Out of The Flames has weighty problem

DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainer Simon Callaghan doesn’t agree with the racing office’s assignment of weights in regard to his filly Out of The Flames in the $75,000 Daisycutter Handicap on Friday at Del Mar, but he’s certainly hoping the racing office is right.

Although she has yet to face older horses, Out of The Flames, 3, was so highly regarded by the racing office in comparison to her rivals in the five-furlong turf sprint that she was assigned top weight of 124 pounds, which puts her at an actual 121 when the three-pound weight allowance for 3-year-olds facing elders is factored in. Even with the concession, she’s still the actual highweight.

Out of The Flames has not raced since April, when she won the Mizdirection Stakes going six furlongs on the turf at Aqueduct against fellow 3-year-old fillies. She has yet to finish out of the money in five starts since arriving from England last fall. She moved to Callaghan’s barn after she was a fast-finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint going five furlongs over this course.

“I don’t agree with the weights,” said Callaghan, who still thinks he has a top contender.

“She’s doing great,” he said. “Hopefully she’ll run well. She ran well over this course in the Breeders’ Cup. I do think six furlongs” – a furlong farther than this race – “is the perfect distance for her.”

Racing secretary David Jerkens said he and the others on the team that assigns weights in handicap races at Del Mar thought Out of The Flames “stood out,” hence the weight assignment.

Callaghan has two of the nine runners in the race. He also sends out Desert Steel, who has won three times in six starts sprinting on the grass at Del Mar, but owns only one victory in her last 12 starts overall.

“She likes this course and distance,” Callaghan said. “We’re hoping for a good run.”

The Daisycutter goes as race 7 on an eight-race card that begins at 4 p.m. Pacific.

KEY CONTENDERS

Out of The Flames, by Showcasing Last 3 Beyers: 82-81-81

◗ From a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, she will need to run a career best, as several of her rivals – Symposium, Phantom Proton, and Mongolian Shopper – have run in the 90s in recent starts.

◗ She is 2 for 2 since adding blinkers earlier this year.

Desert Steel, by Desert Code Last 3 Beyers: 79-81-81

◗ She seems a bit off her game of late, but a cutback in distance and a return to the course and distance at which she has excelled affords her a good chance for success.

Okinawa, by The Factor Last 3 Beyers: 86-84-77

◗ She exits a second-place finish in a strong second-level allowance for older runners at Belmont. The first-, third-, and fifth-place finishers were nextout winners.

◗ She is making her first start for trainer Richard Baltas following a private purchase.