SKIMMING WINNING WON'T BE SURPRISE.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI Horse Racing horse racing, trials of speed involving two or more horses. It includes races among harnessed horses with one of two particular gaits, among saddled Thoroughbreds (or, less frequently, quarterhorses) on a flat track, or among saddled horses over a turf course with DEL MAR Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
It's the home-field advantage. Or, as they say in this sport, where there's no such thing as a home team, it's a case of ``horses for courses.'' If the Pacific Classic were staged anywhere else, Skimming would merely be a contender - dangerous because of his early speed, suspect because of his apparent stamina limitations. But because the race is run at Del Mar, Skimming is an 8-5 favorite on the morning line and could go lower on the tote board tote board n. A large, usually electrically operated board that displays changing numerical information, such as betting payoffs or voting results. . The 5-year-old thoroughbred, bred in Kentucky, owned by a Saudi Arabian prince Arabian Prince is the stage name of Mik Lezan (born October 12, 1964 in Inglewood, California), a rapper and hip hop producer, best known for being an original member of the legendary rap group, N.W.A. , raced originally in France and England, trained in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area for most of the year by a Brooklynite, and ridden by an Arizonan, has turned into a classic horse for the course in North San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. County. ``Maybe it's the footing. Maybe it's (something) in the air,'' trainer Bobby Frankel said when asked to explain Skimming's affinity for the seaside track. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. .'' What we know is that Skimming and jockey Garrett Gomez led from gate to wire to beat Tiznow by two lengths in the Pacific Classic last summer. And that, in three starts at Del Mar, Skimming has three victories and has earned $900,000. And that, by contrast, in 15 starts at other tracks, he has four wins and $680,000. Even if they can't be fully explained, those numbers give Skimming the edge over five opponents who, combined, are 1 for 11 (banking $180,000) at Del Mar. The lone victory at Del Mar by other of the other horses was Captain Steve's maiden victory in 1999. Since then, Captain Steve Captain Steve (foaled 1997 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was bred by Roger Laubach, owned by Michael E. Pegram, and trained by Bob Baffert. A bay foal by Fly So Free out of Sparkling Delite (by Vice Regent), he started 25 times, and earned the exceptional has recorded three consecutive third-place finishes here. Among the other opponents, Futural, the 9-5 second choice on the morning line, has two seconds and a third in three starts here; Dig for It is winless in four tries here, and Until Sundown and Dixie Dot Com dot com - com haven't raced here. ``I'm a firm believer in that ('horses for courses'),'' said Bill Morey, trainer of Dixie Dot Com, a San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay, 50 mi (80 km) long and from 3 to 13 mi (4.8–21 km) wide, W Calif.; entered through the Golden Gate, a strait between two peninsulas. Area-based 6-year-old who has done his best work recently at Lone Star Park Lone Star Park is a horse racing track located in Grand Prairie, Texas. History Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for Thoroughbred racing and Quarter Horse racing. In October of 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp. near Dallas. ``Now, we've never run here, so we're the unknown factor.'' What is it about Del Mar? ``Maybe it's the salt air down there,'' Frankel said this week in a conference call with racing writers. ``There's just certain horses that thrive at certain places.'' Skimming doesn't strike many handicappers as a true 1 1/4-mile horse. He wasn't going anywhere in the homestretch home·stretch n. 1. The portion of a racetrack from the last turn to the finish line. 2. Informal The final stages of an undertaking. Noun 1. 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. last month at Hollywood Park Hollywood Park may be several places:
But at Del Mar, Skimming seems to stretch his natural early speed farther. ``He runs the turns good, and when he turns for home, the wire is right in front of him,'' Frankel said, referring to Del Mar's relatively short stretch. Whether it's because of the weather, the ocean tide's effect on the running surface, the contours of the oval or something else, Del Mar has long had a reputation as a horses-for-courses kind of place. Some horses love it, some hate it. Frankel calls it a ``gimmick track.'' In the old days, a bettor had to make an extra effort just to identify horses who demonstrated some affection for a particular track by winning a race - or races - in previous seasons. Then, in 1993, the Daily Racing Form The Daily Racing Form, LLC (DRF) is a broadsheet newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race horses as a statistical service for bettors on horse racing in the United States. began printing each entrant's record at today's track in the past-performance charts. Now, everybody has at least a clue. The result is that merely knowing how well a horse has done at the track is not the betting angle it might once have been. In parimutuel gambling, an edge for everybody is an edge for nobody. Consider what would have happened if, during