Trainer Doug O’Neill has shipped Best Pal Stakes runner-up I’ll Have
Another to Saratoga for Monday’s $250,000, Grade I Hopeful Stakes and
entered maiden colt Basmati in Wednesday’s $250,000, Grade I Del Mar
Futurity.
It’s not that O’Neill has volunteered to provide racing fans with a
measuring tool for the 2-year-old colt talent on the two coasts. It just
worked out that way.
“Mr. and Mrs. Reddam (J. Paul and Zillah) own I’ll Have Another and
Basmati, two of our top 2-year-olds and we just thought they were both
of the quality that we wanted to keep one on the West Coast and send the
other back East,” O’Neill said. “Yeah, we’ll get a line on what we
have. But they’re both training great and they look like they should be a
part of the big races coming up.”
I’ll Have Another, a Kentucky-bred son of Flower Alley, is 8-1 in the
morning line for the Hopeful and will break from the No. 8 spot in a
field of 10 with Julien Leparoux to ride. JC’s Pride, the 5-2 morning
line favorite owned by Joseph Bucci and trained by Bobby Barbara, drew
the No. 10 spot with Jose Lezcano up.
Basmati has been second to Bob Baffert-trained 2-year-olds Secret
Circle and Gun Boat in two starts over the Del Mar Polytrack. The son of
2005 Pacific Classic winner Borrego drew the No. 5 post in a field of
eight for the Futurity and will be ridden by Garrett Gomez.