Richard’s Boy looks to parlay California Flag into Turf Sprint

ARCADIA, Calif. – This may be a busy autumn for Richard’s Boy, a four-time stakes winner trained by Peter Miller.

Saturday at Santa Anita, Richard’s Boy is scheduled to start in the $100,000 California Flag Handicap for statebreds at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. If the gelding runs well, he will be pre-entered on Monday for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 4, Miller said in a text message on Wednesday.

Owned by Rockingham Ranch, Richard’s Boy is part of a projected field of seven in the California Flag. The field is expected to be led by Tribalist, who won the Green Flash Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 19 and was second by a neck to BC Mile hopeful Mr. Roary in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course on Sept. 29.

Other projected runners are B Squared, California Diamond, Dr. Troutman, El Tovar, and Gold Rush Dancer. Gold Rush Dancer won the Grade 3 Longacres Mile at Emerald Downs on Aug. 13 and was sixth as the even-money favorite in the E.B. Johnston Stakes for California-breds at a mile on dirt at Los Alamitos on Sept. 9.

Field size up at autumn meet

Average field size has shown growth at the Santa Anita autumn meeting, months after the track canceled four days of racing in the spring because of insufficient entries.

Through Sunday, the 11th day of the 19-day meeting, fields averaged 8.87 starters per race compared with 8.62 starters during a similar period at the 2016 autumn meeting. Fields averaged 8.59 runners for the entire 2016 meeting, which included the Breeders’ Cup races.

This year, the meeting ends on Oct. 29 and does not include the Breeders’ Cup races, which will be held at Del Mar on Nov. 3-4.

Rick Hammerle, Santa Anita’s vice-president of racing, said in an interview last weekend that one factor leading to larger fields this month has been increased entries from trainers who want to maintain stalls at Santa Anita on a yearround basis.

“The stalls back there mean something,” Hammerle said. “I think it’s becoming more urgent.”

During the spring-summer meeting, Santa Anita canceled four Thursdays in April and June because of insufficient entries. The track reverted to a three-day racing calendar for three weeks in June and saw an increase in field size during that span.

This week, there were 67 horses entered in eight races for Thursday (excluding four on the also-eligible list in the fifth race), and 65 horses entered in eight races for Friday.

There are nine-race programs scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. There are four days of racing from Oct. 26-29 to close the meeting.

“We hope to finish strong,” Hammerle said.

Hole-in-one for Van Dyke

When jockey Drayden Van Dyke reached the 15th hole at the Santa Anita Golf Course during a charity tournament on Oct. 10, the round was not going well.

“I played like crap all day long,” he recalled.

Then on the 15th hole, a par 3 at about 175 yards, he recorded his first hole-in-one by knocking in a 4-wood.

“It was the best shot I ever hit,” he said. “It bounced and fell in.”

Van Dyke did not realize he had achieved a hole-in-one until he arrived at the green.

“I thought it rolled off the back of the green,” he said. “We drove up to the hole and the flag was tilted over.”

Van Dyke walked to the cup and saw his Titleist 1 ball resting in the hole. The next few moments were full of pictures and high fives with playing partners and friends.

Van Dyke won a John Deere Gator, a small utility vehicle, which he said he sold. He said proceeds will be donated to charity, including the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

The champion apprentice jockey of 2014, Van Dyke took up golf recently, and admits he does not have the same game as some of his professional colleagues, notably lifelong player Corey Nakatani. There is an occasional friendly wager between the men.

“He calls me the ATM on spikes,” Van Dyke said. “I enjoy playing.”

Last month, the 23-year-old Van Dyke won his first milliondollar race, winning the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing on It Tiz Well. She is his mount for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar on Nov. 3. Van Dyke has never ridden a Breeders’ Cup winner.

With a little more than three weeks to the event, he has three mounts – It Tiz Well, Cambodia in the Filly and Mare Turf, and Mubtaahij in the Classic.

“That would be amazing if I can get a Breeders’ Cup win,” he said.