Let’s start with the 300k Bing Crosby Stakes Recap; in case you miss Del Mar races this past weekend; Horse Racing Tote brings you all the details about these Win and You’re In races
Bing Crosby Stakes Recap
A brand-new ace emerged from the sprinting pack at Del Mar on Saturday, when sophomore Dr. Schivel took his elders and presumed betters back to school in the $300,000 Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes over six furlongs on the main track, earning a win-and-you’re-in spot at the Breeders’ Cup back in southern California in November.
The three-year-old son of Violence, trained by Mark Glatt and ridden by in-form Flavien Prat, signed off last season with a Grade 1 score in the Del Mar Futurity and picked up exactly where he left off after a successful pipe-opener at Santa Anita. He paid due deference to the established names here when saying ‘after you’ with a tardy start, and then had to work his way into the race on a wide trip.
Four wide at the top of the lane, Dr. Schivel had plenty left for the stretch run and came on strong, catching the pace-setters and crossing the line a neck in front of Eight Rings, with the hard-charging CZ Rocket a head further back in third. He stopped the clock in 1:10 and two-fifths and was worth $6.80 at the windows.
“This is a real racehorse,” said Glatt, who also took the Bing Crosby 12 months ago with Collusion Illusion. “He beat his elders today, and hopefully in November he can do it again.” CZ Rocket was runner-up in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, so Dr. Schivel has the right kind of game for the race. He may now ship to Saratoga to use the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens as a stepping-stone to the big one.
Clement L. Hirsch Stakes
Another booking for the Breeders’ Cup came a day later in the $300,000 Grade 1 Clement L Hirsch Stakes, for three-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, when Shedaresthedevil reserved her place in the Distaff with an impressive victory.
The Daredevil filly, sent west by trainer Brad Cox and the 6-5 favorite to make the long journey worthwhile, tracked the speed of Venetian Harbor until nosing into the lead at the quarter-pole. From there the task was straightforward, and Florent Geroux brought her home in relative ease, covering the mile-and-one-sixteenth on the main track in 1:45 and two-fifths. The winning margins were three and a quarter lengths and the same, with Venetian Harbor safe in second ahead of Paige Anne. A slow start did for the chances of second-favorite As Time Goes By, who could never get competitive at any stage.
This was the third Grade 1 win for Shedaresthedevil, winner of last year’s Kentucky Oaks, who will now ship back to her Churchill Downs base before adding to her air miles by making the return trip in November. She likes the sea air, having finished third here in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes as a juvenile.
“It was a good test to be here on this track,” said Geroux. “She ran her race today, and when she does that she’s very good. She’s right up there with the best mares I’ve ever ridden.”