DEL MAR, Calif. – A summer sprint stakes that regained its relevance offers veteran Grade 1 winners a chance for the same on Saturday at Del Mar.
But do Stronghold, Speed Boat Beach, and Express Train still have what it takes to win the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes? It’s a fair question, because none have won a race in more than a year, nor have graded stakes-winning entrants Dr. Venkman and Spirit of Makena.
Nine are entered in the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien, a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
For six years after Del Mar reinstalled dirt in 2015, the Pat O’Brien struggled. Average field size was less than six, and the race had marginal influence. But the past four years, average field size ballooned to more than nine and the race was won by top horses. The 2022 winner, Laurel River, later won the Dubai World Cup; 2024 winner Raging Torrent won this year's Met Mile.
So the Pat O’Brien is important again, particularly for two prominent comebackers. Stronghold, the 2024 Santa Anita Derby winner, has not raced since January. Speed Boat Beach, the 2023 Malibu Stakes winner, has not raced since May. Both are ready to fire, according to their trainers.
“To come off the bench and run seven-eighths you have to be super-fit and ready to go,” Stronghold’s trainer, Phil D’Amato, said. “The [Aug. 10] drill gave us the indication that he was. It was really like a mile drill, his gallop-out was huge.”
Stronghold commenced workouts in May, following a next-to-last place finish Jan. 25 in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream.
“He popped a splint on us out of the Pegasus,” D’Amato said. “We gave him plenty of time to recoup, he’s come back really good. Hopefully, we can use the Pat O’Brien as a stepping-stone to get us into the Breeders’ Cup” Dirt Mile.
Antonio Fresu rides 4-year-old Stronghold, who breaks from post 6 in a field with pace to flatter his rally. Stronghold is listed at 3-1 by track linemaker John Lies; Speed Boat Beach is the 5-2 favorite.
Speed Boat Beach won two stakes as a 2-year-old and the Malibu late in his 3-year-old season. Speed Boat Beach, a 5-year-old trained by Bob Baffert, has won 4 of 8 starts.
“He’s always been a really good horse, I just had some setbacks with him,” Baffert said. “His last start in Kentucky, he bled in the race. I turned him out after that.”
Speed Boat Beach commenced workouts in July; he will enter the Pat O’Brien with six published drills.
“He’s got a lot of works under his belt, he’s ready to go,” Baffert said.
Juan Hernandez rides Speed Boat Beach, whose inside post (2 of 9) dictates a front-running strategy.
Baffert also entered Maymun, who is eligible to a two-other-than allowance. Kazushi Kimura rides Maymun, who has not raced since February 2024 but worked heads up with Speed Boat Beach on Aug. 17.
“They’re both fit enough to go seven-eighths,” Baffert said. He also nominated Citizen Bull to the Pat O’Brien but will wait for the Shared Belief Stakes on Aug. 31.
The front-runners in the Pat O’Brien include Speed Boat Beach, Maymun, and stakes winners Tapalo and Man O Rose. A contested pace would benefit Express Train, the 2022 Santa Anita Handicap winner whose fifth last month in a route race was his first start in five months.
“We ran in the San Diego; he was a little short,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “He got really aggressive down the backside and tired at the end. So, I thought, let’s shorten him up and run him at a very safe distance for him, then move on. We still have the races at Santa Anita.”
Seven furlongs is shorter than Express Train typically runs, though he won an allowance sprint and finished second in the seven-furlong Malibu in 2020. Hector Berrios rides Express Train, who could stretch to two turns for the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita.
Dr. Venkman, who won the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap last summer at Del Mar, drew poorly again. Fourth in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes, Dr. Venkman landed the rail.
“It’s not good,” trainer Mark Glatt acknowledged. “He is not as effective when he gets stuck down inside.”
Umberto Rispoli rides Dr. Venkman.
Awesome Rhythm, an entry-level allowance winner last out, also entered the Pat O’Brien, race 9 on a 10-race card.
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