Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Sherlock doubles his chances
CYPRESS, Calif. – Run Away, who finished third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 4, will be a heavy favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Barretts Juvenile at Los Alamitos, a race rival trainer Gary Sherlock is approaching with numbers.
Sherlock said Wednesday morning that he intends to run two horses – Smokem, who finished second in two stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds at Del Mar, and the maiden Time for Cioppino.
Terry Lovingier bred both runners and owns Smokem in a partnership. Lovingier owns Time for Cioppino with Sherlock.
Smokem will be the second choice in a projected field of six in the Juvenile, which is run at 6 1/2 furlongs.
“If [Run Away] wasn’t going, I think he’d be 8-5,” Sherlock said.
The race is restricted to horses offered at Barretts sales. Smokem was listed as a buyback for $120,000 at the 2016 Barretts select yearling sale. Time for Cioppino was a buyback for $6,500 at the Barretts yearling sale last October.
By comparison, Run Away was purchased for $325,000 by Kaleem Shah at the Barretts select sale of 2-year-olds in training in March. Trained by Simon Callaghan, Run Away has won 3 of 4 starts, including the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 12.
Midnight Storm: Turf or dirt?
Midnight Storm is likely to run in a one-mile race during the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 3-4 at Del Mar. A start in the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on dirt Sept. 30 at Santa Anita could determine whether the BC Dirt Mile or BC Mile on turf is chosen for the seven-time stakes winner.
Midnight Storm, fourth in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf Aug. 20, is a multiple graded winner on turf and won the Grade 3 Native Diver on the main track at Del Mar last November and the Grade 2 San Pasqual on the main track at Santa Anita in January. Trainer Phil D’Amato said Midnight Storm has been working well on dirt and was particularly encouraged by a six-furlong workout in 1:13 on Monday.
“His last breeze was a very good one,” he said. “Maybe this could be a stepping-stone for the Dirt Mile or the Mile. He’s trained so good on this main track.”
The BC Dirt Mile is run Nov. 3. The BC Mile is run the following day. Last year, Midnight Storm was third in the BC Mile after leading at the eighth pole.
The winner of the $300,000 Awesome Again receives a fees-paid berth to the BC Classic at 1 1/4 miles on dirt Nov. 4, but D’Amato said the onemile Breeders’ Cup races have greater appeal for Midnight Storm. Earlier this year, Midnight Storm was beaten in two races at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita, finishing second in the Santa Anita Handicap in March and fourth, beaten six lengths, in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May.
Owned by Alex Venneri and Little Red Feather Racing, the 6-year-old Midnight Storm has won 10 of 25 starts and earned $1,723,110.
California Diamond eyes turf
California Diamond, a fourtime stakes winner on dirt, looks like he is about to switch surfaces.
Trainer Peter Miller said Tuesday that California Diamond may run in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course Sept. 29 at Santa Anita. The $100,000 Eddie D Stakes is the feature race on the opening day of the track’s autumn meeting.
Owned by Gary Hartunian’s Rockingham Ranch, California Diamond has won 5 of 11 starts and earned $469,280, but has never raced on turf. His stakes wins came in sprints last year. California Diamond is winless in two starts this year and has not raced since finishing eighth in the Echo Eddie Stakes for 3-year-old California-breds at Santa Anita in April.
The Eddie D could be a prep for the $100,000 California Flag Handicap for statebreds on the hillside turf course Oct. 21.
“He’s ready to run and there isn’t another spot for him,” Miller said. “With the Cal-bred stakes three weeks later, we thought this would be a good time to try the hill.”
Apprentice Werner injured
Apprentice jockey Laura Werner faces approximately eight weeks of recovery after suffering a broken collarbone in a spill Sunday at Los Alamitos, according to her agent, Carolyn Conley.
Werner, 21, was unseated when Dressed in Prada stumbled a few strides away from the gate in Sunday’s third race. Werner was hospitalized briefly on Sunday and was scheduled to have surgery Thursday to have a plate and screw placed in the collarbone to stabilize the injury, Conley said in a text message.
Werner, 21, has three wins at the Los Alamitos meeting and has won 12 Thoroughbred races in this country. She won four races in New Zealand before moving to California.