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United, Madone Target Del Mar Handicap, Oaks For Next Starts

United and Madone came out of their respective Grade 2 wins in the $250,000 Eddie Read and $200,000 San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., on Saturday in fine fettle, their trainers reported Sunday morning.

And with those lucrative first steps taken, the connections are eyeing even bigger things on August 21 as part of the five-stakes mega card for TVG Pacific Classic Day. For United, it's the $300,000 Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, a “Win & You're In” qualifier for the $3 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf here on November 6. For Madone, it's the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

In defending his Eddie Read title United, a 6-year-old gelded son of Giant's Causeway, rebounded from a lackluster last-of-four effort in the Charles Whittingham on May 29 at Santa Anita. That effort had his Hall of Fame trainer mystified until a small bruise was found under a shoe.

Under Flavien Prat on Saturday, United went willingly between rivals on the far turn and prevailed by a neck in a stretch duel with even-money favorite Smooth Like Strait.

United covered the 1 1/8 miles over the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:49.49 which compared to 1:46.71 in the 2020 victory.

“Different race, different horses,” Mandella said.

“He went back to his old form,” said Prat.

A year ago, the G2 Eddie Read win prompted Mandella to toy with the idea of entering United in the TVG Pacific Classic. After a few days of thought, and also becoming aware that the Classic purse had been dropped from $1 million to $500,000, Mandella opted for the Del Mar Handicap. United was second by a head to Red King in that one.

Mandella's focus is entirely on the G2 Del Mar Handicap this time.

“We're not on the roll we were last year,” he said.

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In the G2 San Clemente, Madone made amends for a no-factor performance from a wide trip in the Honeymoon at Santa Anita on May 22. That race was three weeks after a victory in the Senorita and trainer Simon Callaghan shouldered responsibility for the disappointment.

“I ran her back too soon,” Callaghan said. “She bounced, simple as that.”

Madone's victory ended a five-race win streak for Going Global, the 2-5 San Clemente favorite. Trainer Phil D'Amato said the Irish-bred filly came out of the race well and a rematch should be forthcoming in the Del Mar Oaks.

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United Repeats in Eddie Read At Del Mar

Under Del Mar's leading rider Flavien Prat, United bettered his last-out fourth place in the Grade 2 Charlie Whittingham with a repeat victory in the Grade 2 Eddie Read, following up his half-length win in the 2020 edition at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

United stalked the early pace fifth behind the front-running Award Winner, who set steady fractions of :25.19 for the first quarter and :49.43 for the half-mile. The Richard Mandella trainee waited for the final turn to make his move, Prat sending the Giant's Causeway gelding to the outside for running room. Both Smooth Like Strait and United challenged Award Winner coming out of the turn, Smooth Like Strait briefly taking the lead as United bore down on him, passing the Michael McCarthy trainee in the final strides to win by a neck. Count Again rallied late for third. Vintage Print, Award Winner, Restrainedvengence, and Say the Word rounded out the field. The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:49.49.

United paid $8.60, $3.40, and $2.80. Smooth Like Strait paid $2.60 and $2.20. Count Again paid $2.80 to show.

Find this race's chart here.

After posting four wins in six races in 2020, United started 2021 with a victory in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes before finishing fourth in the G2 Charlie Whittingham, both at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. With this win in the G2 Eddie Read, United has two wins in three starts, to bring his record to nine wins in 20 lifetime starts for career earnings of $1,675,549.

Owned by LNJ Foxwoods, United is a 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway out of Indy Punch, by Pulling Punches. He was bred in Kentucky by Rosemont Farm and consigned by Four Star Sales at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and sold to Solis and Litt for $300,000.

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Level Playing Field For Eddie Read

Saturday's GI Eddie Read S. at Del Mar brings together arguably the Southern California circuit's best middle-distance horse in the form of LNJ Foxwoods' United (Giant's Causeway) and Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), clearly best at a mile, but who has run with merit over the nine-furlong trip as well.

