2016 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds
OffTrackBetting.com – The Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes is on tap for this Saturday, July 30 from Del Mar Race Track in the great state of California. A purse of $300,000 will be on the line for fillies and mares three years old and upward willing to go 1 1/16 miles on Del Mar’s dirt track.
A short field of just five will take to the track in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes – race 8 on Del Mar’s Saturday card. Post time is 5:40 PM. Let’s take a peek into the past performances of all five combatants for this Grade 1 stakes – a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge race for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 3 at Santa Anita.
2016 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Race Preview at Del Mar Race Track
Beholder – superstar defending champion and three time Eclipse Award winner – 2015 Champion Older Mare, 2013 Champion 3 Year Old Filly and 2012 Champion 2 Year Old Filly – 10 time Grade 1 victor has 22 career starts with an incredible 17 wins and three second place finishes – the only times she hasn’t finished first or second came in her debut and a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps Stakes over two years ago. She enters on a terrific eight race win streak – the Grade 1 Vanity Mile June 4, the Grade 3 Adoration Stakes May 8 after 7 1/2 months away, the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes (for the third straight year) September 26, the Grade 1 Pacific Classic against the boys by 8 1/4 lengths August 22, the 2015 Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes by an incredible seven lengths August 1, the 2015 Adoration Stakes, the minor Santa Lucia Stakes in April and the 2015 Zenyatta Stakes in September. She won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in 2012 and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in 2013 but has just 10 starts since – nine wins. Beholder is a three-time Eclipse Award winner for a reason – she is mighty impressive and is the obvious one to catch Saturday. Gary Stevens will once again be in the saddle again from the rail.
Stellar Wind – John Sadler Eclipse Award winner as 2015 Champion 3 Year Old Filly was last seen running second behind Beholder after a seven month layoff in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile June 4. That result followed a good second in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and a tidy two race win streak- the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar August 30 and the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita June 20. She also had a troubled fourth at 3-1 odds in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks May 1, 2015, a terrific win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks April 4 of last year and an upset 2 3/4 length victory in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes at 7-1 odds February 28m 2015. She now has five wins, two seconds and a third place finish in nine career starts – as competitive as they come when healthy. Victor Espinoza has been tabbed to ride as Stellar Wind tries to flip the script on Beholder from gate 2.
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The Dream – Chilean bred Jerry Hollendorfer trained filly placed in seven of eight starts at home – five wins and two runner-up finishes and makes her North American debut Saturday. Last time out was a career worst effort – an eleventh in the Group 1 El Derby back in February after a Group 2 score in December and consecutive runner-up finishes in Group races at home. She also posted consecutive Group 1 wins last summer in her native land. The Dream was a force before her dud last time out and will be out to rebound while making a name for herself on North American soil. Martin Garcia rides from post 3.
Divina Comedia – French bred Simon Callaghan trained mare has four wins, four seconds and three third place finishes in 18 career starts. She made her stakes/group debut in June and finished fifth in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile and followed that with a nice win last time out in the minor Southern Truce Stakes July 3 – both at Santa Anita. She’s also had an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Los Alamitos April 24, a fourth, a second and three straight off-the-board finishes in Allowance Optional Claiming races. Divina Comedia has been just OK against lesser competition and chases her first graded stakes victory from post 5. Joe Talamo gets the call.
Off the Road – Brazilian bred Richard Mandella trained mare posted three wins and three second place finishes in seven starts at home including a Group 1 race two years ago. She hasn’t been all that great in five North American starts – an eighth last time out in an Allowance Optional Claiming June 19, a fourth in the minor Mizdirection Stakes May 21, an OK second in the Grade 3 Las Ceinegas Stakes in April and a fourth in an Allowance in March. Off the Road has placed in just one of her last six starts overall and looks to be in over her head in this one. Martin Pedroza has the mount from gate 4.
2016 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Entries & Odds
Race 8 on Del Mar’s Saturday card with a Post Time of 8:33 PM.
