MANDELLA DUO FAVORED.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer One horse hasn't run his best in precisely a year. The other hasn't won a stakes in this country, let alone a race of this quality. Individually, Gentlemen and Puerto Madero Puerto Madero is a neighborhood, or barrio, of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, which occupies a significant portion of the Río de la Plata riverbank. History In the 1930s, port facilities were relocated to Puerto Nuevo are shaky propositions in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Saturday. But together, coupled in the wagering because of common ownership, they are 6-5 favorites for the 1-1/4-mile race, the highlight of the Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
Touch Gold is so close, at 8-5 all by himself, that the Kentucky-based 4-year-old really should be considered the favorite. Free House is 3-1 on the morning line set after post positions were determined Wednesday. ``This is as tough as it gets. You have three, maybe four top horses,'' said Richard Mandella Richard Mandella (born November 5, 1950 in Beaumont, California) is a Thoroughbred horse trainer and a member of the Racing Hall of Fame. Mandella's father, a blacksmith, introduced him to horses at an early age and while still in high school he began breaking and training , trainer of Gentlemen and Puerto Madero, apparently counting the latter as the ``maybe.'' ``Touch Gold is world-class. Free House is world-class.'' Gentlemen won the Pacific Classic in 1997, when he was the best older horse on the West Coast. Free House won the '97 Santa Anita Derby The Santa Anita Derby is an American Grade 1 thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds run each April at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California and carries a purse of $750,000. and ran second or third in all of the Triple Crown races. Touch Gold won the '97 Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Oldest of the three U.S. horse races that constitute the Triple Crown. The Belmont originated in 1867 and is named after August Belmont (see Belmont family). The stakes is held in early June at Belmont Park, near Garden City, Long Island; the course is 1.5 mi (2,400 m). . Free House's and Touch Gold's rival, the popular Silver Charm Silver Charm (born February 22 1994) is an American Champion Thoroughbred race horse. Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Gary Stevens, Silver Charm won the 1997 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes before falling short of the Triple Crown by placing second in the Belmont , will miss the Pacific Classic after a last-place finish in the San Diego Handicap The San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. The race carries a purse of 300,000. . The handlers of top-ranked Skip Away Skip Away (born April 4, 1993), a gray thoroughbred race horse, was named America's Champion 3 Year Old Male in 1996 and twice (1997, 1998) named America's Champion Handicap Horse. decided to keep him in the East. But even without them, this is one of the strongest runnings of the Pacific Classic, and its nine-horse field equals the 1994 race won by come-from-behind 7-1 shot Tinner's Way. ``To get three horses like this,'' Mandella said, ``people don't appreciate it (enough). It doesn't happen that often these days.'' Six-year-old Gentlemen has lost back-to-back races for the first time in a 20-race career. He bled and finished last at 1-20 odds in the Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during . He came back 3-1/2 months later to run third to Skip Away and Puerto Madero in the Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. . A half-mile workout in :46 3/5, the fastest Tuesday morning at Del Mar, raised Mandella's confidence in Gentlemen. ``We haven't had a sterling year,'' Mandella said. ``We're still looking to get to the maximum point.'' Chilean-bred 4-year-old Puerto Madero is the equal of Gentlemen off their recent form. This will be his fourth U.S. race. Puerto Madero could be one of the early trailers, hoping his stablemate Noun 1. stablemate - a horse stabled with another or one of several horses owned by the same person stable companion Equus caballus, horse - solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times and Free House kill each other off. Puerto Madero will be ridden as usual by Kent Desormeaux. Gentlemen switches to Corey Nakatani, who rode him to two victories in 1996. Gary Stevens had been riding Gentlemen but committed to Silver Charm in the spring, and Mandella didn't want to be Stevens' second choice. Stevens will be on Lazy Load in the Pacific Classic, taking over from Desormeaux. Eddie Delahoussaye has Pacificbounty, replacing injured Laffit Pincay. PACIFIC CLASSIC LINEUP Post positions were drawn Wednesday for the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Saturday. The 1-1/4-mile event for 3-year-olds and up will be run as the seventh race at 3:42 p.m. Post Horse Jockey Odds 1 Lazy Lode Gary Stevens 12-1 2 Pacificbounty Eddie Delahoussaye 20-1 3 Touch Gold Pat Day 8-5 4 Ayrton S Omar Berrio 50-1 5 Puerto Madero Kent Desormeaux 6-5 (x) 6 Albaha Alex Solis 30-1 7 Gentlemen Corey Nakatani 6-5 (x) 8 Free House Chris McCarron 3-1 9 Don't Blame Rio Matt Garcia 50-1 (x) - Puerto Madero and Gentlemen, both owned by R.D. Hubbard, are coupled for wagering purposes. Note: Each horse carries 124 pounds. CAPTION(S): Box BOX: PACIFIC CLASSIC LINEUP (see text) |
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