The Running Horse (http://www.isd1.com)MCANALLY SCORES TRAINING TRIPLE, INCLUDING STAKES DOUBLE
Trainer Ron McAnally didn't sweep the card, but he did sweep Sunday's stakes offerings at Del Mar when the 3-year-old filly, Antespend, scored a gate-to- wire victory in the Grade I, $250,000 Del Mar Oaks, and the 4-year-old colt, Misnomer, captured the $70,725 Harry F. "Bud" Brubaker Stakes earlier in the day.
In between, McAnally sent out 5-year-old Egayant to victory in an allowance race. McAnally's wins came for three different owners - Red Oak Stable, Haras Santa Maria de Araras and Jack Kent Cooke - and were ridden by Chris McCarron, Alex Solis and Chris Antley, respectively.
McAnally said all three horses came out of their races in good order.
The trainer admits to a special place in his heart for Antespend and it's not just because she now has won nine of her 13 starts for earnings of $823,179. "I had her mother [Auspiciante], too, you know," McAnally said. Her mother won the Ramona [Handicap in 1986] here and she was a good quality, tough mare like this filly is. And she was best on the grass, which this filly is, too."
McAnally acknowledges that he wouldn't hesitate to run Antespend on the main track if the right race came up for her, but his intention is to keep her on the turf as much as possible. She's now six wins for seven starts on the grass, and her next start, according to McAnally, will be Keeneland's Grade I, $400,000-guaranteed Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup on the turf on October 5. "That will be good spacing for her," he said.
As for Brubaker winner Misnomer, McAnally said, "He tries as hard as he can every time he runs, as long as you space his races. A trying horse needs good time between races because they give so much of themselves."
IN HIS FIRST DEL MAR MEET, VICTOR ESPINOZA BEGINNING TO RIDE HIGH
Jockey Victor Espinoza scored his eighth victory of the Del Mar meet on Sunday to move onto the top jockeys' list, tying with Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Brice Blanc.
The 23-year-old Espinoza, a native of Mexico City, has been riding for the past two years at Bay Meadows and Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, but, he says, he's always been looking south. He made his Southern California debut at Hollywood Park at the encouragement of jockey agent Vince DeGregory, who's been handling his book since his arrival.
Espinoza is a graduate of a jockey school in Mexico City. He rode for six months in his hometown after finishing the school and then moved on to Northern California, where he's been concentrating on gaining enough experience to feel as if he can compete with the Southern California jockey colony. "It's very tough here," he said, "and I know I have to have good experience to ride here. I watch all the jockeys to learn things."
The rider believes one of his strong points is patience on his mounts. "You have to have a little horse left [for the stretch run]," he says. That usually means a good chance for a strong finish, he believes. And a strong finish is what he's hoping for in the final 20 days of Del Mar's 43-day season.
DEL MAR'S OSUNITAS HANDICAP BEGINS SHAPING UP FOR SATURDAY
The $100,000-added Osunitas Handicap is beginning to shape up well as the feature on Del Mar's Saturday race card. At this point, there are at least five fully confirmed contestants and another that looks like she might go in the 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares, 3 years old and older.
Confirmed starters are David R. Hughes' Tabled With Saros, who is trained by R.B. Hess Jr. and will be ridden by Laffit Pincay, Jr.; Darley Stud Management's Grafin, who is trained by Jeremy Noseda and will be ridden by Corey Black; the Frankfurt Stable-owned and Charlie Whittingham-trained Pourquoi Pas, who will be ridden by Alex Solis; Juddmonte Farms' Sleep Easy, who is trained by Robert Frankel and will be ridden by Chris Antley; and Abrams, Johnson or Karim, et al's Princess Afleet, who is trained by Barry Abrams and will be ridden by Brice Blanc.
Trainer Mel Stute said Bill Thomas' Real Connection is a "probable."
BONEY JAMES IS THE NAME AND "JAZZ AT DEL MAR" IS HIS GAME
For the second straight week, a young saxophone player will be the featured artist at "Jazz at Del Mar presented by Mercedes-Benz" as Boney James steps up to the microphone Wednesday night for a free concert at the track's Plaza de Mexico.
The series of six after-the-races concerts is presented under the auspices of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in conjunction with Radio Station KIFM and with the support of Mercedes-Benz. Starting time for the concert is approximately 6:30 p.m.
James, whose music has crossed into a number of formats, including jazz, rhythm and blues, quiet storm and adult contemporary, does masterful work on both the tenor and soprano saxes. He also is an accomplished writer and arranger.
Prior to the beginning of his recording and solo career, the multi-talented James was in demand as a session and tour musician and played tenor and alto sax, flute and keyboards with the likes of Morris Day, Randy Crawford, Bobby Caldwell, Ray Parker Jr., Vesta Williams, Angela Winbush and the Isley Brothers.
SHORE LINES: Trainer Craig Lewis reported this morning that Larry the Legend came out of his fourth-place finish in Sunday's Harry Brubaker Stakes in good shape. Lewis indicated that it might have been asking a little too much of the 4-year-old to go 1 1/16 miles with only one race under his belt in 16 months. During the layoff, Larry the Legend had two knee surgeries and Lewis said, "That diminishes what a horse is capable of doing." .... Chris McCarron rode three winners on Sunday to help his favorite racing-connected charity, the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which he, his wife, Judy, and comedian Tim Conway founded in 1987. His triple added $250 to The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's participation in the fund. The DMTC donation doubles with each succeeding victory on the day. McCarron's triple runs the DMTC's contributions so far this meeting to $3,500 .... Jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., who has missed the last three days of riding because of an illness, is scheduled to resume riding on Wednesday.
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