Delta Bluesman looking to repeat in Smile Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Delta Bluesman is coming back to south Florida to defend his title a week from Saturday in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint.

Trainer Jorge Navarro said Monday he’s looking forward to “returning home” with Delta Bluesman, who drew off to a 3 3/4-length victory over Limousine Liberal in the 2016 Smile Sprint. Although the race was dropped from Grade 2 to Grade 3 status this year, the Smile Sprint remains a Win and You’re In event for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Delta Bluesman is still seeking his first victory this year, having been blanked in five starts. He did finish third in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector to kick off the campaign here on New Year’s Day. Last year, Delta Bluesman had a rough trip while finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

“I think he’s really starting to come around again,” said Navarro. “He wasn’t the same after getting knocked around the way he did in the Breeders’ Cup. But he’s training really well at the moment. He worked in 58 at Monmouth Park the other day, and I think I’ve got him where I had him for this race a year ago.”

Navarro said he doesn’t have a rider firmed up for Delta Bluesman, but it likely will be either Emisael Jaramillo, who guided him to victory in the 2016 Smile Sprint, or Orlando Bocachica.

Navarro is also considering bringing the speedy El Deal down for the Smile Sprint as well. El Deal has won both of his starts in rather handily since being turned over to Navarro’s care this spring, including Monmouth’s six-furlong Decathlon by three lengths on June 11.

“He’d be coming back in three weeks if he does run, but he came out of the last race really clean, keeps getting better and better, and would fit that race really well,” said Navarro. “I’m going to talk to the owner later today, and we’ll make a decision shortly.”

Navarro also nominated but does not plan to run his muchimproved filly Mia Torri to the Grade 2 Princess Rooney, also on July 1. Mia Torri is coming off a second-place finish behind By the Moon in the Grade 3 Bed o’ Roses last week in New York.

“She’s a fragile filly,” said Navarro. “I have to go easy with her, and it would be bringing her back too soon for the Princess Rooney.”

The most notable name on the nomination list for the six-furlong Smile Sprint is Mind Your Biscuits, idle since winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen on May 25. Trainer Chad Summers has been pointing him to the seven-furlong Belmont Sprint Championship on July 8.

“The Smile is something I won’t completely rule out at the moment, but it’s about 90-10 we’ll stay here at Belmont,” said Summers. “I think he’s better at seven furlongs than six, we can walk right over for the race, and like the Smile, it’s also a Win and You’re In . . . which is like getting a free $45,000 if you do win.”

Diamond Bachelor has edge

Diamond Bachelor should go to the lead and not look back when he faces five rivals, including stablemate Bashart, in Thursday’s $44,000 allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. The race will be decided at a mile on the turf under optional-claiming conditions and goes as the second event on a 10-race program.

Diamond Bachelor, a twotime stakes winner here last year, is coming off another top effort, finishing second behind the odds-on Keystone for victory going 12 furlongs under midlevel starter-handicap conditions on May 29. His performance was flattered when third-place finisher Mystic Sky upset the Soldier’s Dancer Stakes on Saturday. In his previous start, Diamond Bachelor forced the pace and finished a tiring sixth in the Grade 3 Appleton here.

As if Diamond Bachelor didn’t have enough of an edge considering his speed and class advantage, trainer Patrick Biancone also named the double-bug rider Nick Figueroa, which means he will also be in receipt of seven pounds from the rest of the field.

Bashart, graded stakes-placed with trainer Michael Matz earlier in his career, makes his second start since transferring to Biancone’s barn this season. The 6-year-old Bashart, who finished sixth under similar conditions on May 4 in his only outing this year, remains winless since his juvenile campaign.

J R’s Holiday, who was graded-stakes-placed at 3, will try his luck in a new barn on Thursday, having been transferred to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. since finishing seventh, 2 1/4 lengths behind Bashart, nearly two months earlier. The stretch-running J R’s Holiday will try to snap an eight-racing losing streak dating to his victory in the Kitten’s Joy here in January 2016.

Spring Up, Semblance of Order, and Cut to Order complete the field.

Thursday’s program, which will also include an allowance race for statebred fillies on the turf, kicks off with a carryover of nearly $42,000 in the Super Hi 5 pool in the day’s opening event.