And Tell Me Nolies Tries Turf in San Clemente

The only grade 1 winner in the July 22 San Clemente Stakes (G2T) at Del Mar, And Tell Me Nolies , makes her turf debut in the one-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Winner of last year's Del Mar Debutante (G1) at seven furlongs on the main track, And Tell Me Nolies will meet a full field in the San Clemente, which has attracted 14, plus two also-eligibles.

Peter Miller trains And Tell Me Nolies, who has by far the highest earnings in the field, with $485,800. But she has not won since taking the Oct. 8 Chandelier Stakes (G2), also on dirt, at Santa Anita Park. This year And Tell Me Nolies finished second in the Santa Ysabel (G3) and Santa Anita Oaks (G2) and was unplaced in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Summertime Oaks (G2). 

Antonio Fresu will ride And Tell Me Nolies from post 5 and will be piloting her in a race for the first time. Miller has won the San Clemente twice, in 2018 with War Heroine  and in 2020 with Laura's Light .

Trainer Tom Proctor has also won the San Clemente, bringing Wishing Gate  to Del Mar 10 years ago from Arlington International Race Course. This year he has entered Ocean Club , who has raced solely at Gulfstream Park.

Proctor is no stranger to Del Mar, and his pedigree goes back to his father, the late Willard Proctor, also a familiar name in the annals of Del Mar stakes winners. One of Tom's first stakes winners was I'm Smokin, who still has a Del Mar stakes named after him today.

Ocean Club comes into the San Clemente off a 2 1/4-length victory in the June 10 Martha Washington Stakes at Gulfstream over 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta synthetic surface there. She has started once on turf, finishing second in the May 6 Honey Ryder Stakes at Gulfstream. Proctor has named Drayden Van Dyke to ride from post 9.

Delight  (Joe Bravo, post 4) is another California newcomer. Trainer Jonathan Thomas trains the filly, who captured the 2022 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland. Delight comes of a 2 1/4-length win in a May 9 allowance optional claimer at a mile on the turf at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Trainer Phil D'Amato is always dangerous with turf runners, and he captured the 2022 San Clemente with Bellabel . He brings two Irish-breds this year: Paris Secret  and Comanche Country . Paris Secret (Edwin Maldonado, post 8) won the April 29 Providencia Stakes (G3T) at 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Santa Anita, while Comanche Country (Ramon Vazquez, post 12) hasn't won in three 2023 starts. However, last year she captured the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf over the same course and distance.

Paris Secret add blinkers.

Bob Baffert, who won the San Clemente in 2012 with Eden's Move, has entered Fast and Shiny , owned by last summer's leading Del Mar owner team of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Fast and Shiny won the March 26 Angels Flight Stakes on Santa Anita's downhill turf course. Abel Cedillo rides the filly from post 13.

New Mexico-based trainer Todd Fincher has two in the race: Flying Connection  (Rene Diaz, post 1) and Olivia Twist  (Kyle Frey, post 10). Flying Connection has won two stakes at Sunland Park, while Oliva Twist won a stakes last year at Remington Park and finished third in this year's Fantasy Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Both will be making their turf debuts.