The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)FIVE TO CHALLENGE CIGAR'S BID FOR 17 STRAIGHT IN PACIFIC CLASSIC
There are just five horses between Cigar and history as a field of six was entered Wednesday morning for Saturday's $1,000,000 Pacific Classic at Del Mar racetrack. A victory for Cigar will give him a modern-day record of 17 consecutive wins for a Thoroughbred.
Stepping up to challenge the son of Palace Music owned by Allen E. Paulson and trained by W.I. "Bill" Mott will be Juddmonte Farms' Tinners Way, who has won the past two Pacific Classics; Golden Eagle Farm's Dramatic Gold, who ran second to Cigar last month in the Arlington Citation Challenge, in which Cigar tied Citation's record of 16 consecutive victories; La Presle Farm's Dare and Go, Rio Claro Thoroughbreds' Siphon, and Cuadra TYT Inc.'s Luthier Fever.
The Thoroughbred given the best chance to succeed against Cigar was lost to the field Wednesday morning, when Burt Bacharach's Soul of the Matter turned up lame as he came out of a half-mile workout. The initial report from veterinarian Rick Arthur was that there were no fractures, but some soft tissue damage to his right foreleg in the area of the sesamoid and pastern bones.
Trainer Dick Mandella said, "He had just breezed a half-mile and he had pulled up. Then when he turned around and walked off, he was limping, and John [exercise rider John Turner] jumped off. John said when he pulled him up he started to limp." Soul of the Matter, who took Cigar to the limit before losing by a half- length in the $4-million Dubai Cup, had been training brilliantly toward the Pacific Classic and figured to be the second betting choice in the race.
Cigar, who worked 5 furlongs Wednesday morning at Saratoga in 1:01, drew post position 4 in the race and has been made the 1-5 morning-line favorite. He'll be ridden by regular rider Jerry Bailey, who has been aboard for the last 15 of Cigar's 16 straight wins. Tinners Way, with Eddie Delahoussaye, will break from the rail, with Dare and Go and Alex Solis leaving from post 2. Hollywood Gold Cup winner Siphon, who will be ridden by David Flores, drew post 3, and Luthier Fever, with Brice Blanc in the irons, will be in post 5. Finally, Dramatic Gold, with Corey Nakatani, with break from the outside gate. All will carry 124 pounds.
Siphon has been installed as second choice in the morning line at 5-1, with two-time champion Tinners Way third at 8-1. In his two previous Pacific Classic victories, Tinners Way was not the favorite.
Nakatani picked up the mount on Dramatic Gold after Soul of the Matter was injured. Originally, Chris Antley had been named by trainer David Hofmans.
Cigar is scheduled to be flown to Southern California on Thursday, with arrival at Ontario airport estimated for 9 a.m. He will then be vanned to Del Mar, with an expected arrival time of noon.
During a live and telephone news conference following the draw, Bailey - speaking by phone from Saratoga- had this to say about the pressure that might be felt going for the record: "Pressure is just part of the package in riding a horse like Cigar. But I can tell you this much, there's not another horse in the world I'd want to be riding in this race. And I really don't feel any more pressure than usual."
And on what makes the difference between a good horse and a great one, Bailey said, "I don't know if I had ever ridden a great horse until Cigar. A great horse can overcome anything, all obstacles you throw at him. And with most good horses, you always find some kind of chink in the armor. But Cigar has no chinks and he's overcome everything that's been thrown at him."
On the question of how it might feel to be the villain if someone would defeat Cigar, Mandella, who will start Siphon and Dare and Go, said, "Terrible - for about a second." Hofmans added his insight: "I'm looking forward to it [the challenge]. It's like trying to beat the heavyweight champion. You're always trying to do your best and beat the champion. That's what we're here for."
