Racing! It’s opening day at Del Mar

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as you get ready for full fields at Del Mar.

Lots of news and we’ve only been gone a day, so let’s get right to it.

Justify update

Trainer Bob Baffert met with San Diego media on Monday morning and tried to put the best face on Justify’s future. He said they were taking things day-to-day, but he has already ruled out any races at Del Mar (although that was never really in the cards), the Haskell, the Travers and the Pegasus in January before breeding season starts.

The only thing he didn’t rule out is the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Down on Nov. 3. Now, if he were pointed to that he would need a prep. The two that would come to mind are the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, where he would have to run against older horses, or the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, where he would run against 3-year-olds. Hmmmm. Wonder which one makes more sense?

I’m afraid my guess is that we’ve seen Justify run his last race. Hope I’m wrong. But, to do some tea-leaf reading, when Elliott Walden had a public relations firm in Lexington put out a news release last week, quoting him saying fans only want to see Justify at 100%, he was laying the groundwork for retiring the colt. It’s pretty unusual for people in racing to announce a horse being pulled for training through a media firm.

The again, the colt could return to training in a couple weeks and we’ll see him run two more times. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For a great look at Baffert’s meet and greet with the media, read this column by my friend from the San Diego Union-Tribune, Bryce Miller. (Just click here.)

Pari-mutuel strike sort of over

Just as we said in Monday’s newsletter, the mutuel clerks union came to an agreement with Del Mar in time for opening day. The agreement covers all the tracks but the two owned by The Stronach Group—Santa Anita and Golden Gate. Now, that gives them until the middle of August to come to an understanding in time for the opening of the Golden Gate meeting. That’s not going to be easy.

The agreement with other tracks goes through Del Mar’s 2019 summer season.

There’s been lots of warm posts and stories about the importance of mutuel clerks. And I agree. But it’s also clear that technology has lessened their presence, especially among the daily bettors, who mostly use their laptops, tablets, phones and self-service machines. I’m sure the clerks won’t go the way of Blockbuster (down to one store) but even Del Mar just introduced a new app to make betting easier without a clerk.

I remember back when you would go to the window and the clerks could only print $2 tickets, so a $20 bet was actually 10 $2 tickets. (Yeah, I’m that old.) But all that has become easier and a $2 ticket uses the same amount of paper as a $2,000 ticket.

But for now, let’s greet them with a smile, and tipping is encouraged.

Del Mar preview

Yes, it’s opening day at Del Mar, so those of you living in L.A. should get on the road as soon as you finish reading the newsletter. It’s one of the most maddening days of travel, and there is really no charm to it. But, the track does have late posts, 2 p.m. on every day except Friday, when it’s 4 p.m. It’s also the only regular five-day racing week in Southern California. Used by six days a week a while ago.

Don’t know how they do it, but racing secretary David Jerkens has more than enough horses to offer the biggest fields in California, at any time of the year. On Wednesday, there is no race with less than nine horses. Five races have also eligibles.

There are four turf races on the 10-race card. There are three maiden races, one of them for 2-year-old Cal-bred fillies. There is also a stakes race with 14 starters. Wow. The last race goes at about 6:30 p.m.

Trainer Doug O’Neill has 12 horses entered throughout the day.

“I don’t know for sure if it’s a record for us, but if it isn’t, it’s very close,” O’Neill told Hank Wesch of Del Mar. “There were times at Hollywood Park when we entered, or ran close to that many. We’re excited. We’ve got a lot of horses ready and the right kind of races came up at the right time. I hope there’s a couple winners in there. I think there are a few live ones of the 12 we have in there.”

The feature is the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf. Quite a few times in years gone past, the race was split into two divisions but the expansion of the turf course to accommodate 14 horses have made things easier.

The favorite, at 4-1, is Desert Stone, who has won two races in a row at Santa Anita. He gets a rider switch to Corey Nakatani. He’s won two of seven lifetime and this will be his first start at Del Mar.

Texas Wedge is the second favorite at 9-2. He is two of two at Del Mar and has won three of five lifetime. Flavien Prat returns to the saddle. He’s also won with jockeys Paco Lopez and Evin Roman.

Bob Ike’s DMR pick of the day

FIFTH RACE: No. 10 Vending Machine (20-1)

Taking a shot here but hard-knocking gelding had a very tough trip when sprinting down the Santa Anita hillside course and may prove to be a sharp claim by Jeff Mullins. Versatile enough to sprint or route on either surface, let's try to hit big on Opening Day. Also, box in the exacta with main threat Ritzy A. P. (7-2).

Bob Ike is a Partner/VP of Horsebills.com (here's a video) and the proprietor of BobIkePicks.com (full-card picks, 3 Best Plays and betting strategy).

Final thought

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Now, the star of the show, Wednesday’s entries.