the first two weeks of racing at Del Mar this season, you wagered on every horse who had won previously on the Del Mar main track or turf (as the case may be). Betting $2 to win, you would have cashed 14 of 87 tickets (20.7 percent) and lost $18.20 (10.5 percent) on your investment. Both percentages are better than random gambling would be expected to achieve - but not good enough. Although the method identified winners paying $32.80, $25.60 and $24.20, it mostly found short-priced winners. Horses showing two or more victories at Del Mar returned an average of just $5.70 when they won this year. They're too obvious. That's why Skimming won't make bettors rich Sunday. Anybody can see why he should win. You don't even have to be a racing fan. --Elsewhere: Frankel, in addition to seeking his sixth Pacific Classic victory in 11 years, will have contenders in four other major races around the country this weekend: Aptitude in Sunday's Saratoga Breeders' Cup Handicap and Flute in Saturday's Alabama Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, both at Saratoga; and Senure in Saturday's Arlington Million and The Seven Seas in Saturday's Beverly D. Handicap for turf fillies and mares, both at Arlington. Frankel plans to be at Saratoga and watch the Pacific Classic on television Sunday. OUT OF THE GATE DEL MAR LEADERS (Through Wednesday) Jockey Wins Alex Solis 21 Laffit Pincay 19 Victor Espinoza 18 Mike Smith 16 Jose Valdivia 16 Trainer Wins Bob Baffert 17 Bobby Frankel 10 Bill Spawr 10 Jack Carava 9 Richard Mandella 7 PINCAY WATCH Laffit Pincay risked his well-earned status as the crowd's favorite jockey when he won Wednesday's third race at Del Mar on Penamacor ($19), the longest shot on the board. That was the opener of a pick-six featuring a $134,000 carryover, and the upset knocked most bettors out of the game. The pick-six wound up paying $9,176. Pincay's record career-wins total rose to 9,202. THE STAKES SCHEDULE Del Mar Saturday --$300,000 Del Mar Oaks The Del Mar Oaks is an American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies. The race carries a purse of $400,000 and is a Grade I event at a distance of one and one-eighth miles (9 furlongs) on the turf at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. , 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/8 miles on turf. Sunday --$1 million Pacific Classic, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/4 miles. --$150,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap The Rancho Bernardo Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is open to fillies and mares age three and up and raced at a distance of six and one-half furlongs on the dirt. , 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 1/2 furlongs. Arlington --$1 million Arlington Million, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/4 miles on turf. --$750,000 Beverly D., 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 3/16 miles on turf. --$400,000 Secretariat, 3-year-olds, 1 1/4 miles on turf. Saratoga --$700,000 Alabama, 3-year-old fillies, 1 1/4 miles. A WEEK AT THE RACES At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure PLC and 28 (out of the 59) UK racecourses. Del Mar's first race on Sunday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. - 90 minutes earlier than usual - and the Pacific Classic is set as the fifth race at 2:42 p.m. ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network coverage starts at 2 p.m. ... Bill Shoemaker will present the winning trophy for the Pacific Classic. Sunday is the great rider's 70th birthday. ... The San Diego Union-Tribune's Hank Wesch reports that Del Mar hoped to have Bill Clinton present the trophy, but Sunday is the former president's 55th birthday and he'll be celebrating elsewhere. ... Del Mar will guarantee a $1 million pick-six pool Sunday. ... Pacific Classic leaders: trainer Bobby Frankel (five wins), owner Juddmonte Farms (three), and jockeys Gary Stevens (two) and Eddie Delahoussaye (two). The race has been won by 3-year-olds twice (Best Pal, 1991, and General Challenge, 1999). There has been only one winning favorite in 10 years (Gentlemen, 1997). ... Bob Baffert ($12.6 million) and Jerry Bailey ($15.1 million) have nearly $600,000 leads on the national trainer and jockey earnings lists. ... Baffert's El Corredor earned a 119 Beyer speed figure The Beyer Speed Figure is a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post. , equalling the highest on the continent this year, when he covered 7 furlongs in 1:20.42 in winning the Pat O'Brien on Sunday. ... David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the went to England's Ascot racecourse Saturday and rode two winners to lead the ``Rest of the World'' team to a victory over a Great Britain-Ireland squad in a jockeys' competition. -- Kevin Modesti PACIFIC CLASSIC LINEUP Entries and post positions were determined Thursday for the $1 million Pacific Classic, to be run Sunday at Del Mar. POST HORSE JOCKEY ODDS 1 Until Sundown Gary Stevens 6-1 2 Futural Chris McCarron 9-5 3 Skimming Garrett Gomez 8-5 4 Dig for It Alex Solis 30-1 5 Dixie Dot Com David Flores 8-1 6 Captain Steve Victor Espinoza 3-1 --Each horse is assigned 124 pounds, except for the 3-year-old, Until Sundown, 117. --Morning-line odds were set by Del Mar's Jeff Tufts; actual odds will be determined by the betting. CAPTION(S): 2 boxes Box: (1) OUT OF THE GATE (see text) (2) PACIFIC CLASSIC LINEUP (see text) |
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