner in Ireland last year. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be aboard.

The aforementioned Harvey's Lil Goil from Bill Mott's barn came out of her Beaugay win to run fifth on yielding turf in the 1 1/4-mile New York Stakes June 4. She was a G1 winner against 3-year-old fillies last year in the Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland. Regular rider Junior Alvarado will be back aboard.

The second Chad Brown runner Pocket Square, Brendan Walsh-trained La Signare, Magic Attitude from Arnaud Delacour's barn and Shug McGaughey-trained Vigilantes Way round out the field.

Diana entries

5:40 p.m. ― $150,000 Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga on FOX

Saratoga's G3 Sanford attracted a dozen 2-year-olds and features nine debut winners making their second starts in the six-furlong dash.

Included in that group is Todd Pletcher-trained Wit, a Practical Joke colt who drew off to win by six lengths in his first outing at Belmont June 5 under Irad Ortiz Jr., who rides him back. Off slowly in that race, Wit drew the rail post in the Sanford, not an ideal post with such a large field.

Wesley Ward-trained Headline Report, a son of Gormley, graduated at first asking at Keeneland April 23, winning by 2 1/4 lengths going 4 1/2 furlongs while racing on or near the lead throughout. John Velazquez, aboard that day, gets back aboard.

Sanford Stakes Entries

9:30 p.m. ―$250,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on TVG

Royal Ship, the 9-5 morning line favorite in Del Mar's San Diego Handicap (post time 9:30 p.m. ET), is the lone Grade/Group 1 winner in the field of nine older runners, having won a G1 in his native Brazil. That was the Midshipman gelding's fifth consecutive victory and last before being imported into the U.S. and joining the Richard Mandella barn.

Royal Ship comes off a narrow loss to Country Grammer in the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 31. Mike Smith, who has piloted Royal Ship in all six of his U.S. starts, will ride.

John Shirreffs-trained Express Train was third to Country Grammer but he just might be a horse for the course, having won two of his three starts at Del Mar, with one second. The Union Rags colt was a close second to Idol after leading into the stretch of the G1 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6. He previously won the G2 San Pasqual at Santa Anita.
G2 winners Rushie, Kiss Today Goodbye and Magic on Tap cannot be discounted.

San Diego Handicap entries

5:47 p.m. ―$1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on NBC

The G1 TVG.com Haskell (post time 5:47 p.m. and broadcast on NBC beginning at 5 p.m. ET as a part of the Breeders' Cup Win and You're In Challenge Series) has the runners-up in each of the three Triple Crown races: Mandaloun, second to Medina Spirit in the G1 Kentucky Derby; Midnight Bourbon, second to Rombauer in the G1 Preakness; and Hot Rod Charlie, second to Essential Quality in the G1 Belmont Stakes.

A fourth horse in the lineup, the Runhappy colt Following Sea, figures to be the one they all have to catch as he stretches out from a front-end sprint allowance victory at Belmont Park on June 3. Trained by Bob Baffert in his first two starts, Following Sea is now in Todd Pletcher's New York stable.

Haskell Stakes entries

Here is a snapshot of the other weekend graded stakes in North America, courtesy of NTRA:

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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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The Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 13. A list of voting members can be found here.

In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

Tom's d'Etat, owned by Gayle Benson's GMB Racing, had been alone atop the Classic Rankings for the first two weeks. A 7-year-old bay son of Smart Strike, trained by Al Stall Jr., Tom's d'Etat had won four consecutive races, including the “Win and You're In” Stephen Foster (G2) prior to the Whitney at Saratoga, but stumbled at the start and could not overcome breaking last from the gate on Saturday, and wound up third.

The big mover in the rankings this week is the Whitney winner, Improbable (243 votes), who jumped from ninth to third place in the poll. Owned by WinStar Farm, CHC Inc. and SF Racing, Improbable is also trained by Baffert. The 4-year-old chestnut son of City Zip earned a “Win and You're In” automatic starting position into the Breeders' Cup Classic following his 2-length victory in the Whitney under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. The win was Improbable's second Grade 1 triumph this year after taking the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita on June 6.

Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tiz the Law (208 votes), one of two 3-year-olds in the top 10, remains in fourth place. Unbeaten in three starts this year, the Sackatoga Stable's star, trained by Barclay Tagg, is scheduled to start in this Saturday's Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

Allied Racing Stable's By My Standards (144 votes), second in the Whitney, moves up two spots to fifth place. Trained by Bret Calhoun, By My Standards won the New Orleans Handicap (G2) and the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) before finishing second to Tom's d'Etat in the Stephen Foster.

