DEL MAR — Visiting trainers and jockeys have a history of doing well in Del Mar’s annual Turf Festival.
But no outsiders have ever gotten off to a faster start in the eight-stakes, closing weekend of the fall meeting than trainer Jonathan Thomas and jockey Vincent Cheminaud.
Cheminaud rallied favorite Truly Quality in the stretch Friday to score a half-length victory over Phi D’Amato’s Balnikhov in the Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup, a 1½-mile marathon for older horses.
It was the Thomas-Cheminaud team’s second victory in two Turf Festival races. The pair won the Red Carpet Stakes opener last Sunday with Mrs. Astor.
While Truly Quality ($5.20) went off as the big favorite Friday, it didn’t look good for the 4-year-old gelded son of Quality Road, who was seventh among the nine starters entering the final quarter mile and still third in the stretch.
But he out-finished Balnikhov, who had also rallied in the last quarter mile and briefly led.
“I thought Truly Quality’s stamina really came into play today,” said Thomas. “For whatever reason, he’s falling off the pace. But he comes running. Vincent gave him a great ride given the circumstances with the wide post (No. 11). It’s hard to complain with the outcome.”
“To be honest, I was careful with Truly Quality today,” said Cheminaud. “I was a little bit scared because this is a short straight. But my horse was good today and the track was good to us. He gave me a nice answer at the end. He is a nice horse and he was relaxed today. And Jonathan knows him.”
The Turf Festival continues Saturday with three stakes on the grass capped by the Grade I, $300,000 Hollywood Derby — a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds — as the finale on a nine-race card.
Carson’s Run ships in from the east to be a narrow 3-1 morning-line pick over local favorite Formidable Man (9-2) in a field of 13 that includes four shippers.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Carson’s Run has won three of his last four starts, including the Grade I Saratoga Derby last summer and more recently the Grade III Jockey Club Derby at Belmont on Oct. 5. Dylan Davis will be aboard the son of Cupid, who arrived at Del Mar Tuesday after a delay-riddled, 15-hour trip from New York.
Umberto Rispoli will be aboard the Michael McCarthy-trained Formidable Man, who won the Grade II Del Mar Derby in his most recent start on Sept. 1. Rispoli won two stakes with the son of City of Light during Del Mar’s summer meeting. Two horses that ran directly behind Formidable Man in the Del Mar Derby — runner-up Stay Hot (Antonio Fresu) and Atitlan (Hector Berrios) are also entered in the Hollywood Derby.
Atitlan won the Grade II Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Oct. 26 with Stay Hot second. Stay Hot has two second-place finishes since winning the La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 4. The runner-up in that race was King of Gosford (Irad Ortiz Jr.), who is the early third pick (5-1) in the Hollywood Derby after winning the Let It Ride at Del Mar Oct. 31 on the Breeders’ Cup undercard.
More Saturday’s Turf Festival races:
• The Grade II, $200,000 Seabiscuit Handicap (1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds and up): Trainer D’Amato has a trio of horses in the field of 12 as he seeks a third straight Seabiscuit triumph. Easter (and Fresu) return as defending champs. But the French-bred 6-year-old has run out of the money in his last three starts. D’Amato also has Masteroffoxhounds (Frankie Dettori) and third-favorite Almendares (Ortiz Jr.) in the race. The slight, 3-1 favorite is Redistricting (Flavien Prat), a 4-year-old gelding shipped in from New York by trainer Chad Brown. The narrow second-favorite is Seal Team (Rispoli), a 4-year-old son of War Front who has raced once since winning the 2023 Twilight Derby.
• The Grade III, $100,000, Jimmy Durante Stakes (one mile, 2-year-old fillies): The John Sadler-trained Supa Speed (Prat) is the narrow, 7-2 early favorite in the field of 13. The daughter of Justify finished second to Thought Process at Del Mar on Sept. 7 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf then returned on Nov. 1 to finish 12th against the boys in the Grade II Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard. Sea Runner (Rispoli), who finished third behind Supa Speed in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, is the second-favorite at 9-2.
Notable
Accuracy, a 3-year-old daughter of Arrogate, won a one-mile allowance race Friday by 7¼ lengths under Rispoli. It was Accuracy’s first start since she posted the sixth-fastest speed of 2024 by a 3-year-old of either gender in a 15-length at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 19 at Santa Anita. Accuracy went off as the 1-9 favorite.
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