Umberto Rispoli is siding with an East Coast raider as he bids to go back-to-back in the G1 Del Mar Oaks on August 17, but his dreams of Breeders’ Cup glory this autumn for now rest with two of the West Coast’s current stars.
This time last year the Italian rider guided the British import Anisette to Del Mar Oaks glory, and she, along with the crack Californian miler Johannes, are Rispoli’s two prized contenders for the big event, which this year is at Del Mar in early November.
But first he will attempt to nail another Del Mar Oaks, this time in tandem with the Arnaud Delacour-trained Whiskey Decision, winner of her last three of four career starts, including the Christiana Stakes at Delaware Park last time. Rispoli has not ridden the filly but has seen her around the barn of trainer Leonard Powell in recent days.
“I saw her the other morning because she’s staying in the same barn as Anisette. She’s a good-looking filly and Matt (Nakatani) my agent said she has a good enough number to come here for this race, she has quality and class and she probably will be one of the favourites,” Rispoli told Idol Horse.
“I know Arnaud Delacour really likes this filly, they’ve chosen to come here to try and get that Grade 1 Black Type, and of course when you’re back east there is strong opposition with those trainers who have good fillies, like Chad Brown. You come this way and it’s a smaller field, it’s US$300,000 plus the Grade 1 so there’s value in that, it’s worth making the trip, and riding her will give me a chance to win this race again.”
The field of eight for the three-year-old fillies’ feature includes last month’s G2 San Clemente Handicap winner at Del Mar, Iscreamuscream, unbeaten in three outings, as well as the Keeneland G2 winner Buchu.
“The best we have in California is Iscreamuscream, and I think Buchu from back east is a good filly too, but this three-year-old filly division is really open this year,” Rispoli said.
The former Hong Kong-based rider heads into the Del Mar Oaks off a five-win haul last weekend that included the Powell-trained Anisette’s G2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap success, and that win could see her roll towards the G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf via the G1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita, with the G2 John C Mabee a possibility too.
“The target is the Breeders’ Cup,” Rispoli said. “It’s at Del Mar, and last year her owners Eclipse Thoroughbreds skipped it because she was only three, they gave her a nice little break and then she won the American Oaks, she had a few months’ break to fill out and gain some weight because she’s a tiny filly. This year the target definitely is the Filly & Mare Turf.
“She’s likes Del Mar: every time she comes here from Santa Anita her coat changes completely. She’s been working very well, the other day was a tough effort to give weight away and the race didn’t come up as expected: she missed the break a little bit, I was at the back of the field when I wanted to be closer but she did the job.”
Rispoli’s other Southern Californian hope for the Breeders’ Cup, Johannes, is on target for the G2 City Of Hope Stakes at Santa Anita at the end of September.
“I think he’s a serious horse for the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” Rispoli said. “The owner decided to skip the Del Mar Mile and target the City Of Hope, which is a ‘win and you’re in.’ He’s a horse that races well a month apart, and the owner is not greedy.”
The Tim Yakteen-trained four-year-old won the G1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita two starts back and last time out he won the G2 Eddie Read, both under Rispoli.
“He has a solid turn of foot, he’s a very good horse,” the jockey said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a horse as nice as him; you can feel the quality and feel the power and the class.
“He won a mile and an eighth and he’ll go back to a mile for the Breeders’ Cup, which I think is better because he’s got a lovely turn of foot. He definitely gives me very big hopes but of course when we talk milers we’re taking on good European horses as well.”
That factor of horses coming from the east, and from Europe and from Japan, is also in the back of his mind for Anisette.
“It’s a question mark, then on the day we find out how good she really is. If she’s 100 per cent fit, we go there and there’ll be no excuses, you face the toughest fillies in the world and then show me how good you are, that’s the point,” he said.
“I don’t expect a weak Breeders’ Cup with the Europeans, the Japanese, horses from the east coast, there are always some very good horses. She has never even been to the east coast and she’ll have to face some tough east coast horses.”
Before that day comes around though Rispoli has business to attend to in the Del Mar Oaks, and this time he’ll be on the side of one of those tough east coast raiders.
