Dr. Schivel (Violence), making his first start for new owners Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal, glided to a 1 3/4-length victory in the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on closing day at the oceanside oval Monday. Made the 7-5 favorite to build on a smart-looking Aug. 8 maiden victory for breeders William Branch and Arnold Hill, Dr. Schivel sat a stalking trip three wide, went after favored Spielberg (Union Rags) entering the stretch and proved a little too tough for that rival, edging away down the stretch to give Hill 'n' Dale stallions a sweep of the holiday Grade I juvenile races on both coasts and giving his sire Violence his third Grade I winner of the year.
“I loved the way he was moving [down the backstretch]; he looked comfortable,” said winning trainer Luis Mendez. “Around the turn, it looked like he had a lot of horse, so I felt really good. And he got it done.”
A $1-million Keeneland September yearling, Spielberg showed the way early from GII Best Pal S. upsetter Weston (Hit It a Bomb), with Flavien Prat and Dr. Schivel keeping an eye on those two from the outside. But he had the answers when push came to shove at the quarter pole and, although Spielberg boxed on gamely down on the inside, Dr. Schivel got the job done by the better part of two lengths.
“He broke well, then he got a little aggressive on me,” Prat said. “I tried to give him a little breather on the turn, then when I asked him, he was a runner. He's a nice colt.”
Dr. Schivel was third behind Weston while sprinting
4 ½ furlongs in his debut at Santa Anita June 21 and runner-up behind subsequent GII Best Pal S. third-place finisher Sonic Brees (Maclean's Music) going 5 ½ furlongs at Los Alamitos July 4. But he put it all together for his third start, cruising to a
5 3/4-length victory over Spielberg in that colt's debut effort going six furlongs Aug. 8. He was purchased privately after that victory and the Futurity was his final start for Mendez.
“I'm very proud of myself and the team for what we've done getting him to win this race,” Mendez, who was winning his first Grade I, said. “I thank the owners for giving me this horse and I've got to go back home and start breaking babies for them. I don't have any other feeling than that.”
Jed Cohen's Red Baron's Barn and the Rancho Temescal of Cohen's son Tim will now send Dr. Schivel to their trainer Mark Glatt.
Dr. Schivel's victory gave jockey Flavien Prat his 50th win of the meet, putting him one ahead of Umberto Rispoli to earn the Del Mar riding title. The win was his 15th stakes victory of the meet, a record at the oval.
“Well, if that's how I win the riding title, then that's great,” Prat said heading into the meet's final race Monday. “However it turns out, it was good competition. He's a real competitor and an excellent rider. It was great to go against him.”
Pedigree Notes:
Violence, who won the 2012 GI CashCall Futurity and
GII Nashua S., now has nine graded stakes winners and 23 black-type winners. In 2020, the Hill 'n' Dale stallion has been represented by GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. winner Volatile and by GI Woody Stephens S. winner No Parole.
Dr. Schivel is the first black-type winner for his dam, Lil Nugget, who has a yearling colt by Midshipman and was bred back to Anthony's Cross this year. The 18-year-old mare is a half-sister to Grade I winner Ultra Bend (Richly Blended).
Monday, Del Mar
RUNHAPPY DEL MAR FUTURITY-GI, $250,500, Del Mar, 9-7, 2yo, 7f, 1:24.16, ft.
1–DR. SCHIVEL, 121, c, 2, by Violence&log=#tot">Violence
1st Dam: Lil Nugget, by Mining for Money
2nd Dam: Ankha, by Desert Classic
3rd Dam: Distant Runner, by Distant Day
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($37,000 RNA Ylg '19 KEEJAN). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC, Rancho Temescal LLC, William Branch & William Dean Reeves; B-William A Branch & Arnold R Hill (KY); T-Luis Mendez; J-Flavien Prat. $150,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $197,000. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Spielberg, 119, c, 2, Union Rags–Miss Squeal, by Smart Strike. ($1,000,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert Masterson; B-G Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $50,000.
3–Weston, 124, g, 2, Hit It a Bomb–Elke, by Dixie Union. ($7,000 Ylg '19 KEEJAN; $7,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Chris Drakos & Ryan Hanson; B-EVADI Farm Team (KY); T-Ryan Hanson. $30,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 3 3/4, HF. Odds: 1.40, 3.20, 5.70.
Also Ran: Scooby, Dyn O Mite, Dixie's Two Stents.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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