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Astronaut Soars To Victory In Del Mar Handicap, Gets BC Turf Spot

Astronaut (24-1) topped a trio of long shots in the money for the Del Mar Handicap Presented by The Japan Racing Association at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. Master Piece (23-1) and Acclimate (10-1) were second and third.

The win by the 4-year-old son of Quality Road in the 1 3/8-mile turf marathon came as a shock to many. But not to his immediate connections.

“I wasn't surprised,” said Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza. “I thought in his last race (1 ¾-mile San Juan Capistrano in June) he was a little too close and the race was a little too long for him.”

Astronaut settled in seventh place in the field of 11 and made a sustained run through the last three-eighths to prevail by a half-length.

“We wanted to run him long, but we weren't sure how long,” Shirreffs said. “And when he ran so well going a mile and three-quarters, it seemed like this was possible.”

The race being a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar on November 6, Astronaut's place in it is not only possible, but probable.

Del Mar Handicap favorite United had traffic problems from the mile mark to midstretch and finished fourth.

“It was frustrating,” said Gary Mandella. “He had bad racing luck, didn't get the kind of trip he needs to show himself off and had to settle for fourth when we thought he was the best horse.”

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Astronaut Launches $50 Shocker In Del Mar Handicap, Ensuring Spot In Breeders’ Cup Turf

John M.B. O'Connor's Astronaut returned $50.00 for a $2 wager when he captured Saturday's Grade 2, $302,500 Del Mar Handicap Presented by the Japan Racing Association by half a length at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The 4-year-old Quality Road colt out of the German-bred mare Armanda, by Acatenango, had Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza aboard as they tracked the early leaders, swung out entering the stretch, then outran his 10 rivals to take down a first prize of $180,000. He was winning only the second race of his career and he increased his earnings to $285,860. He's trained by John Shirreffs.

Fernando-Diaz-Valdez Stable, Baalbek Corporation and Don Alberto Stable's Master Piece ran second, a neck in front of Ellwood Johnson Trust, Timmy Time and Ken Tevelde's Acclimate. The winner covered the mile and three-eighths on turf in 2:15.97.

Astronaut paid $50.00, $21.20 and $10.60 for his upset. Master Piece returned $25.00 and $14.80, while Acclimate paid off at $8.00.

Besides his winning purse, Astronaut also earned his owner an all-entry-fees-paid admission to the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf, scheduled to be run at Del Mar on Saturday, November 6.

The Del Mar Handicap was Espinoza's only mount of the day and his first ride since Aug. 12.

“This didn't surprise me,” Espinoza said. “I thought in his last race he was a little too close. And, I think the race (San Juan Capistrano) was a little too far for him, so we changed the way he ran a little bit today. I just let him break and get into rhythm. If he was happy, I was happy. He wasn't up on the bridle and running so easily that when we got to the half-mile pole, I started to get a little excited. When I asked him, he finished strong for me, and it makes me happy to win this race for John (trainer Shirreffs). We have a very good relationship. He's always been there for me and I've been there for him. He's been there for me a little more lately.”

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Shirreffs said the win “puts a nice bandage” on the defeat sustained by Express Train, the horse he saddled as the betting favorite in the G1 TVG Pacific Classic one race earlier on the day.

“I'm just so happy for Astronaut and his connections; they are really great owners and it's great to win for them. We wanted to run him long, but we weren't sure how long and when he ran so well going a mile and three-quarters (second in the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita, June 19) it seemed like this was possible.”

Astronaut was making his ninth career start in the Del Mar Handicap and recording just his second victory. He began his career with trainer Steve Asmussen, racing once in an Aqueduct maiden sprint in December 2019, then was transferred to Tom Albertrani. He was winless in two starts on turf on the East Coast in 2020 for Albertrani before being moved to Southern California and Shirreffs' barn. He won his second start for Shirreffs going 1 1/8 miles, then was a close second to Tripoli in a May 1, 2021, allowance race at Santa Anita.

Tripoli won the Pacific Classic a half hour before the Del Mar Handicap.

Following another runner-up finish on turf at Santa Anita, Astronaut finished second behind Acclimate in the G3 San Juan Capistrano at 1 3/4 miles.

Acclimate set fractions of :25.24, :49.25, 1:14.28, 1:39.32 and 2:04.05 en route to Astronaut's winning time of 2:15.97 on firm turf.

United, the 2-1 favorite under leading rider Flavien Prat, lost a three-way photo for second, beaten three-quarters of a length while fourth. He lacked room on the turn for home and in upper stretch while Espinoza and Astronaut had clear sailing on the outside.

The win was the first stakes victory of the meet for rider Espinoza, but his third in the Del Mar Handicap. He now has 106 stakes wins at Del Mar, third most among all riders.