MANDELLA HAD SOME ANXIOUS MOMENTS OVER SOUL OF THE MATTER
As trainer Richard Mandella rushed back to his barn after seeing Soul of the Matter in distress after his half-mile workout, many possibilities raced through his mind. "It seemed like it was two days before they brought him over from the backstretch," he said outside his barn as x-rays were still being taken of Soul of the Matter's injured right foreleg.
But after it was obvious that the injury was not life-threatening, Mandella talked briefly about what it was like working with the horse, who has purse earnings of $2.3 million. Acknowledging that Soul of the Matter had been training billiantly toward the Pacific Classic, Mandella added: "He always was that way. He was a great horse. He always had brittle feet. Any time he didn't run as good as you thought he should, you always found a reason afterwards; a [quarter] crack or a bruise or something.
"There never was any mystery. With most horses you spend half your time wondering what you did wrong when you really didn't do anything wrong; they just weren't good enough. He was good enough. He just happened to be born with some poor feet.
"He was coming up [in training] about the way he was in Dubai, which was such a big effort there. But you can't get too upset by it. The fact is he's all right, and that's the most important thing. Between him and Burt's other horse, Afternoon Deelites, what great times those two horses gave me over the last few years, and to have two like that in such a short time for Burt, who is not a big breeder that has 100 mares, we were pretty lucky. Thank God, he's not hurt worse than he is."
UNDEFEATED JUST LOOKN HEADS FIELD OF NINE IN GRADE II SORRENTO
Nine 2-year-old fillies are entered to go 6 1/2 furlongs in Wednesday's Grade II Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar in what is a prep for the Grade II, $250,000-guaranteed Del Mar Debutante to be held Sunday, August 25.
If all nine go postward, the purse will be $105,950, and the winner's share will be $65,950. Deduct $600 from each figure for any scratch.
Heading the field is Just Lookn, who is undefeated in two starts. Montecito and Caprifoil add strength to the field.
MATEO HAS JORY EXCITED ABOUT PROSPECTS IN LA JOLLA HANDICAP
A sharp half-mile work for Mateo on the grass Monday has trainer Ian Jory thinking about winning his second Grade III La Jolla Handicap in three years. The race for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course will be run Sunday with a purse of $125,000-added.
"He's doing great," Jory said of his 3-year-old grass runner, who has two wins, a second and two thirds in seven turf outings. "He should be double-tough in there. He'll appreciate the added distance. He's a horse that's going places." Mateo finished third, beaten two lengths, in the faster division of the Oceanside Stakes run on Del Mar's opening day. The Oceanside is run at a mile.
"This reminds me of two years ago when Marvin's Faith won [the La Jolla]," Jory said. "This race has my name on it."
NAKATANI LEADS THE RIDERS, BAFFERT AND GREENMAN THE TRAINERS
After 12 racing days, Corey Nakatani continues to keep a tight hold on the race to be Del Mar's leading jockey, but Hall of Fame rider Chris McCarron is putting up a stiff challenge. Both riders logged doubles on Monday, which kept Nakatani on top with 17 victories and McCarron second with 14.
The closeness of the race brings to mind last summer's title tussle, when McCarron beat out Nakatani for the title with 48 wins to 47 by winning the final race on the final day of the meet.
Patrick Valenzuela is third in the current rider race with 12 wins.
Among the trainers, Bob Baffert and Walter Greenman lead the pack with six victories each. Jenine Sahadi and five-time training champ Mike Mitchell are next with five each. Within easy striking distance are Robert Hess Jr., Jack Carava and Hall of Famer Ron McAnally, who captured the recent Hollywood Park trainer title.
SHORE LINES: Mel Stute will celebrate his 69th birthday on Thursday, and Bill Shoemaker turns 65 Friday. Happy birthday to that pair .... When Best Pal leads the post parade in Saturday's Pacific Classic, Chris McCarron, who rode the 8-year- old gelding in his final 13 races, will be aboard in the silks of John and Betty Mabee's Golden Eagle Farm, where Best Pal now romps in retirement.
The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)