Leading rider Umberto Rispoli looks ahead to the closing day at Del Mar is his new US racing blog.
Welcome to our new US racing blog with top jockey Umberto Rispoli.
This former two-time Italian champion has gone on to ride worldwide winners at the highest level from France to Japan and Hong Kong.
Last December, he hopped across the Atlantic to North America where he has rekindled his love of race-riding from his new California base.
Acclimatization was immediate and Rispoli even came within one winner of being the leading jockey of the Del Mar summer, while he was also in high demand at last month’s Breeders’ Cup showpiece at Keeneland.
Thanks to our partners at XB Net, Umberto will be providing us with weekly columns over the next year in a topical, recurring series that will combine previews and tips, alongside wider industry comment and all his specialist insight from the saddle.
You can also follow Umberto via his own social channels:
Sunday November 29 – Del Mar
Must admit to licking my narcissistic wounds a little last night after Smooth Like Strait ran such a great race in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby, only to be pipped by a head in the shadow of the wire! As we feared, Domestic Spending and Gufo both came with powerful late runs and while my chap responded gallantly, the finishing line arrived a stride too late.
You always second guess yourself as a jockey, particularly when you don’t win by the finest of margins. However, on balance I think we made all the right moves, sitting just off the pace and applying the pressure at a textbook point in the Del Mar stretch. Domestic Spending just had the momentum at the critical moment, while Gufo will also be wondering what might’ve been. We discussed it afterwards in the unsaddling enclosure and make no mistake, these three horses are ones to stay on the right side of next year, each with the scope to make up into fully-fledged four-year-olds.
Elsewhere, Closing Remarks surprised me in the 1m stakes and was actually very unlucky not to get a run, while Bowies Hero clearly didn’t benefit from being drawn wide in stall 13 for the valuable Seabiscuit Handicap. He was hampered on the turn and even though he’s such a seasoned pro, it was hard for him to regather his stride and equilibrium. Put a line through that run, but it was nevertheless good to see our main danger Count Again deliver on his latent potential.
It's the closing day at Del Mar this evening (your time). Granted, the racing isn’t quite as long on quality as yesterday’s, but I’m still hopeful with a book of six decent rides, including Maxim Rate in the highlight, the Matriarch Stakes as the clock chimes midnight. Maybe tonight will be the night I break my G1 duck in the States?
The Matriarch, over a mile on the grass, always brings together some of the best fillies and mares in the country and tonight is no exception. This year’s renewal sees a very open, tight-looking race, so I can’t be overly confident about Maxim Rate’s chances. What I can tell you is that she continues in great heart at home, having won a G2 last time out, has a good draw and I will ride her positively.
Clearly, as with last night’s feature, that will leave us potentially vulnerable to a finisher, and I think we have most to fear from Chad Brown’s troika of Blowout, Viadera and Tamahere. Brown’s stable is in all-conquering form of late, and I prefer the last-named Tamahere whose weight-for-age allowance could make the difference. UK readers may remember the favourite, Sharing, from her commendable second in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot back in June. She’s a good filly but pretty highly strung, so I’d watch her carefully on the way to post if you fancy her.
As for the rest of the card, while things kick off in the opener at (2000 GMT), my rides don’t get really interesting under Airman in the Race 3 maiden. This colt will know more this time round and will handle the fast going at Del Mar which is firming up with every passing minute. He could surprise the market and put that competitive edge of experience to good use in a contest of unknown quantities.
Maestro Dearte looks up against it in Race 5, although he’s in good company here when it comes to his progressively exposed profile!
I prefer Polar Wind, back on the dirt (which is also riding fast) in the next, Race 6. This gelding likes to hear his hooves rattle and I wouldn’t put anyone off an each-way play. He takes his racing well.
As for my best chance of the night, it has to be Big Fish in the $100k Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3 – Race 7) which is the second-hottest race on the card. I’ve worked this horse a couple of times in recent weeks and he always gives me a fantastic feel. Admittedly, he has to give 4lbs to all the others assembled, but I feel taking off the blinkers here will actually revitalise him. With the headgear on, he tends to pull a bit too freely for me, so this could be his moment of maturity. Royal Prince and Wootton Asset rate the dangers. However, as I say, it’s open and I think Big Fish must go well at a price with a fast pace assured here. He was pace-compromised last time, so I certainly anticipate a different story unfolding here.
That’s it for Del Mar this year. It’s quickly become a fantastic home track for me, particularly on the turf – even if my horses can sometimes be 'overbet' on that surface – hopefully I can help guide you towards the right ones! All that’s been missing, of course, is the roar of the crowds who always spur us jockeys on for motivation in the home stretch.
Regardless, though, it’s a privilege to be able to keep the US show on the road and we’re blessed to be able to entertain the fans at home all over the world with some elite sport, not to mention the consistently competitive and top-class nature of North American thoroughbred racing. It’s great to see our sport winning over new audiences via the Sky Sports cameras and other international feeds, especially as other sports struggle to adapt to the COVID-19-induced protocols.
