Almeida Follows Own Form in Win

Given his first chance at a marathon distance in this country Sunday, Delta Form showed why he is a six-time winner in his native South Africa.

Given an impeccable ride by new jockey Goncalino Almeida, the 6-year-old gelding and 20-1 shot threaded his way through a bulky field to defeat The Tin Man and eight others and win the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap.

Owned by movie producer Gary Barber, Barry Irwin and Jeff Siegel’s Team Valor, and trained by Jenine Sahadi, Delta Form not only earned his second victory in his fifth U.S. start, but also set a course record for 1 3/8 miles on the turf. His time was 2:12.15, eclipsing the mark of 2:12.32 set by Arbiter on July 25.

Almeida, who took over for Mike Smith on the Australian-bred when Smith stayed with The Tin Man, had worked Delta Form six days earlier and went into the Grade II feeling he had a legitimate chance.

“I rode this horse with a lot of confidence today because of Jenine,” Almeida said. “When I worked him for her, she just said to me, ‘You know this horse, you ride him.’ When a trainer says that to you, your confidence goes way up. You can ride your race and not have to worry about a lot of instructions. If you have that confidence, you can do many things. I’m happy for Jenine. She trusts me and I’m glad she got rewarded for it.”

This was the second stakes win of the day for Team Valor. Earlier at Woodbine in Toronto, their 2-year-old, Added Edge, won the $100,000 Silver Deputy Stakes.

Making his first start since winning Hollywood Park’s American Handicap on July 4 and in his first race beyond 1 1/8 miles, The Tin Man, who was very wide early, opened up a half-length lead in the stretch, but was caught late. He finished a length in front of 8-1 shot Blue Steller.

Blue Steller was one of two horses that trainer Bobby Frankel ran in his quest to win the Del Mar Handicap for a third consecutive year. The other was Dance Dreamer, who finished eighth as the 5-2 favorite.

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Wayne Lukas says Orientate is the best sprinter in the country and it’s hard to argue with the hall-of-fame trainer.

The 4-year-old son of Mt. Livermore won his fourth in a row, beating 19-10 second choice Aldebaran by 2 1/4 lengths in the $250,000 Forego Handicap at Saratoga.

Disproving the notion that he needs the lead to himself to run his best race, the 9-5 favorite dispatched of 2001 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Squirtle Squirt through rapid fractions (21 2/5 and 44 1/5 for the half-mile), drew clear and was never challenged. Squirtle Squirt faded to fourth.

Orientate, owned by Bob and Beverly Lewis, won for the ninth time in 18 starts and is now four for five at Saratoga.

“I think he went to the head of the class today,” said Lukas after Orientate completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15 3/5 under jockey Jerry Bailey. “We could very easily train this horse to the Breeders’ Cup [Sprint on Oct. 26 at Arlington Park] and that would be my first choice right now, but I may feel differently in a few weeks.”

If Orientate does run again before the Breeders’ Cup, Lukas mentioned Belmont Park’s $300,000 Vosburgh on Sept. 21 or the $250,000 Phoenix Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 5 at Keeneland.

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Genuine Strawfly, an 8-1 shot, beat 7-10 favorite Tres Seis to win the $219,403 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs.