Follow the leader works
Two jockeys who followed Abel Cedillo’s footprints south from Golden Gate Fields to Southern California this season had notable days at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Saturday.
Juan Hernandez scored two wins, including riding 11-1 long shot Pulpit Rider to victory in the featured $125,000 Solana Beach Stakes. Those two wins also boosted the 28-year-old Hernandez past Cedillo into third in the jockey standings with 18 wins.
Ricardo “Ricky” Gonzalez, 25, scored three wins.
Hernandez and Gonzalez are also sharing a condo for their first Del Mar meeting.
Cedillo, a former Golden Gate Fields champion, finished third in the Del Mar jockey standings last summer and won the fall meet championship in his first season at Del Mar. He’s now riding San Diego Handicap champion and Pacific Classic favorite Maximum Security.
Hernandez won the jockey title in the past two Golden Gates meetings — with 165 wins in 622 mounts — before heading south.
Saturday, Hernandez sent Pulpit Rider from last to first in the stretch — passing Tim Yakteen-trained favorites Mucho Unusual (third) and Cordiality (fourth) — to win by a nose over Sedamar and score his first stakes win of the meeting.
“A great ride,” trainer Mike Puype said of Hernandez’s effort aboard Pulpit Rider. “She kind of likes to ease out and get in the middle of the track in her races, and I was a little worried for a while.
“She ran a great race today. Hats off to her for digging for it and hats off to Hernandez for a great ride. Juan is here to stay at Del Mar.”
Hernandez, a native of Perote, Veracruz, Mexico, raced previously at Del Mar in 2012. He then headed to Northern California to gain more experience.
“Pulpit Rider broke a little slow,” said Hernandez. “I didn’t rush her. She was nice and relaxed. When I asked her, she gave me a good kick. We had to go wide, we had no choice. But she was running. It was close at the wire, but we got it.”
Pulpit Rider finished second in last year’s Solana Beach Stakes, but was disqualified and placed last. She paid $24.80 to win in the 1-mile race for older Calififornia bred or sired fillies and mares. Eleven of Hernandez’s 18 winners have paid in double figures.
Gonzalez was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. He finished second to Hernandez in Golden Gates’ winter/spring meeting with 57 wins. He now has eight wins at Del Mar.
Gains hold steady
The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club passed the midpoint of its 27-day summer meeting Friday with total wagering still running 13.2 percent ahead of 2019 with 30 percent fewer race dates.
“We’re projected to top last year’s total handle of $431.9 million when we had 36 race dates,” said Josh Rubinstein, DMTC president and chief operating officer.
Del Mar’s handle for its first 14 dates this year was more than $242 million.
The DMTC will have a total of 281 races this season compared to 291 over 36 dates in 2019. The average field size this meeting has been 8,3 horses per race compared to 8.0 in 2019.
Honor A. P. sharp
Jockey Mike Smith worked Kentucky Derby hopeful Honor A. P. 5 furlongs in 59.40 seconds before the races started at Del Mar in preparation for the Sept. 5 race at Churchill Downs. Honor A. P. continued on to run 6 furlongs at 1:11.40 and 7 furlongs in 1:23.80. Smith is scheduled to ride Honor A. P. in the Kentucky Derby. They teamed to run second in the Aug. 1 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar.
Notable
Maximum Security is scheduled to work out this morning for the Pacific Classic. So is defending Pacific Classic champion Higher Power. Four other Pacific Classic nominees worked 5 furlongs Saturday morning — Midcourt (1:02.20), Improbable (1:00.60), Dark Vader (59.00) and Sharp Samurai (1:02). Midcourt finished second by a nose to Maximum Security in the Grade II San Diego Handicap on July 25.
Trainer Phil D’Amato had two winners Saturday and one Friday to pull to within one win of tying Peter Miller for the lead in the trainer standings. Miller won his 12th race Saturday. D’Amato has 11 wins. Flavien Prat had three wins Saturday to regain sole possession of first in the jockey standings.
Center is a freelance writer.
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