Prince Of Monaco Speeds To Graded Win In Best Pal At Del Mar

In a battle of Bob Baffert-trained TDN Rising Stars, second choice Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) got the better of his more fancied stablemate, 1-2 choice Muth (Good Magic), to take Sunday's GIII Best Pal S. at Del Mar. The victory represented the 10th Best Pal score for the Hall of Famer.

Prince of Monaco, a $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, was content to linger near the back early as first Tranche (Collected) and then Muth led through opening fractions of :21.76 and :44.76. Closing strongly on the front rank passing the three-eighths pole, the 9-5 chance caught his stablemate–who had finally dispatched of the pesky Tranche–straightening for home. With Muth making a race out of it briefly, Prince of Monaco drew clear to score by a geared-down 4 1/4-length winner. Raging Torrent crossed the wire a clear third.

Baffert explained, “[Prat] rode [Baffert-trained Elegant, who tired to finish fifth in race 3 after showing speed) really fast and I said, 'That's okay, just don't do that on this one.'

“We knew [Tranche] was really quick and I was hoping Muth would lay off the pace but he just engaged early. [Flavien] Prat saw what was going on and he took back. I like the way the horse responded and [Prince of Monaco] had a good post for it. You put good riders on good horses, but it was really key that [Prat] rode that filly for me in the third race.”

Prat added, “[Bob Baffert] called me and asked me to come out and ride a horse for him and so here I am,” said Prat. “He was very comfortable out there; felt good all the way. I saw the pace was hot and I just waited my turn. He's a nice colt. And yes, I think he can run farther.”

Prince of Monaco, who kicked off his career at Los Alamitos July 9, was a beat slow at the start but that didn't stop him from rolling home a front-running eight-length winner, earning TDN Rising stardom in the process. Since that eye-catching unveiling, the dark bay has been showing plenty of zip in the morning, culminating with a sharp five-furlong work in :59 2/5 (6/74) at Del Mar Aug. 5.

Pedigree Notes:
Prince of Monaco becomes the 138th black-type winner and 65th graded winner for sire Speightstown. Out of unraced Rainier, the Mar. 26 foal is a grandson of MSW Clay's Rocket (American Chance), a half-sister to GI Frizette winner Adieu (El Corredor). His 7-year-old dam is also responsible for a Munnings filly from last year followed by a Constitution filly this term. She was bred back to Speightstown.

 

Sunday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GIII, $200,000, Del Mar, 8-13, 2yo, 6f, 1:09.19, ft.
1–PRINCE OF MONACO, 118, c, 2, by Speightstown
       1st Dam: Rainier, by Medaglia d'Oro
       2nd Dam: Clay's Rocket, by American Chance
       3rd Dam: Irene's Talkin, by At the Threshold
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES
WIN. ($950,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight
Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne
Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC,
Catherine Donovan and Tom Ryan; B-Stonestreet
Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat.
$120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $147,000. Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Muth, 120, c, 2, Good Magic–Hoppa, by Uncle Mo.
'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR).
O-Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $40,000.
3–Raging Torrent, 120, c, 2, Maximus Mischief–Violent Wave,
by Violence. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($27,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $75,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR).
O-Great Friends Stables, LLC and Mark Davis; B-Rodney J.
Winkler & Alfonso Mazzetti (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill. $24,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, 4HF, 15 1/4. Odds: 1.80, 0.50, 8.20.
Also Ran: Tranche, Who Is Pavel.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Baffert Firster Has Things Down To A ‘T’: A 40th Rising Star for Into Mischief

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Pastor T (c, 2, Into Mischief–Top Quality, by Quality Road) covered stacks of ground from a wide draw, but overcame the tough trip to graduate by 4 1/4 impressive lengths to be named the afternoon's second 'TDN Rising Star', the 40th of the all-conquering Into Mischief's sons and daughters to be accorded such honors.

The colt's worktab–both at Santa Anita and over the local strip–didn't so much whisper 'ready' as much as it screamed it and the bay was duly dispatched as a 2-5 mortal to open his account for a barn that strikes with nearly three of every 10 firsters. Drawn eight of eight, Pastor T was one of the first to break the line, but several others were equally smartly away meaning that the heavy favorite was trapped out off the track through an opening quarter-mile in a strong :21.79. Ridden along three furlongs out, Pastor T commenced his wide rally and was more or less on even terms with second-timer I Win Again (Speightstown) at the quarter pole. Juan Hernandez threw his mount over onto his right lead at the furlong grounds and Pastor T took care of the rest, gliding home an easy winner.

