Floating Reserve Wins the La Jolla Mile Before Another Record Crowd

Through most of the La Jolla Mile Handicap on Sunday at Del Mar, Floating Reserve was right where he was supposed to be--in the middle of the pack.

However, the 10-to-1 longshot made a late run to get where few thought he would be--the winner’s circle.

Ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, Floating Reserve passed the early leader and favorite, Pretensor, before holding off First Norman at the wire. Derby Dawning, the second-favorite, finished third before a record Del Mar crowd of 29,360. Mr. Director was fourth and Pretensor faded to fifth.

Valenzuela said he was “lucky,” a customary phrase with him, The key point of the race, he said, was when he passed Derby Dawning, with jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.

“I was laying fifth or sixth most of the way,” Valenzuela said. “When I got around Eddie, (Floating Reserve) kind of took off on his own. When I got by Eddie, I said, ‘We’re going to win this race.’ ”

Floating Reserve paid $22.40 to win, $11.20 to place and $7 to show.

Floating Reserve’s time of 1:34 3/5 was a stakes record and missed the course record by one-fifth of a second.

Derby Dawning, who forced the early pace, failed to have a closing rally while finishing third.

“He was a little rank today,” Delahoussaye said. “Maybe it was the new surroundings. I think he would’ve done better if he was relaxed. I think he just kind of got tired. The horse that won loves the grass, that son of a gun.”

Valenzuela worked out Floating Reserve on the grass a week ago. After the workout, Valenzuela said he “loved” the way that the horse ran on grass. Floating Reserve was running his first grass race in the La Jolla Mile.

“He handled the turf course so well,” Valenzuela said. “The first part of the race today, he was galloping. When I asked him to run, he picked it up.”

Valenzuela said he showed Floating Reserve the whip all the way down the lane, but he did not use it until the last sixteenth of a mile. First Norman was making a late charge, only to finish one-half length behind.

“He finished real strong,” said Alex Solis, First Norman’s jockey. “He was really flying at the end. A little farther and he wins.”

Floating Reserve had not won since Feb. 6 at Santa Catalina. He finished eighth in his two most recent starts--the Kentucky Derby on May 4 and the Silver Screen at Hollywood Park on June 29.

Trainer Joe Manzi said Floating Reserve bled in the Silver Screen and was put on Lasix for the La Jolla Mile.

“It looks like it might have helped some,” Manzi said.

According to Manzi, Floating Reserve will next run in the Del Mar Derby on Aug. 18. Manzi said he would like to have Valenzuela ride Floating Reserve in the race.

Del Mar Notes Veteran trainer Laz Barrera had his first winner of the meeting when Queen of Bronze won Sunday’s fifth race. . . . Jockey Terry Lipham remained in satisfactory condition Sunday at Scripps Memorial Hospital with ear and eye injuries suffered in a Friday spill. Lipham was unseated from Pride of Troy when B. Easy broke down in front of him in the second race. “He suffered a basilar skull fracture that runs through the ear,” said Dr. Marc Kramer, Lipham’s physician. “He has a rupture of the eardrum and laceration of the ear canal. He also has a small fracture of the jaw. More important is an injury to the nerve that goes to one of the eye muscles. He is experiencing dizziness and double vision. At the moment, it is very difficult to say how much is temporary and how much is permanent. As of (Sunday) morning, he was holding down his breakfast. He will be in the hospital a couple of more days. It’s a matter of wait and see.”