Royal Rematch in the Del Mar Derby

[Wandering Eyes]

The top two finishers of the Aug. 4 GIII La Jolla H.–Kingly (Tapit) and Neptune’s Storm (Stormy Atlantic)–square off again in Sunday’s GII Del Mar Derby. The former recorded a narrow score with Mario Gutierrez in the irons in the California Derby over the Golden Gate synthetic last April before finishing third behind winner Visitant (Ghostzapper) there in the off-turf Alcatraz S. May 19. Fifth on the Santa Anita main track in the June 16 GIII Affirmed S., the Bob Baffert trainee was a distant third in the GIII Los Alamitos Derby July 13 ahead of his neck score over Neptune’s Storm in the La Jolla. Gutierrez retains the mount. Since joining Richard Baltas’ string this past spring, Neptune’s Storm reeled off two consecutive victories at Santa Anita in the mile Singletary S. Apr. 28 and the nine-panel Cinema S. June 2 before his narrow second in the La Jolla. Florent Geroux gets aboard for the first time.
Nolde (Pioneerof the Nile) showed moderate form on the dirt in his first four trips to post, however, appeared to step it up a notch when switching to the turf. Donning cap and gown going a mile over the Santa Anita sod May 3, he made it two straight with a narrow victory in an $80,000 optional claimer at the Arcadia oval June 21. Sent off the second choice in his latest in the July 17 Oceanside S. at Del Mar, he had to settle for second behind favored Jasikan (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}). Victor Espinoza, aboard the John Shireffs trainees past three starts, gets the call this time. On the board in all five prior starts, Vistant comes into this off a tiring third-place finish in the Affirmed and tries turf for the first time here. The Carla Gaines-trained colt gets the services of Geovanni Franco for the first time here.

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