The 16th Running of The DEL Oaks-G3
July 3, 2021 18:25
DEL Race #2 $300.000
3YO Fillies 122 Lbs
1 1/16 Dirt
Stakes/Track Record-1:41.57 (Cardi B-2019)
It is Independence Weekend here in the USA and that means stakes racing all over the country! For this one, we head to DEL where we have a small but extremely talented field of a half dozen sophomore fillies looking to take down the $300.000 G3 DEL Oaks. Stakes winners comprise 83% of the entries and four of these fillies have already claimed graded races in their brief careers. Feral Impact was the champion juvenile filly of 2020, Hot Summer was a finalist for that same award, Sundress won the G1 Acorn in her latest, and KY Oaks heroine Naples have all cast their lot here so the quality and class in this field does not need to take a back seat to any race throughout the HRP community this weekend.
This race has been around since 2006; four of our trainers look to join Austalia Wide as two-time winners of this Grade 3 contest and all of our jockeys will be trying to take this one down for the first time. S Bridgmohan, the only two-time winning jockey, does not have a mount in today’s field.
Here are your contestants for the 2021 G3 DEL Oaks:
#1 Sundress (Smokey Stover/R. Bejarano): Breaking from the rail, we have the 2021 G1 Acorn winner Sundress. It was after that June 5 victory that this one was purchased privately for the handsome sum of $1500.000 so the new trainer is in here trying to recoup some of that investment while snagging his 2nd edition of this race. She was on a two race winning streak late last year before finishing 2nd in the G2 Demoiselle in the last start of her juvenile campaign. This year she has competed in five consecutive graded contests as she went through the KY Oaks (G1) prep season before a disappointing 5th in that April 30 contest. She has been in the exacta in 6 of her last 8, so, safe to say, she means business in this one. Trainer Smokey Stover had this to say about why he paid $1500.000 for this one after her G1 Acorn win “Almost every purchase I make has breeding in mind. Her dam Shake it Off was one of the most talented mares in recent history and the sire is Cherokee Sunset. It really doesn’t get much better than that. I was lucky enough to train Shake it Off for a short time. I believe Sundress is one of the best of her crop and should be a major force the rest of the year. Our Athletes did a fantastic job with her.”
When asked why he chose this race for her, Smokey responded, “This spot was appealing because it is the perfect timing, has a good purse, and the perfect distance for her. When I bought her my sole concern was distance as she faded a bit in the Oaks. My concerns were mostly alleviated after I breezed her 12F and she put up an excellent time. She will have to bring her A race though as this small field is absolutely loaded!”
#2 Feral Impact (Mb Stables/J. Talamo): The 2020 Juvenile Filly champ will break from post 2 today after a disappointing 9th place effort in the G1 Acorn on June 5. Prior to that race, she took the coveted Day Mile (G2) at CD on May 1. So far, that is the lone win for her in this sophomore campaign, but she was extremely competitive during the KYO prep season where she was 2nd in the G2 Davona Dale and 4th, beaten a length, in the G2 SA Oaks. Jockey J. Talamo gets the call to pilot this one for the first time today; he will be looking to work out a trip to get the champ back in the win column as well as snag the 2nd edition of this race for her conditioner. Mb Stables had this to say about his decision to buy this filly after her virgin work and why this spot was the race he picked-out for her today, “I purchased her off of a very impressive virgin workout. Joshua Stables advertised the time in the PS forum and I happened to see the ad a day or so later and made the offer. It helped that I owned the sire so I trusted the bloodlines.”
Because of her win in the Day Mile there aren’t a lot of places she can run in a GS race and not give up weight. Obviously she drew a really tough field because those other fillies are in the same boat. It’s going to be a real struggle for her to finish top 3 off of that last performance, but hopefully she still has some magic in her.”
