OUR SILVER OAK RETURNS IN THURSDAY FEATURE
Stakes winner Our Silver Oak returns off a 15-month layoff for trainer Jonathan Wong in Race 4 on Thursday, a one-mile allowance on turf for 3-year-olds and upward. The 4-year-old California-bred son of Unusual Heat drew post 2 and is listed as the 8-5 morning line favorite. Leading jockey Kyle Frey, who has been working Our Silver Oak in the mornings, has the call.
“He’s doing really good,” said Wong. “He’s been working great and I expect him to run well. Kyle [Frey] is really happy with how he’s doing, too, so we’re excited to get him started this year.”
Our Silver Oak last raced on June 22, 2019 at Santa Anita, where he scored a come-from-behind victory in the mile and one-eighth, $200,000 Snow Chief Stakes on turf. Other career highlights include a runner up finish in the 2019 Silky Sullivan Stakes at Golden Gate and a second-place effort in the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos as a 2-year-old. Wong noted that California-bred stakes races in Southern California could be in Our Silver Oak’s future if he were to show he still has what it takes to be a stakes-caliber athlete.
“With a good California-bred, you’ve got options,” said Wong. “He’s a router. We’ll take it one race at a time, but there are route races for California-bred stakes horses down south throughout the year, so those types of races would be logical options for him.”
BLUE DIVA GETS BACK TO HER PREFFERED SURFACE ON FRIDAY
Race 3 on Friday goes as the marquee event on an 8-race program. The race, for fillies and mares routing one mile on Tapeta, drew a stakes quality field and figures to be a stepping stone for higher quality races later on in the year.
2019 Miss America Stakes winner Blue Diva drew the outside post in the field of 5 and is an interesting item to consider. Although her last couple of starts have resulted in subpar efforts, she gets back to Tapeta, an angle that trainer Isidro Tamayo believes may be the key to getting her back to winning form.
“Her best surface, by far, is Tapeta,” said Tamayo. “She always trains really well over this track. Last Sunday morning she worked a half-mile and looked awesome. She’s ready.”
The numbers don’t lie, either. Her last three starts on the Tapeta ended with trips to the winner circle, including on February 28 when she defeated stakes winner Wicked Old Fashion in a salty allowance race.
Tamayo has shown a rapid ascent to the top of the trainer standings this year and noted he is proud of what he has achieved so far in his young training career.
“To be honest, I haven’t had that much time to sit down and think about it,” said Tamayo, who went out on his own 3-years-ago with only a handful of horses. “But I’m proud. Every day, my employees and I work very hard to do the best we can to take good care of our horses, keep them fit and healthy, and put them in races where they can be competitive. I feel blessed and very lucky to have good owners who have given me a chance to train their horses.”
Another contender in Friday’s allowance feature, Wicked Old Fashion, looks to turn the tables on Blue Diva after getting acquainted in February. Conditioned by Victor Trujillo, the daughter of Colonel John won the 2019 Kathryn Crosby Stakes at Del Mar and also finished third in the Rolling Green Stakes against males at Golden Gate that same year. She ran poorly in her last start, the Luther Burbank Stakes on turf, and gets back to Tapeta for this run. Jockey Bryan Pena rides for the first time.
Ziarah, one of two runners from the Manny Badilla barn, finished second in the Luther Burbank to multiple stakes-winning stablemate Sloane Garden. Before her most recent stakes loss, Ziarah won four allowance races in a row, three of which came over the Golden Gate Tapeta main track. For that reason, she has been installed the 8-5 morning-line favorite for Friday’s third race.
Never Be Enough, the stablemate to Ziarah, and longshot Mybluebell complete the quintet entered. Post time for Race 3 on Friday is 2:54 PM PT.
CLAIMS REPORT
Last week’s claims are as follows:
Thursday
Race 1: Tuscan Warrior (Trainer Pablo De Jesus…Owner Cindy Winschell)
Race 4: Cimpl Man (Jonathan Wong…Madden Racing)
Friday
Race 9: Novella (Steve Sherman…Stewball Stable, Mailloux, Richter and Sherman)
Saturday
Race 1: Gambler’s Appeal (Jonathan Wong…Battle Born Racing Stable)
Race 4: Bako Sweets (John Martin…Donald Valpredo)
Race 5: Secretly Paranoide (Milton Pineda…Lizbeth Medina)
Sunday
Race 10: Whoa Nessie (O.J. Jauregui…Danny A. Eplin)
DEL MAR WATCH LIST
Northern California connections race the following horses at Del Mar this week:
Friday
Race 2: #6 Overwhelming Love (trainer Jonathan Wong, jockey Ricky Gonzalez)
Race 3: #3 Final Final (Bill McLean, Ricky Gonzalez)
Race 6: #4 Fireitup (Quinn Howey, Geovanni Franco)
Race 9: #14 Prudent (Quinn Howey, Jose Valdivia Jr.)
Saturday
Race 2: #4 King Eddie (Bill McLean, Ricky Gonzalez)
Race 2: #6 Nowhere Man (Quinn Howey, Geovanni Franco)
Race 5: #1 I’ll Do It For You (Quentin B. Miller, Edwin Maldonado)
Race 11: #3 Facts Matter (Tim McCanna, Tiago Pereira)
Race 11: #4 Pure Comedy (Bill McLean, Juan Hernandez)
FINISH LINES: $35,325 is carried over into the Golden Pick Six jackpot wager heading into Thursday…Race 2 at Golden Gate on Friday goes as Leg E (the penultimate race) of the Stronach 5 wager this week…Trainer Blaine Wright noted that his Del Mar string returned to Golden Gate Fields earlier this week. Among them: Green Flash Handicap runner up Baja Sur, stakes winner Mucho Amor and multiple stakes winner Anyportinastorm…After a fifth-place finish in last Sunday’s nightcap, owner Johnny Taboada announced the retirement of 8-year-old gelding Giant Mark. Taboada and trainer Sammy Calvario claimed Giant Mark for $2,500 in 2018 and went on to win 9 races with the California-bred chestnut. Happy retirement, ‘Mark!… Turf Paradise jockey Ryan Barber is set to ride at Golden Gate Fields for the foreseeable future and will be represented by agent Tara Homfeldt…Last week, Irving Orozco and Evin Roman joined the mix of jockeys in the local colony. Orozco, who hasn’t ridden since November, won one race. Roman, who recently shipped his track from Southern California, won two races. Orozco: “I’m blessed to feel so healthy and strong. I feel motivated and focused to do the best I can every day and I am grateful for the trust and support of the horsemen. I’m making the most of the opportunities presented to me.” Roman quipped, “I really like it here. All of the people here have been very nice and I am working really hard. Golden Gate is a beautiful track and I am very happy to be here.”