Trainer: West format makes for terrible 2s

By: JEFF NAHILL - Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 28, 2007 11:03 PM PDT ∞

DEL MAR -- Trainer Chuck Peery knows the odds are against him, but he doesn't mind because he has the only 2-year-old on the West Coast that has won around two turns on the grass.

Peery won a maiden race on the Del Mar turf last Wednesday with Shore Do, a very impressive effort that has him eyeing the new $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to be run Oct. 26 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. The victory gave Peery the jump on any other West Coast trainers that might be eyeing the Breeders' Cup race.

That's because Del Mar doesn't often run 2-year-olds on the grass or around two turns. The first 1-mile race for juveniles on the Polytrack is Friday. A 1-mile grass race for 2-year-old fillies didn't draw enough entries last week, and there are absolutely no maiden sprints at five furlongs at the seaside oval.

Meanwhile at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., numerous turf sprints and route races on the grass are held for 2-year-olds.

"(Shore Do's victory) was the first two-turn race of any surface for 2-year-olds (at Del Mar)," said Peery.

"That's kind of sad because those guys (in the East) are so much farther ahead of us. If we all have to meet up later somewhere, they are going to have an edge. They get their colts routing sooner.

"When you get out West here, they sprint. That's what they do. Not as many guys out here are geared to getting their colts to go long as early. The Classic-type horses are back East. They are all in the (Todd) Pletchers and (Nick) Zitos barns. I think there are good horses out here, but without the opportunity, what do you do?

"My horse is no sprinter, but that was the only place to get a race in him before he did route. He showed what I told the owners. He needed to go all the way around the track. I was crossing my fingers. I wasn't even sure the race would go.

"You never know with that first 2-year-old mile, and then they put it on the turf. I thought they would put the first route on the main track. As it turns out and looking ahead, it worked out real well for us."

Other trainers just have to sit and wait to see if they have horses that want to go a distance of ground at Del Mar. But Tom Robbins, Del Mar's racing secretary, defends his program.

"We could write those races earlier in the meet," said Robbins of the distance races, "but, at the same time, we're trying to not interfere with our 6- and 6 1/2-furlong races. We're trying to produce winners in those races to get into the Debutante and Futurity at the end of the meet. We walk that line.

"We're really limited on what we can run in those 5-furlong grass races. We try not to overuse (the course), so we made a decision a few years ago not to run any maiden races going (5 furlongs). It would be too much.

"Saratoga draws horses from all over the East Coast, so they have an advantage, inventory-wise. They can run more maiden races. Would we like to run more maiden races, here? Yes. We run them every weekend, one for girls and one for boys. We're always wanting to split those if we have the numbers.

"If you look at the Breeders' Cup races, the West Coast has always held its own. I think on the West Coast it's a good program."

Peery thinks the West Coast needs to makes some changes.

"If there's any chance of us competing with those guys back East in these big races," he said, "then they need to try to do it. We just seem to get a little later start at it all.

"Everything is so speed-oriented. They jump in there at Santa Anita with those 2-furlong races, which I've never run a horse in and never will. I don't think it's a good thing for thoroughbreds. You're asking them to do something they're not bred to do. The whole thing seems silly to me. It's hard to imagine any of those colts becoming Curlin or Street Sense or anything.

"When you have this type of colt, it's frustrating when they don't start writing those route races until as late as they do. When they do this, I think they keep some of those better colts from coming out here. When those owners are at sales and buying those types of colts, they don't head them out West. Back East is where they run and where they run the long races, so that's where they go. They are hurting themselves by not doing it, I think."

Variety is good, especially on a betting menu. It's gets a little boring watching sprint races for 2-year-olds all the time. It's more a challenge from a handicapping standpoint with different surfaces and distances.

Sure do

Keep an eye on Shore Do.

Peery is looking at a stakes race at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., as the son of Include out of a Dynaformer mare's next race before heading to New Jersey.

Peery was extremely confident of his charge last week.

"It didn't surprise me," said Peery of the victory. "They are a large group of owners, and I told them to bring everybody down because I thought we would get our pictures taken.

"He's a wonderful horse. The way he handles himself and the way he trains. It's been no secret to me that he might be as good a horse as I've ever had. Not only has he got talent, but he has a fantastic mind. He's a horse that gets it. He's not a horse that gets nervous or intimidated by another horse or overaggressive.

"When Victor (Espinoza, jockey) rode him the other day, he started to clip heels just a little bit in the first turn, and Victor took a pretty big hold of him. Then his head went down and he was comatose. He lopes along, lopes along.

"Victor shook the reins at him at the 5/16ths (pole), and the head comes up and away he goes. It's nice to have a horse that young know his job that well."

Peery thinks turf is the way to go for now, but is not ruling out a return to synthetic track or dirt. After all, Barbaro was a star on turf before he became a star on dirt.

"Shore Do doesn't pick his feet up very far at all," said Peery. "He's a little daisy killer. I imagined him to run well on the turf, but I don't think he exclusively has to run on the turf, but for right now with the type of races coming up we're sure going to keep him on it."

And Peery is thankful the Breeders' Cup committee added a 2-year-old turf race for big money.

"Absolutely," he said. "It gives you more options as a trainer with your horse. If you find a colt that will run on the turf, it's pretty nice to duck all those nice colts running on the main track. It will be lighter race. There might be an absolute superstar that we don't know yet that shows up there, but I imagine it will be quite an easier race than the dirt race (the Breeders' Cup Juvenile)."

-- Contact staff writer Jeff Nahill at (760) 740-3550 or nctnahill@aol.com.

Jeff Nahill's spot play

Gregorian Bay didn't win on Monday but second place was good enough to make a healthy profit with the back wheel exacta. Good way to end a profitable week. New week, so let's make some more cash. Like two horses on today's program so let's bet $10 to win each on Flamingo Princess in the fifth and Palladian General in the eighth.

Today's wager: $20

Monday's result: Plus $79.40

Season result: Plus $119.50