The win was the second stakes win of the meeting for trainer Shirreffs and his second in the Del Mar Handicap (After Market, 2007). He now has 19 stakes wins at Del Mar.

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Prat Increases Lead In Del Mar Jockey Standings, Looks To Add More Saturday

With two wins yesterday, Flavien Prat increased his lead from four to six victories over Abel Cedillo and five to seven over Juan Hernandez atop the jockey standings entering the final 11 days of the 31-day meeting. Prat is looking to make it three straight riding titles at the summer meeting and five of the last six either taken outright or shared.

Prat has recorded six stakes victories, working toward the record 14 stakes in a season he established last year.

And, in terms of quantity and quality, the 29-year-old native of France appears positioned to advance toward both those goals with his mounts on the TVG Pacific Class Day program that is the annual highlight of the season.

Prat has mounts scheduled in all 11 races, five of which are stakes. In the six non-stakes events he is booked on two morning-line favorites – Barbwire (5th, 3-1) and Dream Shake (8th, 7-2) — and has no mounts higher than 4-1 in the early odds. During the run of five stakes in six races, here are Prat's runners on oddsmaker Jon White's morning line:

Race 6, Torrey Pines – Private Mission for trainer Bob Baffert, 9-5 favorite.

Race 7, Del Mar Mile – Mo Forza for trainer Peter Miller, 8-5 favorite.

Race 9, Del Mar Oaks – Going Global for trainer Phil D'Amato, 9-5 favorite.

Race 10, Pacific Classic – Tizamagician for trainer Richard Mandella, 4-1, co-fourth choice.

Race 11, Del Mar Handicap – United for Mandella, 2-1 favorite.

Of course, all that stands in the way of Prat's success today is 83 other horses and 22 other riders intent on success of their own.

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Heavyweight Battle Between Arklow, United Headlines Pacific Classic Undercard At Del Mar

Four Graded stakes, each eligible to be a card topper on a given day, instead will provide a first-rate “undercard” for Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar.

Topping the quartet are a pair of $300,000 offerings – the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies and the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap presented by The Japan Racing Association. The former is run at nine furlongs on grass, while the latter goes at a mile and three eighths on the green for 3-year-olds and up.

Also on the agenda is another $300,000 Grade 2 special, the Del Mar Mile on the main track. The fourth stakes is the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes for sophomore fillies traveling a mile on the dirt.

The Oaks has lured a field of nine including a pair of shippers: Head of Plains Partners' Fluffy Socks in from New York and Yuesheng Zhang's Soaring Sky aboard from her native Ireland.

The Del Mar Handicap will bring out 10 competitors and sets up for a clash of titans between two of the best grass route horses in the country in LNJ Foxwoods' United and Donegal Racing, Bulger and Coneway's Arklow.

Six will go hard and heavy at the classic flat mile in the Del Mar Mile and each and everyone of them is a major stakes winner. Their purse earnings got past the $5.4-million mark and they're all seasoned racehorses eligible to fire a big shot Saturday.

In the Torrey Pines, seven will face the starter, each of them eyeing their first graded stakes score. The Fast Anna filly I'm So Anna has the most bragging rights in the group currently with a pair of Cal-bred stakes on her ledger and $289,740 in the bank.

The “undercard” races will be run like this: Torrey Pines – 6th Race; Del Mar Mile – 7th Race; Del Mar Oaks – 9th Race; Del Mar Handicap – 11th Race. The TVG Pacific Classic is the day's 10th Race.

The key prep race for the Del Mar Oaks is the Grade 2, $150,000 San Clemente Stakes, run at Del Mar at a mile on the turf on July 24. The one, two, three finishers from the race — Kaleem Shah's Madone, Dubb, Gevertz or Nentwig, et al's Going Global and Slam Dunk Racing or Platts' Tetragonal – are all back to try their luck in the more demanding and more lucrative Oaks.

The likely battle royale between United and Arklow in the Del Mar Handicap will be a fitting nitecap to a delicious day of racing. The pair of turf behemoths bring plenty of bragging rights to the race: United, a 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway, has won nine races and $1,675,549. He was second, beaten a head, in this race last year. Arklow also has won nine races, but his bankroll goes past his chief rival at $2,755,746. The long-winded stretch kicker shipped to Del Mar last fall and made short work of the Hollywood Turf Cup at a mile and a half. Both runners will have their regular riders – Flavien Prat on United and Florent Geroux on Arklow.

The Del Mar Handicap is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge race that guarantees the winner all expenses paid admission into the $4 million Breeders' Cup Turf, which will be run at Del Mar on Saturday, Nov. 6.

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