A $280,000 Keeneland September yearling, Top Quality–a full-sister to SW Boston Post Road–was a three-time stakes winner in the Pacific Northwest and in British Columbia and was hammered down to WinStar for $335,000 at Keeneland January in 2019. She was mated with the late More Than Ready as a maiden mare, and the results were positive, as American Speed gained black-type with a runner-up effort in this year's Leonatus S. at Turfway Park for these connections. The yearling full-sister to Pastor T was bought back on a bid of $725,000 at this week's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and Top Quality produced an Uncle Mo colt this term before visiting Justify.

The cross of Into Mischief over Quality Road is now responsible for four winners from five starters. Three of Into Mischief's 17 Grade I winners are out of mares sired by Gone West-line stallions (Authentic, Mia Mischief, Mischievous Alex) and that same cross is found in an additional four of Into Mischief's graded winners.

8th-Del Mar, $83,000, Msw, 8-12, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.15, ft, 4 1/4 lengths.
PASTOR T, c, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Top Quality (SW & GSP-Can, MSW-USA, $139,704), by Quality Road
2nd Dam: Lemon Bay, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Sweet Fervor, by Seeking the Gold
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Siena Farm LLC & WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

 

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With Determined Run, Deterministic Tops Loaded Saratoga Maiden

It wasn't that Deterministic (Liam's Map) blew away the field in Saturday's fifth race at Saratoga, enroute to earning 'TDN Rising Star' honors. The $625,000 Keeneland September purchase won by just a half-length over 24-1 shot Hurricane Nelson (Khozan). But considering who he beat and how he did it, Deterministic very well may have a bright future.

“There's so much promise when you win a race like this,” said co-owner and NYRA Board member Steven Duncker. “This was a war out there today. Everybody liked their horses and they ran pretty fast. You want to live in the moment, but it's hard not to think of the future.”

In the eight-horse field, seven of the horses had sold at auction and the collective sales price was $2,925,000. That includes the $950,000 paid for Chaperone ($950,000) and the $525,000 paid for 6-5 favorite Eliminate (Curlin).

As the field broke from the gate in the seven-furlong test, things didn't look good for Deterministic. The Christophe Clement trainee, ridden by Joel Rosario, was seventh up the backstretch. Approaching the turn, Deterministic was in threatening position, but he was six-wide and would have to catch Hurricane Nelson, who grabbed a clear lead after putting away Informed Patriot (Hard Spun), the full-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun).

Deterministic is owned by the partnership of Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Duncker and Vicarage Stable. Duncker said that Deterministic is among the first group of horses he has owned with Viola.

“We've been friends with Vinnie for a long time and we all know of his success,” Duncker said. “He was nice enough to come to us and say let's get a group together and split them up between Christophe and Todd (Pletcher). It's been a great process. With owning horses, the consumption comes before the race. We've had a lot of fun with this for six, eight months. You bond a little more when that's the case. I've got to give a lot of credit to Vinnie for being such a great partner. He's an incredible guy and his team has made this special for us.”

Owned and trained by Gustavo Delgado, the trainer of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), the lone homebred in the race, turned in a strong performance to finish second. Eliminate, who is owned by the partnership of Spendthrift Farm and Repole Stable, was third, beaten four lengths.

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Path Through Best Pal Runs Through Baffert’s Barn

It should be no shock that the path to glory in the GIII Best Pal S. will pass through the barn of Bob Baffert at Del Mar Sunday afternoon. He'll bring back a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' in $2m OBS March sales topper Muth (Good Magic) and $950,000 Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Sale grad Prince of Monaco (Speightstown). Both colts impressed in their lone prior starts–Muth earned a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in his gate-to-wire 8 3/4-length blowout at Santa Anita June 18 while Prince of Monaco rolled home by eight in almost an identical time for five furlongs at Los Alamitos July 9.

The only other entry in this five-horse field given any sort of respect on the morning line is Tranche (Collected) for trainer Luis Mendez. While it took him three tries to break his maiden, he graduated in stakes company when taking the Fasig-Tipton Futurity S. by 7 1/4 lengths in gate-to-wire fashion at Santa Anita June 17.

Doug O'Neill's Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) is the only runner in the bunch to have a win over the Del Mar surface. He took his maiden race by 2 1/4 lengths on debut July 23 for owners Great Friends Stables and Mark Davis.

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