United, runner-up in the 2019 GI Breeders' Cup Turf over a mile and a half, made last year's Eddie Read the third of a three-race winning streak and he added a victory in the 10-furlong GI John Henry Turf Championship ahead of an eighth in the Breeders' Cup Turf. The chestnut returned to action with a pace-pressing defeat of the re-opposing Say the Word (More Than Ready) in the 12-panel GIII San Luis Rey S. Mar. 20, but was a head-scratching third at 30 cents on the dollar behind Award Winner (Ghostzapper) in the GII Charles Whittingham S. when dropped back down to a mile and a quarter May 29.

Smooth Like Strait missed by a head to Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in last year's GI Hollywood Derby over this course and distance, but atoned for that defeat in the GII Mathis Brothers Mile a month later. Run down in the shades of the post by Hit the Road (More Than Ready) in the GI Kilroe Mile in March, the bay was a neck behind the dead-heating Domestic Spending and Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) in the 1 1/8-mile GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic May 1 and exits a 1 1/2-length score over Say the Word–with Restrainedvengeance (Hold Me Back) third–in the GI Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita May 31.

Count Again (Awesome Again), winner of this track's GII Seabiscuit H. in his first run for trainer Phil D'Amato last November, and outsider Vintage Print (Curlin) round out the field of seven.

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Smooth Like Strait, Going Global Headliners In Saturday’s Del Mar Stakes Doubleheader

Del Mar will present a stakes doubleheader Saturday with the 48th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes being one of the offerings and the 54th edition of the Grade 2, $200,000 San Clemente Stakes being the other.

The pair of black type, added-money affairs will highlight an 11-race card that has a first post of 2 p.m.

The Eddie Read, named for Del Mar's long-time publicity director, has drawn a field of seven solid older stakes aces, including Cannon Thoroughbred's Smooth Like Strait and LNJ Foxwoods' United. They'll run a mile and one-eighth on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in Race 8 on the program.

Then the San Clemente, named for the Orange Country beach town just above the Marines' Camp Pendelton base north of the track, will go forth with a dozen 3-year-old fillies in the gate for a one-mile spin on the grass that is scheduled to be Race 10.

The Irish filly Going Global, a stakes winner of all four of her U.S. starts this year, appears a stout choice and surely the one to beat in the San Clemente, which serves as a key prep for the track's championship race for sophomore fillies – the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks at nine furlongs on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Here's the field for the Eddie Read with weights and riders: OXO Equine's Vintage Print (121, Adam Beschizza); United (121, Flavine Prat); Agave Racing Stable or Sam-Son Farm's Say the Word (123, Mike Smith); Agave Racing Stable or Sam-Son Farm's Count Again (121, Joe Bravo); Amerman Racing's Award Winner (123, Juan Hernandez); Smooth Like Strait (125, Umberto Rispoli), and Brinkerhoff or Grayson Jr.'s Restrainedvengence (121, Tyler Baze).

The San Clemente lineup looks like this: Perry and Ramona Bass' Pizzazz (120, Kyle Frey); Dubb, Gevertz or Nentwig, et al's Going Global (1232, Prat); Bernsen, Lambert or Hale's Founder's Day (118, Baze); Branham or Naify's Freedom Flyer (120, Victor Espinoza); Slam Dunk Racing or Platts' Tetragonal (120, Bravo); Strand Beach's Equilove (120, Ricky Gonzalez); Derrick Fisher's Jibber Jabber (118, Geovanni Franco); Roncelli Family Trust and Roney's Dramatizer (118, Edwin Maldonado); Kaleem Shah's Madone (123, Henandez); Schumer or Screnci's Karakatsie (118, Kent Desormeaux); SF Racing's Nimbostratus (120, Abel Cedillo), and Harris Farms' Closing Remarks (123, Rispoli).

Smooth Like Straight, trained by Mike McCarthy, comes into the Read off a front-running tally in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 31. The handy 4-year-old by sprint champion Midnight Lute is a seven-time winner who has banked $933,823 and could take a bunch of catching Saturday.

United has won eight races and more than $1.5 million over a 19-race career thus far. The 6-year-old gelding by Giant's Causeway won the Eddie Read last year.

In the San Clemente, Going Global, a daughter of the Irish stallion Mehmas, won only one of four starts in her native land as a 2-year-old, but has done nothing but win with her shift stateside. She is conditioned by Phil D'Amato.

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