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D’Amato Readies Two For Yellow Ribbon, Cathkin Peak For La Jolla

Trainer Phil D'Amato reported Saturday morning that 2-year-old filly Elm Drive came out of her victory in Friday's $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes “really good” physically.

And if the Kentucky-bred daughter of Mohaymen, a $165,000 purchase at the Ocala sale in March who carries the colors of Little Red Feather Racing stays that way, she'll next be seen in the $300,000 Grade 1 TVG Del Mar Debutante on September 5.

“Yup, absolutely,” was D'Amato's response when the Debutante was mentioned in the winner's circle after she prevailed by a head over Baoma Corp's Eda in a stretch-long duel while covering six furlongs in 1:10.64.

“She broke on top then Juan (Hernandez) got her to rate, make a move and fight off a rival to her outside the length of the stretch. I just thought that's the epitome of class. Very professional, and I think she's the type of filly that the longer (the races) the better.”

Having chalked up one stakes victory for the weekend, D'Amato will send out Raymundos Secret (6-1) and Charmaine's Mia (4-1) in Saturday's $200,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon and narrowly favored (2-1) Cathkin Peak in Sunday's $150,000 Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes as a possible closer to three consecutive big days.

Irish-bred Cathkin Peak made his U.S. debut at Del Mar in late November a winning one and followed that with a December victory in the $80,000 Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Kicking off his 3-year-old campaign this year, Cathkin Peak was second to soon-to-be Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World in the $100,000 Pasadena Stakes in February and has gone unraced since.

“He had a couple of little things we needed to deal with, but he never left the barn and he has come back to train really well,” D'Amato said. Cathkin Peak will go 1 1/16 miles, the longest assignment of his career, in the La Jolla – second leg in the grass stakes series for 3-year-olds during the Del Mar summer. His previous starts were all at a mile.

“He's really tactical,” D'Amato said. “If there's not a lot of pace, he can be up close; if there is, he can sit back and make a late move. Juan can play the break and try to have him in the right spot.”

The field for the La Jolla from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parenthesis: Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1); Wyfire (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Hudson Ridge (Abel Cedillo, 5-2); Cathkin Peak (Juan Hernandez, 2-1); Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1), and Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1).

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La Jolla, Graduation Stakes Headline Sunday Card At Del Mar

Stakes horses will once again double up for a Del Mar crowd, this time on Sunday with the presentation of the 81st La Jolla Stakes and the 70th edition of the Graduation Stakes. The races will go as the 6th and 9th races, respectively, on the shore track's 10-race program.

The La Jolla, a Grade 3 affair that carries a purse of $150,000, has drawn a half-dozen 3-year-olds for a mile and one-sixteenth jaunt on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course at Del Mar Thorughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. The Graduation also has drawn six California-bred 2-year-old starters for its five and one-half furlong spin on the main track. It offers a purse of $100,000.

The Irish horse Cathkin Peak, owned by Sterling Stables, Nentwig, and CYBT, is a candidate to be the favorite in the La Jolla. A bay son of the Irish stallion Alhebayeb, Cathkin Peak raced once in his native land as a 2-year-old, then was purchased privately and shipped to California where he won a pair of races, including the overnight Eddie Logan at Santa Anita Park last December. He subsequently chased home the blossoming star Rock Your World in February's Pasadena Stakes, also at Santa Anita, then went on the shelf. This will be his first start in nearly six months, but trainer Phil D'Amato has put a series of steady works into him for this comeback.

Double L Stable and Natalie Baffert's Hudson Ridge hails from the powerful Bob Baffert barn and is a son of one of Baffert's Triple Crown winners, American Pharoah. The colt broke his maiden with a dead-head score in a straight maiden race at Santa Anita on May 1 and came back to win a pair of races after that, including the Cinema Stakes.

Two of the other La Jolla runners — Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Zoffarelli and Yuesheng Zhang's Sword Zorro also first saw light of day in Ireland. The former will be making his U.S. debut in the La Jolla, while the latter owns a victory in the Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita on grass April 25.

The Graduation – like many 2-year-old races at this time of year – is a tough one to sort out with only minimal past performances to work with. Morning line maker Jon White could barely separate two of the runners, hanging Lovingier, London, and Zondlo's Rock N Rye as an 8/5 favorite, just a tick better than Lovingier, Beckerle, and Carrillo's Thirsty Always at 9/5.

Rock N Rye is a homebred by Always Thirsty who was a handy winner of a straight maiden race in his second start at Santa Anita on May 30 in his most recent outing. He's been training steadily for this return date at both San Luis Rey Downs and Del Mar.

