By Alan Carasso
Sent off right at his morning line of 8-1, Packs a Wahlop (Creative Cause) worked out a nice trip beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith and exploded away from his rivals in the final eighth of a mile to capture Sunday's GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf at the seaside oval and become a leading U.S. candidate for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile the first weekend of November.
Away alertly from the nine hole, the $27,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $270,000 OBS April (:10 flat) acquisition showed good speed and rolled forward to press a moderate early tempo outside of the rail-drawn Ah Jeez (Mendelssohn) through a half in :47.24. Shadowing the front-runner's every move while going well around the second turn, Packs a Wahlop came after the front-runner in earnest with a quarter-mile to race and sprinted home impressively to score by open lengths. Don'tthinkjustdoit (Smiling Tiger) hugged the fence into the lane, came out and finished well for second, but was ultimately disqualified to seventh after a lengthy stewards' debate for causing a chain-reaction of interference at midstretch. Valiancer (Tapiture), who attacked the line nicely in the middle of the track, was moved up from third to second, while Dandy Man Shines (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) was placed third to complete a Jeff Mullins-trained triple.
“That was kind of the plan along,” said Mullins. “He showed speed going five-eighths; we figured he would be laying close somewhere in a comfortable position. Mike's worked him every time and he's had all the confidence in this horse, we all have.”
An even fourth sprinting over a sloppy Gulfstream main track June 3, Packs a Wahlop graduated by 1 1/2 lengths in a five-furlong maiden over this turf course Aug. 5 and was stretching out for the first time Sunday.
Pedigree Notes:
Packs a Wahlop is the 24th stakes winner and sixth winner at the graded level for his Airdrie-based stallion, who is also responsible for Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Skyler's Scramjet, who has a second dam by City Zip's sire Carson City. Oak Ridge Farm acquired Packs a Wahlop's treble stakes-winning dam for $87,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, and she produced a Frosted filly last year before being bred to another son of Tapit in the form of Cupid this past breeding season.
Sunday, Del Mar
DEL MAR JUVENILE TURF S.-GIII, $104,500, Del Mar, 9-11, 2yo, 1mT, 1:35.96, fm.
1–PACKS A WAHLOP, 120, c, 2, by Creative Cause
1st Dam: City by the Bay (MSW, $172,240), by City Zip
2nd Dam: Glitter Time, by Glitterman
3rd Dam: Fujitime, by Timeless Native
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($27,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $270,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC & Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Oak Ridge Farm (KY); T-Jeff Mullins; J-Mike E Smith. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $110,000. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
*2–Valiancer, 118, c, 2, Tapiture–War Angel, by Declaration of War. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $150,000 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Doug Gans, Gary Jacobs, Larry M Katz, Michael Lewis, William Meathe & Kevin Riggs; B-Savesnine Corp (KY); T-Jeff Mullins. $20,000.
*3–Dandy Man Shines (Ire), 118, c, 2, Dandy Man (Ire)–Zehrah (Ire), by Raven's Pass. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. (€75,000 Wlg '20 GOFNOV; €90,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR; 105,000gns 2yo '22 TATBRE). O-Red Baron's Barn LLC & Rancho Temescal LLC; B-Mr John Frances Keegan (IRE); T-Jeff Mullins. $12,000.
*Don'tthinkjustdoit (Smiling Tiger) finished second, but was disqualified and placed seventh.
Margins: 4 1/4, HD, HF. Odds: 8.00, 38.90, 4.00.
Also Ran: Ah Jeez, De la Luna, Wound Up, Don'tthinkjustdoit, Mas Rapido (GB), Syntactic, Stone Point, Tahoma, Park City, Ti Sento (Ire), President Z. Scratched: Buffett, Taltariate. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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