Encumbered Continues Callaghan's Hot Streak at Del Mar

Trainer Simon Callaghan's standout summer continued Sept. 3 with Encumbered's win in the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes.

A day after Moonshine Memories sprinted to victory in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) for Callaghan, Reddam Racing's Encumbered kicked home best in an overflow field of 2-year-old males and held off a late closing effort from My Boy Jack to win the one-mile grass test by a half-length.

Armour Plate set the early pace, as he dueled with Bombardeo to take command entering the first turn. Once he was in the clear, Armour Plate ran free in the backstretch and set fractions of :22.91 and :46.23 through a half-mile, with a four-length lead.

Encumbered settled into fifth, 10 1/2 lengths off the lead, but made up five lengths in the third quarter under Mario Gutierrez, as six furlongs went in 1:10.81. In the stretch he didn't burst away from the field, but maintained his advantage to the wire in 1:35.90.

"He broke well and Mario did a super job of getting him over (to the rail from post 13)," said Callaghan, who already has a career-high in wins (30) for the year and is well on his way to a career best in earnings (more than $2 million). "Sometimes you can get hung out wide in these sort of big-field turf races, but Mario got him over, got him relaxed, and the race worked out for us."

This year, Callaghan has also won the Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar with Run Away, the Longines Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course with American Gal, and was a nose away from winning the Del Mar Oaks Presented by The Jockey Club (G1T) with Beau Recall.

"This has been a really good meet for us," the trainer said. "The team has done a great job, we've had some momentum, and things have worked out for the best."

My Boy Jack, who went off as the slight 3-1 favorite and is still a maiden after four tries, has now finished second in three straight starts for trainer Keith Desormeaux and jockey Corey Nakatani.

"I had a pretty good trip," said Nakatani, who had My Boy Jack just behind Encumbered mid-race."The winner is a nice horse, but my horse ran well, too. He's still a little green. I don't think we've gotten to the bottom of him yet."

Kazan, another Callaghan-trained colt, closed from ninth to get his nose in front of Pubilius Syrus for third. Big Buzz, Cono, Take the One O One, Respect the Hustle, Armour Plate, Martin Riggs, Bombardeo, Linburgh's Kitten, Captain Buzzkill, and Rockaway completed the order of finish.

Bred in Kentucky by Rose Hill Farm and Ralph Stroope, out of the Street Cry (IRE) mare Dying to Dance, Encumbered was a $225,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sale spring sale of 2-year-olds in training out of a consignment by Top Line Sales. He now has two wins from three starts and $102,000 in earnings.