Touching Rainbows back to dirt

DEL MAR, Calif. – Touching Rainbows, third in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby during the summer season at Del Mar, will move back to the main track after two grass sprints for the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes on Sunday.

The Cary Grant, for older California-bred sprinters going seven furlongs, is expected to have a small field. Touching Rainbows was not an original nominee to the race, but he will be supplemented when entries are taken Thursday morning, according to Derek Lawson, the jockey agent for Flavien Prat, who will have the mount.

Touching Rainbows most recently was ninth in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 on Monday morning at Santa Anita.

Others expected for the Cary Grant include Brando the bartender, Edwards Going Left, Solid Wager, and possibly Ann Arbor Eddie and He Will, who worked four furlongs in 50.80 seconds on Monday at Santa Anita.

Edwards Going Left is the defending race winner. He, too, ran in the Bing Crosby, finishing fourth, only a head behind Touching Rainbows. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 on Monday at Santa Anita.

A larger field is likely for the Grade 3, $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday, including Mucho Gusto, a four-length winner of his debut Sept. 20 at Los Alamitos. Joe Talamo rode him that day and has the call again Saturday. He worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 on Monday at Santa Anita.

Others expected for the seven-furlong Bob Hope include Owning, Savagery, Sigalert, Sparky Ville, Spin Lightning, and possibly Extra Hope.

Sparky Ville and Savagery were one-two in the Sunny Slope Stakes on Oct. 21 at Santa Anita. Owning worked three furlongs in 37 seconds on Monday at Santa Anita.

O’Neill has 5 for split race

Trainer Doug O’Neill has plenty of 2-year-old maiden fillies he wants to sprint on turf, and will send out five Thursday after a five-furlong race carded for that day was split into two divisions.

In race 1, O’Neill will run Mo Me Mo My – who was second in a similar spot during the summer meet here – and the longshot Elusively.

O’Neill on Monday morning at Del Mar said Mo Me Mo My, a daughter of Uncle Mo, has not raced since her Aug. 22 debut because “she needed time to mature.”

“She should run well,” he said.

In race 6, the second half of the split race, O’Neill entered Apples Arch, first-timer Shut It Up, and Sold It, who finished third as the favorite in a dirt sprint at Santa Anita in her first start Oct. 14. She cuts back to five furlongs from 6 1/2 furlongs.

“She’s probably the most solid of the three,” O’Neill said of Sold It, a daughter of The Factor.

He said Shut It Up, by Violence, “has got some ability.”

Apples Arch, by Arch, “has ability, but she’s mentally immature, so we’re hoping she comes around sooner rather than later,” O’Neill said.

“Originally, I was trying to figure out which two or three to run in the one race, but when it split it worked out perfect,” he said.

Many options for Tapwater

The 2-year-old Tapit filly Tapwater was a solid second on dirt when sprinting in her July debut, and then defeated maidens going long on the grass Saturday in her second lifetime start, giving trainer Richard Mandella plenty of options for her next race.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to running her back on dirt,” Mandella said.

“There’s a grass stakes here at the end of the meet,” he said, referring to the Grade 3, $100,000 Jimmy Durante Stakes going one mile on turf Nov. 24. “That’s probably too close to run back, but she’ll be nominated just in case.”

Tapwater was bred and is owned by the Roth family’s LNJ Foxwoods.

Gutierrez suspended three days

Jockey Mario Gutierrez has been suspended three days by Del Mar’s stewards following the disqualification of Excellent Sunset from first to second in the Kathryn Crosby Stakes on opening day Friday.

Gutierrez’s suspension includes this Saturday, Sunday, and the following Thursday, Nov. 22.

◗ Greyvitos, idle since the Pat Day Mile in May, worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:14.60 on Monday morning at Del Mar as he nears a comeback. Greyvitos, 3, won the Bob Hope last summer before capturing the Springboard Mile at Remington.