Eight 3-year-old fillies, including two entries of two horses each, are set for Sunday's $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) at 1 1/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The race will be run as the ninth on the 11-race Pacific Classic day card.
Stakes veteran Atlantic Ocean, owned by The Thoroughbred Corp. and trained by Bob Baffert, is an entry with The Thoroughbred Corp.'s Dessert, making her stakes debut for trainer Richard Mandella. Atlantic Ocean shows two seconds and a third in her most recent three starts, all on the lawn. She was second last time out in Del Mar's San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) Aug. 2.
The other entry is Katdogawn, the San Clemente winner, and Star Vega, fourth in that race. Both are owned by John R. Cuchna, Jim Ford and Daron Pearson and trained by James Cassidy.
Cassidy said this morning, "Both fillies are doing very well. I'm quite pleased with both of them." Considering Star Vega as the better prospect at 1 1/8 miles, Cassidy expanded a bit to add, "I'm very pleased with her. I expect a big effort from her."
Two fillies in the field – Cassis and Well Done My Love – are making their first starts in the United States. Cassis, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Red Ransom, is owned by Sanford R. Robertson and trained by Jeremy Noseda. Del Mar based Kathy Walsh will saddle her for the Oaks. Well Done My Love is a recent purchase by Cecil Peacock and is trained by Dan Hendricks.
Cassis has been racing in England and Ireland and has a ledger of two wins, a second and a third in 10 starts. German-bred Well Done My Love has one win, two seconds and three thirds in 10 outings, all in France.
Personal Legend, making her third straight start in stakes company, has one win in five starts to her credit for trainer Bobby Frankel, but ran creditably in both the Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs and the $750,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park July 5.
Solar Echo, bred and owned by Janis Whitham and trained by Ron McAnally, is making her stakes debut in the Oaks.
$300,000 Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT), 3-year-olds fillies, 1 1/8 mile on turfPP. Horse, Wgt., Jockey
1. Star Vega, 122, Mike Smith-a
2. Katdogawn, 120, Julie Krone-a
3. Personal Legend, 122, Jerry Bailey
4. Dessert, 122, Corey Nakatani-b
5. Atlantic Ocean, 122, Patrick Valenzuela-b
6. Cassis, 122, Kent Desormeaux
7. Solar Echo, 122, David Flores
8. Well Done My Love, 120, Alex Solis
(a) Cuchna, Ford and Pearson-owned entry
(b) Thoroughbred Corp.-owned entry
