Delahoussaye Picks a Real Winner

DEL MAR —  Faced with a choice before Wednesday’s $106,750 Graduation Stakes, jockey Eddie Delahoussaye made the right one.

Delahoussaye had ridden 2-year-olds Jonathan’s Oak and Billy Black in their maiden victories at Hollywood Park, and he chose the latter Wednesday in a race restricted to California-breds.

The public thought the rider had gone the wrong way, making Jonathan’s Oak the 1-1 favorite, but Delahoussaye knew better.

Five weeks after winning in his first race, Billy Black, the 8-5 second choice, collared Jonathan’s Oak approaching the wire and won by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:11 1/5 for six furlongs.

Trained by Hector Palma for owner James Vreeland, Billy Black is a son of Magical Mile, so how far he wants to run is open to speculation, but he hasn’t made any mistakes so far.

On the lead basically throughout in his first win, he couldn’t keep up with the favorite early Wednesday, being outrun through 22 1/5, 46 flat and 58 1/5 splits.

But Delahoussaye always seems to save a little something for the finish, and it also didn’t hurt that he was drawn outside his main rival in the small field.

“He broke running and sat in there second nice and kind,” Delahoussaye said. “I knew this horse had a lot of heart. When I rode him last time, he got headed, but it didn’t matter.

“When a lot of these young horses get headed, they get scared and act green, but this colt acted like a professional. He just came back and won. I told my agent [Bill Barisoff] we were going to stick with him.”

After winning his second start, Jonathan’s Oak acted like anything but a professional in the Haggin on June 21. He was extremely hesitant about loading into the starting gate, then, when he finally did, he stumbled a bit leaving and wound up a distant fourth behind K.O. Punch.

He did nothing wrong Wednesday under new rider David Flores but weakened late and finished three lengths ahead of Full Moon Madness.

“I thought I was going to win,” Flores said. “He did everything right, but Eddie’s horse came and got us. He was the best today.”

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Isitingood, who won at tracks all over the country, has been retired after being injured during a workout here Tuesday morning.

Owned by Mike Pegram and Terry Henn and trained by Bob Baffert, the 6-year-old Crusader Sword horse fractured the cannon bone in his left foreleg while nearing the finish of a five-furlong drill prepping for the Longacres Mile on Aug. 17 at Emerald Downs in Washington. He underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon and probably will stand at stud next year.

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Marlin is in the $300,000 Eddie Read Handicap on Sunday and Helmsman is out.

Successful in the Sunset Handicap going 1 1/2 miles on July 20 at Hollywood Park, Marlin will shorten up to 1 1/8 miles in the Read, a Grade I race won by Fastness last year.

Helmsman, who beat three rivals while winning the Fastness at Hollywood Park, stepped on a nail in his stall at the Inglewood track and missed some training. He will return in the Longacres Mile.

Horse Racing Notes

Dance The Avenue, who would have been coupled with Jonathan’s Oak in the Graduation, was scratched. . . . Jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr. and Rafael Meza will begin five-day suspensions on Saturday for an incident in last Sunday’s first race. Pincay and Meza were cited by the stewards for “failure to maintain a straight course” in the stretch run. Pincay’s mount, Letthemoondancerap, was disqualified from first and placed second and Timely View, the filly Meza was aboard, was placed first. . . . Five fillies and mares probably will be entered this morning for Saturday’s $300,000 Ramona Handicap: Auriette, Real Connection, Donna Viola, Escena and Different.