W.S. Farish's 4-year-old Code of Honor (117 votes) drops from third to sixth this week after finishing a non-threatening fourth as the 5-2 second choice in the Whitney.

Bloom Racing, Madaket Stables and Allen Racing's 5-year-old mare Midnight Bisou (95 votes) was upset by Vexatious in Saratoga's Personal Ensign (G1) on Saturday, losing by a neck as the odds-on favorite. The Steve Asmussen-trained dark bay daughter of two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner Midnight Lute falls two spots to No. 7.

Juddmonte Farms' 4-year-old Tacitus (93 votes) retains eighth place in the Classic Rankings for the third consecutive week. Trained by Bill Mott, Tacitus rolled to an 8 ¾-length victory in the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park on July 4. He is expected to run next in the Woodward (G1) at Saratoga on Sept. 5.

The 4-year-old Vekoma, trained by George Weaver, moves up one spot to ninth place this week. Owned by R.A Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, Vekoma is unbeaten in three starts this year, including two wins in Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races: the Runhappy Carter Handicap (G1), for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1), for the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Rounding out the top 10 is a new shooter in Bruce Lunsford's 3-year-old Art Collector. Unbeaten in three start this year, including the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland on July 11, Art Collector is expected to start in Sunday's Ellis Park Derby for trainer Tom Drury Jr.

CRK Stable's 3-year-old Honor A. P., second in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, dropped from sixth to 11th place.

Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Aug. 4, 2020*

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In his first start since taking the $20 million Saudi Cup on February 29, Maximum Security showed his grit when he prevailed by a nose over Midcourt in the 1 1/16-miles San Diego Handicap. That effort – which was also his first since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert – earned the 2019 Eclipse Award-winner for champion 3-year-old male 2 first-place votes and 228 points this week, moving him from tenth to fourth overall in the poll standings.

Ranking ahead of Maximum Security is fellow champion Midnight Bisou, who continues to lead the poll with 22 first-place votes and 365 points as she readies for her expected run in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1. Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in :50.55 on Monday morning in preparation for her title defense of Saturday's test.

Zulu Alpha (158 points) sits behind Maximum Security in the fifth position followed by Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, in sixth with 1 first-place vote and 129 points. By My Standards, who is also slated to start in the Whitney, is seventh with 113 points while top-ranked sophomore Tiz the Law is eighth with 2 first-place votes and 112 points. Mucho Gusto (92 points) and Code of Honor (1 first-place vote, 83 points) round out the top 10.

Less than two weeks from his planned start in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Tiz the Law continues to hold a commanding lead in the NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll with 39 first-place votes and 399 total points. Honor A. P., who is set to run in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1, ranks second with 1 first-place vote and 355 points and is followed by Grade 1 Haskell Stakes victor Authentic (284 points).

Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes winner Art Collector (254 points) and Los Alamitos Derby victor Uncle Chuck (150) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, with Haskell runner-up Ny Traffic (129) in sixth. King Guillermo, winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, ranks seventh with 117 points followed by leading sophomore fillies Gamine (107 points) and Swiss Skydiver (102). Dr Post (100 points) completes 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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“I actually thought he was pretty good right after the race being that I only had him about 80 percent,” Baffert said. “I didn't think he'd have to do a stop-and-go movement (during the race) but he showed what a great horse he is.”

Making his first start for Baffert, first in five months, and under new jockey Abel Cedillo, Maximum Security vied with Midcourt for the lead through the first quarter in :23.74, dropped back to third place, 2 ½ lengths behind Midcourt at the half-mile mark, rallied to draw even with an eighth of a mile to go and prevailed by a nose at the end of the 1 1/16-mile race.

“It's a good starting point, we learned a lot about the horse, now we're caught up and he's ready to go,” Baffert said. Rather than “go,” however, Baffert's inclination is to “stay” at Del Mar for the $500,000, Grade 1, 1 1/4-mile TVG Pacific Classic on August 22. Even though there figure to be pressures, subtle and unsubtle, to exercise other options. The Woodward Stakes at Saratoga is the same purse and distance as the Pacific Classic two weeks later on the calendar.

“The Pacific Classic or the Woodward, depending ….but I like the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said. “He brings his racetrack with him. He's got a lot of will to win, he's courageous and a smart horse. There's just something about him, he's got a lot of will to win. He's got a lot of W's by his name and there's a reason for that.”

John Shirreffs, trainer of Midcourt, said his 5-year-old gelding showed no ill effects from a fully game try for a sixth victory in 12 starts.

“We are, of course, very proud of his race,” Shirreffs said via text. “It was a flip of a coin who would  hit the wire with his head down.” There are no immediate plans regarding a next race.

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