Hirsch Stakes, Del Mar 2010
Clement L. Hirsch, an American thoroughbred horse race, is run annually at the Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Fillies and mares of age three and above are eligible to participate in this race, The track is of Polytrack synthetic dirt and covers a distance of 1 and 1/16 miles.
The race is named after the Thoroughbred horse owner, a Newport Beach California businessman and the creator of the Oak Tree Racing Association. The race was previously known as the Chula Vista Handicap, a five and a half furlong race for California bred horses of age two. The distance of the race was increased to one mile in 1967, and in the same year, was made a competition for fillies and mares of age three and above. The distance to be covered was 1 1/8 miles on turf, 1 mile in the years 1974/75, and 7.5 furlongs in the years 1976 to 1980. 1980 onwards the distance was permanently set as 8.5 furlongs. It was made a Grade I race in 2009.
The race, this year is scheduled on Saturday, the 7th of August. The most important concern at the moment for the $300,000, Grade I race organizers is whether the filly Zenyatta will run at the Hirsch Stakes. Zenyatta has to her credit the record of being the first female to have won the 26 year old Breeder’s Cup in 2009. Sports analysts and trainers of the other competitors are looking forward to her participation in the up coming race.
Her trainer and owners, Jerry and Ann Moss and John Shirreffs, along with Dottie Ingordo Shirreffs, the Racing Manager say that they do not promise that their horse will be participating in this particular race. They will only confirm their horse's presence after their six year old horse Street Cry receives training at the Del Mar Racecourse, for three days before the race. Although, she was seen to get over it well, the mare is not very comfortable with running over the synthetic Polytrack on which she won two of the 17 races that she participated in 2008 and 2009, the annual editions of the Hirsch Stakes. Exercise rider Steve Willard is confident that the horse will perform well. She entered the synthetic Polytrack surface on Wednesday, for the first time after two of her 17 wins in the same race.
If she competes and wins the 2010 edition of the Hirsch Stakes, it will be her 18th Grade I victory. She is expected to carry 123 pounds under the jockey Mike Smith, and will yield 2 to 4 pounds to her competitors under the allowance conditions of Hirsch Stakes.
Zenyatta has previously faced Olympia Star Inc’s Dance to My Tune and the six year old Stravinsky, who got pretty close to the legendary mare, Zenyatta, and finished at the second position 1 ¼ lengths behind the winner, in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap Grade I on the 13th of March. Zenyatta yielded 15 pounds to Dance to My Tune that day. There will be an unusual twist on Saturday since David Flores, the rider of the unbeaten Zenyatta, will be the jockey for Dance to My Tune in this particular race.
Made for Magic will also compete in this race. She is the winner of the Milady Handicap Grade II, she defeated Dance to My Tune in that race, and was defeated by her in the Santa Margarita and Santa Lucia Handicaps this year. Zenyatta on the other hand beat Made for Magic by 6 ¼ lengths in the Santa Margarita.
Rinterval will ship west for his trainer Eric Reed. He is the winner of Jerry Jamgotchian’s Stakes and finished in second place in the seven furlong Chicago Handicap Grade III and will also be a part of this race.
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