Air Strike, Cistron to Meet Again in Bing Crosby Stakes

Two months after finishing a head 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 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 April 28 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) 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.

Hronis Racing's Cistron opened a three-length lead in the stretch in the Triple Bend but couldn't hold off Air Strike's final charge. Cistron entered that race 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 consecutive 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 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

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 June 7 True North Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park. Trained by Stanley Hough, Recruiting Ready posted a clear victory this season in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes (G3).

Saturday's race will mark the 11th track at which Recruiting Ready has 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 June 29 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs, and Jalen Journey, who enters off a runner-up finish in the June 29 Smile Sprint Stakes (G3) 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
• 5:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Calexman (KY)	Geovanni Franco	119	Vladimir Cerin	15/1
2	2Desert Law (CA)	Rafael Bejarano	119	Carla Gaines	12/1
3	3Cistron (KY)	Victor Espinoza	121	John W. Sadler	5/2
4	4Line Judge (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	119	Peter Miller	8/1
5	5Air Strike (KY)	Norberto Arroyo, Jr.	121	Philip D'Amato	4/1
6	6Chief Cicatriz (KY)	Ruben Fuentes	119	Shawn H. Davis	12/1
7	7Recruiting Ready (KY)	Flavien Prat	119	Stanley M. Hough	2/1
8	8Jalen Journey (FL)	Mike E. Smith	119	Peter Miller	6/1