Thirsty Always, also by Stay Thirsty, scored in his first start at Santa Anita on May 16, then shipped up to Pleasanton and captured the Nevin Stakes there on July 10.

Trainer Walther Solis conditions both juveniles.

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Here's the lineup for the La Jolla from the rail out with riders and morning line odds: Steve Moger's Stilleto Boy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1); Gary Barber's Wyfire (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Hudson Ridge (Abel Cedillo, 5/2); Cathkin Peak (Juan Hernandez, 2-1); Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 3-1), and Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 4-1).

The field for the Graduation lays out like this: Lovingier or Templeton Horses' Mr. T's Thirsty (Tyler Baze, 2-1); McMahon or Rudy's Trip to Spain (Frey, 2-1); Thirsty Always (apprentice Cesar Ortega); Rock N Rye (Rispoli); Moger, Burke or Estrada, et al's Northvale Road (Tiago Periera, 6-1), and Branch or Hill's Fowler Blue (Edwin Maldonado, 12-1).

First post for Sunday's card is 2 p.m.

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At the Spa Leads Field Of Eleven For Sorrento At Del Mar

A field of 11 was entered Sunday for Friday's 53rd running of the $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., a major stepping stone to the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on September 5.

At The Spa, a California-bred daughter of Outwork bred and owned by Terry Lovingier and trained by Jorge Periban, comes in off a victory in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Debutante on June 20 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be tasked to go another eighth of a mile in the Sorrento while breaking from the outside post. The filly is also entered in Thursday's CTBA Stakes.

The field for the Sorrento from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: She's So Shiny (Ricky Gonzalez); Smash Ticket (Umberto Rispoli); Eda (Abel Cedillo); Shesgotattitude (Trevor McCarthy); Loverheart (Drayden Van Dyke); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Sax (Joe Bravo); First Promise (Jessica Pyfer); Elm Drive (Juan Hernandez); Roses For Suzzett (Emily Ellingwood) and At the Spa (Tyler Baze).

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Mendez Celebrates Dr. Schivel, Prepares Two For CTBA Stakes

The eyes of Luis Mendez took on a little extra sparkle Sunday morning when the subject turned to Dr. Schivel's victory on Saturday in the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Mendez trained Dr. Schivel in his first four career starts as a 2-year-old in 2020, culminating in a victory in the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. The colt was privately purchased after an impressive maiden victory a month earlier and the new ownership, Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, kept him in Mendez's care through the Futurity pending transfer to the stable of Mark Glatt.

And even though Dr. Schivel is no longer on his shedrow, the horse's success understandably generates feelings of pride in Mendez.

“It was beautiful, lovely, the best possible feeling,” Mendez said. “I'm really happy for the owners and Mark Glatt, too. I'm glad that the horse keeps going up and up. We had a barbeque and watched the race. I got some texts from people saying congratulations. It makes you feel good inside.”

Getting Dr. Schivel to the point he did has had a positive effect on Mendez and his career.

“I'm more comfortable and confident,” Mendez said. “Trainers I respect are now asking me (for advice) sometimes and I take that as a compliment.”

There's a large wooden sign with his name on it that identifies the area where Mendez has 18 stalls in the Del Mar stable area. And he'll saddle a couple of prospects from those stalls when Week Four of the summer season starts Thursday.

Mendez has Ko Olina and Drizella entered in Thursday's featured $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (CTBA) Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Sagely, Mendez isn't about to favor one over the other. He just cites their individual characteristics and is glad that sorting out the jockey assignments for them worked out without excess stress on himself.

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Edwin Maldonado, who had ridden them both in recent maiden wins, opted for Ko Olina, a daughter of Stanford owned by C T R Stables. That put Juan Hernadez, who had ridden Drizella in her first two starts, comfortably back in the irons of another daughter of Stanford owned by William R. Peeples.

“Ko Olina had me worried before she won here because she was really nervous and washed out before the race,” Mendez said. “Drizella had been very aggressive and kind of nervous going to the track to train before, but I like the way she has settled down and is acting now.”

The CTBA field from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: Madiha (Umberto Rispoli); At the Spa (Tyler Baze); Lion's Lair (Tiago Pereira); Gianna's Wild Cat (Jessica Pyfer); Carmen Miranda (Giovanni Franco); Irish Wahine (Abel Cedillo); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Ko Olina (Edwin Maldonado) and Drizella (Juan Hernandez).

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