Sparky Ville Headlines Green Flash Handicap

The green flash, that rare refraction out of the skies just as the sun sets out over the Pacific, was the inspiration for the name of the Green Flash Handicap (G3T), a race where fast horses run a short five furlongs on the Del Mar green.

On Aug. 22, the $100,000 Green Flash Handicap leads off a banner day of racing offering five stakes worth a total of more than $1 million. The 11-race card starts at 2 p.m PT.

The highweight at 123 pounds—and the morning-line favorite at 5-2—is Del Secco DCS Racing's Sparky Ville, a multiple stakes-winning Candy Ride  gelding who already has a win at the session on the five-panel layout that he'll run Saturday. Mike Smith rode the 4-year-old to a photo-finish score at Del Mar July 26 and has the call.

Sparky Ville's only stakes wins have come on the dirt at Santa Anita Park. The gelding won the Sunny Slope Stakes at 2 and the San Vicente Stakes (G2) at 3. 

Jeff Bonde trains the chestnut Kentucky-bred, who has earned $321,312.

Chaos Theory is campaigned by trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing. The 5-year-old Curlin  gelding last raced June 14 at five furlongs on turf at Churchill Downs and was claimed out of that race for $62,500. The grass sprint specialist has won four times going short on the lawn and boasts a bankroll of just over $200,000.

Chaos Theory will leave post 7 with jockey Umberto Rispoli. 

Trainer Doug O'Neill will send out a pair of runners in Irish Heatwave and Torosay. California-bred Irish Heatwave is a 4-year-old son of Unusual Heat who finished off the board in the July 26 California Dreamin' Stakes at Del Mar. Owned by GNO Racing Club, Omar Aldabbagh, Wendy Ouriel, and Ritchie Robershaw, the colt will break from post 2 under Abel Cedillo.

Torosay is a 4-year-old gelding by Goldencents  campaigned by W C Racing. His only stakes performance in the United States came June 21 when he ran third in the Siren Lure Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Heriberto Figueroa will have the call. 

Entries: Green Flash H. (G3T)

Del Mar, Saturday, August 22, 2020, Race 3

• Grade IIIT
• 5f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Sparky Ville (KY)	Mike E. Smith	123	Jeff Bonde	5/2
2	2Irish Heatwave (CA)	Abel Cedillo	118	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
3	3Baja Sur (WA)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Blaine D. Wright	5/1
4	4Torosay (KY)	Heriberto Figueroa	118	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
5	5Mesut (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Carla Gaines	6/1
98	6Thanks Mr. Eidson (KY)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
6	7Chaos Theory (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	120	John W. Sadler	7/2
7	8Mikes Tiznow (CA)	Ricardo Gonzalez	121	Andy Mathis	9/2