#3 Hot Summer (D J C Racing Stables/M.J. Sanchez): A finalist for the award for HRP Juvenile Filly of 2020, Hot Summer comes into this one looking for the first win of her sophomore campaign. In the last race of her juvenile season this filly took home the G2 Demoiselle before going through a prep season that culminated with her 12th place finish in G1 KY Oaks. She returned a month later at SA in the Summertime Oaks (G2) where she just missed, finishing 3rd beaten 3/4 of a length. Just a bit of improvement off of that effort should make her a major player in a loaded race. When asked about his filly, trainer D J C Racing Stables (looking for his 2nd win in this race) had this to say, “Hot Summer is coming off of two good works and was looking for a spot to run. My luck lately with draws has been pretty dismal so I wanted to find a small field if possible to run in, when I entered her in this one it only had 4 other runners, the one problem is that the other 4 runners are super tough, ugh. Best of luck to all the entries and lets race!”
#4 Glamorous Life (Nakamura Stables/J. Pimentel): Nakamura Stables’ homebred Glamorous Life breaks from the middle of the starting gate looking for her first graded victory. As a juvenile, this one did claim the $100.000 CTBA Stakes at DMR before running 3rd and 7th in the G2 Chandelier and G1 Starlet, respectively. Has yet to finish off of the board as a sophomore; however, she has yet to find the Winner’s Circle in four attempts this season. Was last seen finishing 2nd, beaten 3/4 of a length, in a LAD allowance so suffice to say that this will be a higher degree of difficulty than what she has been attempting. Nakamura Stables is known to get one right at the right time so it’s safe to say, he sees something that he likes. When asked about his horse, Nakamura Stables said, “She never works well, but she’s a one run horse and that’s what I’m giving her.”
#5 Mercantile (Mo Mentum Farm/A. Cedillo): The most lightly-raced sophomore filly in this field, Mercantile comes here with only a MSW win at GP on March 13 in six races. Now, out of that maiden-breaker, she was thrown in the deep end of the pool as she immediately took on graded foes in the G3 Fantasy at OP on April 3. That one appeared to be a case of too much/too soon as she could only muster a dead heat for 6th. She tried the allowance ranks in her last two, finishing 3rd and 2nd in first level tries at WO and CD, respectively. If this were a “normal” G3 for 3yo fillies, she might be just fine; however, she will need a career best to factor in this G3. The opportunity to run in these types of races doesn’t come around very often, so you can’t knock them for trying this spot. Trainer Mo Mentum Farm said this race is part of a plan for this filly, “Mercantile is an ON homebred and she’s been pointed to the WO Oaks since she worked 1:37 flat (1mile dirt) way back in March. She’s probably a better horse than her record indicates – it just seems no matter what instruction she’s on, she finds herself on the lead. I knew it would be a stiff race, but the race came up even tougher than I thought featuring another homebred of mine, Naples.
Even though it’s a small field, I don’t expect her to earn a cheque. I just hope it’s an effective set up race for the WO Oaks and that I’ll be able to find a way to keep her off the lead. It’s also worth noting Mercantile hates off tracks and is an auto scratch if the track comes up ‘off’. I mention this because there’s a lot of rain looming this weekend across the country.”
#6 Naples (Arindel/P. Lopez): Maybe the most popular filly in the race, Naples, will break from the outside of this six-horse field. Privately purchased twice in the last 71/2 months for $1200.000 and $750.000 by Fractious and then Arindel, respectively. Fractious gave her two runs in graded races to end her juvenile campaign and start her sophomore campaign; she finished 10th in the G1 Starlet and 2nd in the G3 Las Virgenes. Was purchased by Arindel following the Las Virgines (G3) and immediately paid dividends for her new conditioner. She comes here a winner of three of her last four with victories in the G3 Honeybee, G3 Fantasy, and G1 KY Oaks to her credit before taking on the last leg of the TC. In the BEL, she came home 13th and the decision was made to go back to the distaffers. Anything close to her best makes her a major player in here and anything less than that makes her an also-ran; this race is that tough.
Final Analysis: This will be the toughest G3 these horses ever run in. This one may end up being a scrum at the end and whoever comes out on top will know they have been in a fight. Taking Naples to get back on track, but could very easily see any of these crossing the wire first. Thank you to all of the trainers who took time out of their day to provide their thoughts and good luck to all of the combatants in the Grade 3 DEL Oaks!
Categories: STAKES ARTICLES
