Air Strike, Cistron to Again Meet in Bing Crosby Stakes

Some two months after finishing heads apart in the Triple Bend Stakes (G2), that race's winner, Air Strike, and runner-up, Cistron, will meet again in the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) July 27 at Del Mar.

Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, and Michael Nentwig's Air Strike secured the first graded stakes win of his career in the seven-furlong Triple Bend May 25 for trainer Philip D'Amato. The 4-year-old son of Street Sense  will shorten to six furlongs for Saturday's test, where he'll be co-highweight (with Cistron) at 121 pounds in the expected field of eight.

Late-running Air Strike rallied from eighth to win the Triple Bend after finishing fourth in the Steve Sexton Mile (G3) April 28 at Lone Star Park. The Triple Bend marked the first time Norberto Arroyo Jr. was aboard Air Strike and he's scheduled to ride again Saturday.

In winning the Triple Bend, Air Strike finished a head in front of Cistron, who opened a three-length lead in the stretch but couldn't hold off Air Strike's final charge. Hronis Racing's Cistron entered the Triple Bend off a 5 1/4-length victory in the Kona Gold Stakes (G2), where the 5-year-old son of The Factor  enjoyed a clear lead at every point of call.

The Kona Gold opened some new opportunities for Cistron, who is trained by John Sadler. Before the Kona Gold victory at 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt, Cistron made 13 straight starts on turf.

"He's kinda found new life on the dirt," Sadler said. "He was running good races on grass and we switched him to the dirt and he won easily. He's a pretty versatile horse who has really found his form the last couple starts, so we'll keep him sprinting on the dirt.

"There's good spacing between his races and he has trained up for this one just super."

The Bing Crosby is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" race to the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

While Air Strike and Cistron meet for the second straight race, the field also will feature the West Coast debut of Sagamore Farm's Recruiting Ready, a 5-year-old son of Algorithms  who enters off a third-place finish in the True North Stakes (G2) June 7 at Belmont Park. Trained by Stanley Hough, Recruiting Ready posted a clear victory earlier this season in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3).

While this will be the first start on the West Coast for Recruiting Ready, he has been well traveled as Saturday will mark the 11th different track at which he's competed.

Trainer Peter Miller has entered a pair of horses who have been competing outside of Southern California this season in Line Judge, who enters off a clear victory in the Kelly's Landing Stakes June 29 at Churchill Downs; and Jalen Journey, who enters off a runner-up finish in the Smile Sprint Stakes (G3) June 29 at Gulfstream Park.

Entries: Bing Crosby S. (G1)

Del Mar, Saturday, July 27, 2019, Race 8

• Grade I
• 6f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Calexman (KY)	Geovanni Franco	119	Vladimir Cerin	-
2	Desert Law (CA)	Rafael Bejarano	119	Carla Gaines	-
3	Cistron (KY)	Victor Espinoza	121	John W. Sadler	-
4	Line Judge (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	119	Peter Miller	-
5	Air Strike (KY)	Norberto Arroyo, Jr.	121	Philip D'Amato	-
6	Chief Cicatriz (KY)	Ruben Fuentes	119	Shawn H. Davis	-
7	Recruiting Ready (KY)	Flavien Prat	119	Stanley M. Hough	-
8	Jalen Journey (FL)	Mike E. Smith	119	Peter Miller	-