Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Maiden race holds promise
DEL MAR, Calif. – A maiden race for 2-year-olds going long on the turf on Sunday at Del Mar might produce horses who could come back by closing day Dec. 1 in the Grade 3, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes.
Both the maiden race and the DeMille are at a mile. Four of the 11 horses in the maiden race, the last of nine races on the card, are making their debuts, and several who have run have shown promise, but the one who is likely to attract the most attention is newcomer Royal Act, an American Pharoah colt who has been held in high regard for months.
Royal Act, a $500,000 yearling buy by the CRK Stable of Lee and Susan Searing, has turned in a series of sharp drills for his debut for trainer Peter Eurton, whose Storm the Court won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita earlier this month. Royal Act landed the outside post, and Rafael Bejarano has the mount.
Runners trained by Neil Drysdale (Capital Call), David Hofmans (Don V.), and Vann Belvoir (I’m Leaving You) are also debuting in the race, and Leonard Powell has an intriguing import in Frasard, twice second in Great Britain earlier this year.
Of those who have run on this circuit, Goalie appears the most promising. By Bodemeister, he is a three-quarter brother to the Grade 1 turf stakes winner Midnight Storm, and he now stretches out following a lone start in which he got off poorly and then flew home to be second going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Santa Anita.
“He’s a horse with a lot of talent,” his trainer, Phil D’Amato, said at his Del Mar barn Friday morning. “I think he’s going to get better with racing. The lightbulb is slowly going on. I think he wants to go longer. This is a nice progression.”
Acclimate to Turf Cup
Trainer Phil D’Amato said that Acclimate, who was ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last Saturday, will be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Hollywood Turf Cup going 1 1/2 miles here on Nov. 29. He won the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap going 1 3/8 miles on turf this past summer.
Acclimate was one of three horses D’Amato ran in the Breeders’ Cup. He said that Bowies Hero, who was fifth in the Mile after capturing the Grade 1 Shadwell Mile, “will get 45 days of paddock rest, and then we’ll look to campaign him next year.”
Mirth, who was sixth in the Filly and Mare Turf after her upset win in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive, “will stay in light training and point for a campaign next year,” D’Amato said.
Spiced Perfection doesn’t sell
Spiced Perfection, who was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last Saturday, is now at Churchill Downs after not bringing her reserve at Keeneland this past week, so she will remain in training in 2020 but could race again as soon as next month, trainer Peter Miller said Friday morning at Del Mar.
“Maybe the Go for Wand,” Miller said, referring to a Grade 3, $250,000 race at Aqueduct on Dec. 7, part of a card that includes the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, and Grade 2 Remsen and Demoiselle.
The Go for Wand is at a mile, but being around one turn offers appeal for Miller. Spiced Perfection is at her best sprinting, and at her very best at Keeneland, where she won the Grade 1 Madison and Grade 2 TCA this year. Miller is particularly excited for next year, being as the Breeders’ Cup will be at Keeneland.
“She likes Keeneland,” he said.
Spiced Perfection, 4, was listed as an RNA for $1.35 million at the Keeneland sale.
Miller’s best showing at the Breeders’ Cup was in the Turf Sprint, in which he ran onetwo with Belvoir Bay and Om. Belvoir Bay was sold at FasigTipton last week for $1.5 million and is done racing, but Om could race here this meet, in the Grade 2, $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf on Nov. 30, Miller said.
Miller said he has split his barn equally, with 30 here for the meet, 30 at his main base at the San Luis Rey Downs training center about 45 minutes from Del Mar, and 30 at Churchill Downs.