Casse, Maker Intend to Have Summer Stables at Del Mar

California racing, limited by short fields, particularly in stakes in recent months, is set to get some new additions to its horse population this summer. Trainers Mark Casse and Mike Maker said May 27 they plan to have strings of about 25 horses at Del Mar this summer.

The additions come at a time when entries are light at Santa Anita Park. The Arcadia track's three graded stakes races May 29 drew 14 horses, with five horses in both the $100,000 Daytona Stakes (G3T) and $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes (G2) and four in the $200,000 Charlie Whittingham Stakes (G2T).

Fields are projected to be small for many of Santa Anita's remaining stakes this weekend. Only five 3-year-old fillies were entered in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks (G2) May 30, and similarly, short lineups are anticipated for two of the three grade 1s Santa Anita has on deck for Memorial Day, May 31—the $300,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) and Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T).

Chris Merz, director of racing and racing secretary at Santa Anita, and Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens went on a recruiting trip earlier this month to entice participation in California racing and promote Del Mar's "Ship & Win" multi-race incentive program for out-of-state horses. That program was recently expanded to allow horses to run at Santa Anita this spring while maintaining Del Mar "Ship & Win" eligibility. Santa Anita has a similar "Sunshine Bonus" program.

Casse, who previously had a string at Del Mar years ago when the track had a synthetic main-track surface, said the planned closure of the Churchill Downs backstretch this summer after its spring meet for a turf course renovation played a role in his West Coast expansion. 

"You have the 'Ship & Win.' I've got some owners that want to race out there," Casse said. "Things are going to be very tight with Churchill closing down. We just thought with the Breeders' Cup out there, it was the perfect opportunity."

His California stable, to be overseen by assistant Allen Hardy, could stay beyond the Del Mar summer meet, Casse indicated.

Maker, whose Kentucky barn is at Churchill Downs Trackside and not at Churchill Downs itself, said the Louisville track's summer stabling closure was not a basis for seeking to run at Del Mar. He said some of his owners like Del Mar and the track provided an opportunity to pursue racing options for "a lot of horses with the same (eligibility) conditions."

Maker expects to have 25-30 horses there with Nolan Ramsey as his on-site assistant.

Jim DiVito, William Morey, James Chapman, and John Ortiz are other out-of-state trainers that have applied for stalls this summer at Del Mar, Jerkens said. 

"Hopefully, those trainers can get mesmerized by the beach down there and they decide to end up our way afterward. Get sucked into the California cool," Merz said.

 According to Merz, probable starters for the Hollywood Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile dirt race, include Country Grammer , Express Train , Heywoods Beach , Tizamagician , and Zestful . Crossfire , Restrainedvengence , Smooth Like Strait , and Whisper Not  are considered likely by Merz for the Shoemaker Mile, a turf race that provides an automatic berth into the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) at Del Mar Nov. 6.

A moderate-sized field is anticipated for the $300,000 Gamely Stakes (G1T) on Monday, which could attract Bodhicitta , Charmaine's Mia , Going to Vegas , Juliet Foxtrot , Maxim Rate , Raymundos Secret , Red Lark , Stela Star , and Warren's Showtime , Merz said.

Numerous factors have contributed to the current shortage of stakes competitors in California.

With Tex Sutton Equine Air Transportation not currently flying a dedicated aircraft while the company seeks a new lease for a cargo plane, travel to the West Coast via FedEx is considered less convenient by some trainers, discouraging travel. New York-based trainer Chad Brown told Daily Racing Form over the weekend that he chose not to send defending champion Raging Bull  to the Shoemaker Mile and Capital Structure  to the Gamely due to not being able to secure "adequate shipping."

The Santa Anita racing office does expect a couple of Kentucky-based horses to compete at Santa Anita this weekend: Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Crazy Beautiful , trained by Kenny McPeek, in the Summertime Oaks, and Juddmonte's Juliet Foxtrot, trained by Brad Cox, in the Gamely.

Other California-stabled stakes horses are competing elsewhere, some due to differing rules in other states regarding the use of the diuretic Lasix, which is used to control respiratory bleeding in horses. It is prohibited in stakes in California, with an exception made for stakes involving California-bred older horses.

C Z Rocket , one of California's top sprinters last year, won stakes twice this year at Oaklawn Park, where Lasix is permitted. He races Monday for trainer Peter Miller and owners Madaket Stables, Gary Barber, and Tom Kagele in the $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) at Lone Star Park, again with Lasix. Miller said this winter the now 7-year-old had bleeding issues earlier in his career.

Lasix is permitted outside of stakes for older horses in California, leaving horses eligible to upper-level allowances as alternative options to stakes races. This is similarly the case for horses in Kentucky and those based at New York Racing Association tracks, where Lasix is also prohibited in stakes.

"We're in a little bit of a lull right now with 2-year-olds coming in, older horses going out for rest," Merz said of the scene in California. "We have some horsemen that like to point for Del Mar as well, so they're freshening up their horses. It's kind of something we go through around this time. Expected on our end, and we try to prepare as best we can for it."