Which path will work best for the July 28 Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar? Four horses are coming out of the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park; three last ran in the 1 1/4-mile Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita; and two ship in from the East having most recently won at the Read’s 1 1/8-mile distance.
Better yet, look at who Juan Hernandez is riding: Du Jour . True, Du Jour finished third to Read entrant Johannes in the Shoemaker. But Hernandez at one time has piloted six of the nine runners. He gets back aboard Du Jour, with whom he won the one-mile Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar last year. Subsequently, the Bob Baffert trainee started four times when partnered with Flavien Prat, who is riding at Saratoga Race Course this summer. Prat won two of those races—the 2023 Del Mar Mile Stakes (G2T) and 2024 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T).
Hernandez won Del Mar riding titles in 2023 during both the summer and fall. Though he currently trails Umberto Rispoli by one victory after just one week of the meet, Hernandez certainly could repeat, and Baffert thinks highly of him.
“He rides with a lot of confidence,” Baffert said. “He’s a pretty chill kind of guy. Very cool and calm. It’s like he really appreciates his situation, the position he’s in. He doesn’t take it for granted. Loves what he does and worked hard all his life to get to this position.”
Tim Yakteen, a former assistant to Baffert, trains Johannes, regularly ridden by Rispoli, who is again in the saddle. Since late 2022, Johannes has won five consecutive races at Santa Anita: a maiden race and four stakes. His only loss during that time came when fifth in the 2023 American Turf Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs after being bumped at the start. Johannes was away from the races for 11 months after that, returning to win the April 4 American Stakes (G3T) and Shoemaker.
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“We had high hopes for him last year, and we were able to take care of him really well,” Yakteen said after the American. “He came back the way we wanted him to.”
Trainer Phil D’Amato has entered three in the Read: Gold Phoenix , Balnikhov , and Easter . Gold Phoenix and Balnikhov are coming off wins in the Whittingham and 1 1/8-mile Dinner Party Stakes (G3T) at Pimlico Race Course, respectively. At last summer’s Del Mar meeting, Gold Phoenix won the Read and Del Mar Handicap (G2T), with three losses between those and the Whittingham (one a fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, G1T). Easter most recently finished sixth in the Shoemaker, but in three previous starts for D’Amato he won the 2023 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar and at Santa Anita captured the Dec. 26 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) and ran second to Du Jour in the Kilroe.
The rest of the field consists of There Goes Harvard , fourth in the Shoemaker; Balladeer and Dicey Mo Chara coming out of the Whittingham; and Master Piece , winner of the 2022 Read, 2023 Red Smith Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack, and most recently the Fort Marcy Stakes (G2T), also at Aqueduct.
Entries: Eddie Read S. (G2T)
Del Mar, Sunday, July 28, 2024, Race 9
- Grade IIT
- 1 1/8m
- Turf
- $250,000
- 3 yo’s & up
- 6:00 PM (local)
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