Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Weston works for Futurity
Weston, the undefeated winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes on Aug. 9, will have a pre-dawn workout on Friday that will determine whether he starts in the Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7.
“If he works good, we’re going to go for the futurity,” trainer and co-owner Ryan Hanson said on Wednesday. “There is no pressure to run. He has to come back good.”
The $250,000 Del Mar Futurity is run at seven furlongs and is the championship race for 2-year-old males at the summer meeting.
Weston won his debut at Santa Anita in a 21-1 upset in a five-furlong maiden race on June 21 and won the Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs by a neck over Girther. Since the Best Pal, Weston has worked once – a half-mile in 46.40 seconds on Aug. 18, the fastest of 27 works at the distance that morning.
Hanson, who co-owns Weston with Chris Drakos, was reluctant to commit to the Del Mar Futurity immediately after the Best Pal Stakes, but was thinking more favorably about a start on Wednesday.
“You hate to make decisions until you see how they come out of the race and see how they train up to the next race,” he said. “He’s trained like he has before the Best Pal.”
The Del Mar Futurity field is expected to include Dr. Schivel and Spielberg, the first two finishers of a fast maiden race on Aug. 9. Spielberg is trained by Bob Baffert, who said on Wednesday that Freedom Fighter, a maiden race winner on Aug. 1, would not start.
The Del Mar Futurity is one of two Grade 1 races remaining at the summer meeting. The Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs will be run on Sept. 6. The top candidates are My Girl Red, who won the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes on Aug. 7, and Princess Noor, a sharp maiden race winner last Saturday.
Overall, there are seven stakes on the final four programs of the meeting, from Sept. 4-7.
This weekend, however, is much quieter, with two stakes – the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs on Saturday and the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies on Sunday. The winner of the $150,000 O’Brien Stakes receives a feespaid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland on Nov. 7.
Lies to call final four cards
John Lies, the television paddock commentator, will call the races for the final four days of the current Del Mar summer meeting from Sept. 4-7, the track announced on Wednesday.
Lies replaces Larry Collmus, who is part of NBC’s coverage of Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs. Collmus has called the races at Del Mar this year for the first time, replacing Trevor Denman, who informed track officials in June he would not call the races because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Lies, 43, has called races at venues such as Fair Meadows Tulsa, Kentucky Downs, Lone Star Park, and Will Rogers Downs. He has worked at Del Mar since 2007, and currently works in the backstretch racing office in the mornings. Lies writes the morning line in addition to providing commentary between races.
Collmus will call races through Monday. Denman has told track officials he plans to call the autumn meeting, which begins on Oct. 31.
Smith gets three days
Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride his final program of the current Del Mar meeting on Saturday, more than a week before the conclusion of the season on Sept. 7.
Smith was given a three-day suspension on Sunday for causing interference in the first race last Saturday. The suspension covers racing days on Sunday, Monday, and Sept. 4.
Smith is booked to ride at Churchill Downs on Sept. 4-5 and will be allowed to ride there on Sept. 4 since the recent ruling does not prevent Smith from riding graded stakes, or designated races, that are exempt from routine suspensions.
Smith will serve an additional day of suspension at a later date if he rides on Sept. 4 for riding in stakes outside of California during a period of suspension, according to California Horse Racing Board rules.
Smith is riding at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5, but cannot ride at Del Mar on Sept. 6 or 7 since the track is not permitting riders to leave Del Mar, ride at another venue during the coronavirus pandemic, and return to Del Mar
The track lost three days of racing on July 17-19 because of a coronavirus outbreak in the jockeys’ room.
Through Sunday, Smith has won five races from 55 mounts at the current meeting.
Jockey Jose Valdivia Jr. has received a stay of a four-day suspension for causing interference in the first race on Aug. 21. Valdivia’s suspension was supposed to begin on Saturday, but he is booked to ride.