Richard Mandella is Del Mar’s turf marathon champion of 2023.
Mandella’s Planetario captured the 1 ½-mile, $200,000 Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup Friday afternoon a day after his Linda’s Gift won the 1 3/8-mile, $100,000 Grade III Red Carpet Stakes — giving the Hall of Fame trainer a sweep of the two longest races in Del Mar’s annual Turf Festival.
The only differences were the jockeys and the way the races played out.
On Thanksgiving, Linda’s Gift went wire-to-wire under Tiago Pereira.
Friday, jockey Hector Berrios rallied the Brazilian-bred Planetario late in the stretch in a faster-paced race to edge favored fast-closing Francesco Clemente at the wire, with Lukka a nose back in third. Balladeer and Speaking Scout followed.
Planetario ($12.40, $4.40, $3.40) was fifth in the field of seven with a quarter of a mile to go and still trailing by almost two lengths in the stretch.
“I wanted to run behind horses, where he is more relaxed,” Berrios said of Planetario. “We came close to other horses in the stretch, but a little space opened up and my horse responded. He had a good finish.”
“Great ride by Berrios,” said Mandella. “He didn’t lose an inch of ground. Hector sat still on him and just rode him with a lot of confidence.”
The Irish-bred Francesco Clemente, who was shipped in from New York by trainer Chad Brown for this race, was closing under Umberto Rispoli at the wire. Balladeer (Victor Espinoza) faded in the stretch after leading the first 1 ¼ miles while Astronaut went from second to last in the field of seven.
With Flavien Prat away for three days racing in Kentucky, Juan Hernandez scored three wins Friday – Highlands ($3.40) in the first, Princip ($5.60) in the second and Tahoe Sunrise ($3.80) in the eighth – to take the lead in the jockey standings. Hernandez, who had tied Prat with two wins on Thanksgiving, also had three seconds and a third on Friday’s nine-face card.
Tahoe Sunrise’s win also allowed Bob Baffert to regain the trainer’s lead from Phil D’Amato.
Jockey Edwin Maldonado — Beer Money ($6.20) in the fifth and Montana ($8.00) in the sixth — also had two wins Friday. Trainer Doug O’Neill also had two wins with Giovinazzo (J.G. Torrealba, $12.60) in the fourth and Beer Money.
Other Friday winners — Third race: Single Track Mind (Umberto Rispoli, $12.80); Ninth race: Unwritten Code (Pereira, $14.20).
Meanwhile, Easter and Astronomer appear to be the top threats to defending champion and heavy morning line favorite Hong Kong Harry in Saturday’s Turf Festival feature, the 1 1/16-mile, Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap for older horses.
Hong Kong Harry and Easter are both out of the barn of D’Amato, who also has Balnikhov in the eight-horse field. Astronomer is trained by Simon Callaghan.
Hong Kong Harry, who had two wins and a second at Del Mar in 2022 and is coming off a September victory in the Grade II City of Hope at Santa Anita. The Irish-bred, 6-year-old gelding will have Hernandez aboard. The tandem is coming off a victory in the Grade II City of Hope Sept. 30 at Santa Anita. Balnikhov will have Berrios aboard Saturday. Easter (Antonio Fresu) won the Lure Stakes in his most recent start on Oct. 23 at Santa Anita.
Astronomer ran 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 4 after finishing second, a head behind Hong Kong Harry in the City of Hope. Rispoli will be aboard Astronomer.
