Capacity Field in Oceanside for Del Mar's Opening Day

The seats at Del Mar will be filled July 16 for opening day, as will the track's starting gate for the 76th edition of the $100,000 Runhappy Oceanside Stakes. A capacity field of 14 3-year-olds race in the one-mile restricted turf race.

Large fields all around are the order of the day Friday at the seaside track, with 106 horses entered in 10 races. Another eight horses are also eligibles. Some entries are from out of state, enticed to Del Mar and the track's "Ship & Win" incentive program and bolstered overnight purses.

Lineups averaging 10.6 horses per race is a deviation from the norm in California this year, where short fields have been common.

But the story of opening day is the return of fans. Last year, spectatorless racing took place at Del Mar amid COVID-19, a health precaution that robbed the track of its usual energy.

"Last year felt abnormal, weird, very strange, surreal," said Peter Miller, a seven-time leading trainer at Del Mar, including last summer. "You'd win a race and it felt like you'd won a workout."

This year, a crowd of approximately 16,000 is anticipated, about half the size of the opening-day crowd in 2019. Del Mar requires all patrons have a seat during the 31-day meet this summer, which limits crowd size.

"Real live people, that's terrific," said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club CEO Joe Harper, in his 44th year at the track helm. "I spent a lot of time walking around talking to myself last year."

Miller has nine entries Friday at Del Mar, including Downstream Racing's None Above the Law  in the Oceanside. 

The Oceanside kicks off the opening week stakes action, including the July 17 $250,000 San Diego Handicap (G2), a key prep for the track's richest summer race, the $750,000 TVG Pacific Classic (G1) Aug. 21.

A winner of two minor stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Northern California, None Above the Law, a son of Karakontie  , launched a belated rally to just miss when second against California-breds in the Snow Chief Stakes June 19 at Santa Anita Park.

Under Juan Hernandez, he looms a mid-priced contender against a group that includes last-out turf sprint winner Harbored Memories , last-out turf sprint stakes winner Whatmakessammyrun , out-of-state stakes invaders in Fighting Force  and Crew Dragon , and others trying the grass for the first time.

Among the latter group is Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, Stonestreet Stables, and Richard Hausman's Dream Shake .

A debut winner at Santa Anita over the winter for trainer Peter Eurton, he thereafter raced in four graded stakes races. After thirds in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1), he was second in the Pat Day Mile Stakes Presented by LG&E and KU (G2) and fourth most recently in the June 5 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (G1).

Joe Bravo, who has shifted his tack to California this summer, picks up the mount.

Dream Shake is a son of Twirling Candy  , who captured the 2010 Oceanside at Del Mar before a follow-up victory that year in the Del Mar Derby (G2T). His dam, the Street Cry  mare Even Song , was unplaced in one turf start. One of her three foals to race has competed on turf, The Exception  (Congrats  ), going unplaced in five starts on the surface.

Entries: Runhappy Oceanside S.

Del Mar, Friday, July 16, 2021, Race 9

• STK
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 6:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Harbored Memories (WA)	Jose Valdivia, Jr.	120	Mike Puype	8/1
2	2Fighting Force (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Jeff Engler	6/1
3	3Crew Dragon (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	120	John W. Sadler	6/1
98	4Brutto (KY)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
4	5Petruchio (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard E. Mandella	12/1
5	6Dream Shake (KY)	Joe Bravo	120	Peter Eurton	4/1
6	7Jungle Cry (KY)	Tyler Baze	120	Steven Specht	20/1
7	8Flashiest (KY)	Abel Cedillo	122	Leonard Powell	6/1
8	9No Foolery Here (KY)	Geovanni Franco	120	Richard Baltas	20/1
98	10Mucho Del Oro (KY)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
9	11None Above the Law (CA)	Juan J. Hernandez	122	Peter Miller	8/1
10	12Ingest (CA)	Victor Espinoza	120	Doug F. O'Neill	30/1
11	13Whatmakessammyrun (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Mark Glatt	7/2
12	14Hockey Dad (CA)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1