Frankel Eager for Challenge

DEL MAR —  Trainer Bobby Frankel is suggesting that the War Emblem camp has little to lose by running the 3-year-old colt against older horses in Sunday’s $1-million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

“If they lose to older horses, they don’t lose much stature,” said Frankel, who has won six of the first 11 Classics, all with 4-year-olds or older. Frankel will remain at Saratoga, where he’s saddling Medaglia d’Oro, the 2-5 morning-line favorite, in Saturday’s Travers for 3-year-olds. He has Milwaukee Brew, the 3-1 second choice, entered in the Pacific Classic. War Emblem is the 2-1 favorite.

A host of trainers are tackling War Emblem, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Haskell winner. When entries were taken Thursday, the names of 14 horses were submitted, a record field for Del Mar’s signature race. The Pacific Classic had never drawn more than nine horses until now.

Only six 3-year-olds have ever run in the Classic, and never two in the same year, but this year’s version has Came Home besides War Emblem. Both will carry 117 pounds, seven less than the 12 others, under the race’s weight-for-age conditions.

The Santa Anita Derby winner, Came Home was beaten by more than 10 lengths, finishing sixth, as War Emblem won the Kentucky Derby. Since then, Came Home notched two victories at Hollywood Park.

Came Home’s trainer, Paco Gonzalez, also has entered Bosque Redondo, whose role is to engage the front-running War Emblem in the early stages, theoretically setting up the stretch run for his more illustrious stablemate.

Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan own Bosque Redondo and are also the principal partners in a group that races Came Home. At 8-1, Came Home and Bosque Redondo will run coupled in the betting.

“Everybody knows what’s going to happen,” said David Flores, who rides Bosque Redondo. Then he puckishly added: “I’ll probably steal the race.”

With the June retirement of Chris McCarron, Mike Smith took over the riding assignment aboard Came Home and in his first try rode the colt to a 1 1/4-length victory in the Swaps at Hollywood on July 14. Like War Emblem, Came Home will be facing older horses for the first time.

“My horse is more mature now,” Smith said. “He’s got tactical speed, but we’ll take nothing away from him if [the chance to make the lead] comes easy. But what I hope to do is sit off the pack.”

Of the six previous 3-year-olds to run in the Pacific Classic, Best Pal won the inaugural running in 1991 and General Challenge--with Flores--proved best in 1999. General Challenge was trained by Bob Baffert, who hedged about running War Emblem after his colt fired an extra-fast five furlongs in :57 3/5 on Tuesday.

Other 3-year-olds to run well in the Classic have been Tiznow, second to Skimming in 2000, and Dramatic Gold, who was third behind Tinners Way and Best Pal in 1994.

In the last two years, Skimming, who thrived at Del Mar, gave Frankel his latest victories in the Classic. Instead of trying for a third Classic victory in a row, Skimming suffered a training injury and this week was retired. His stud career will begin in February at Cardiff Stud Farm in Atascadero, Calif.

After Gary Jones saddled Best Pal for his Pacific Classic victory in 1991, Frankel won the next four runnings--with Missionary Ridge, Bertrando and Tinners Way twice.

“At the right time I was in the right place with the right horse,” Frankel said.

His hope Sunday, Milwaukee Brew, won the Santa Anita Handicap in March and the Californian in June at Hollywood Park, but in his last start, on July 14, Frank Stronach’s 5-year-old lagged by 11 lengths in the Hollywood Gold Cup and couldn’t catch the pace-setting Sky Jack. Milwaukee Brew finished third, beaten by three lengths.

Frankel accepted responsibility for jockey Kent Desormeaux being so far behind early, blaming his pre-race instructions.

“There won’t be any instructions this time,” Frankel said.

Desormeaux gave Frankel his first Pacific Classic victory, with a gate-to-wire ride on Missionary Ridge, a 24-1 longshot, in 1992.

“A static plan [with Milwaukee Brew] didn’t work out last time,” Desormeaux said. “I’m on a horse that closes, and that’s always a sizable risk, because of potential traffic problems, in a big field like this. What I have to do is determine how far back I should be, and then come running in the last quarter of a mile.

“I look for War Emblem, Speedy Pick and Sky Jack to be up front. In a best-case scenario, maybe those three can run each other off.”

Trained by Doug O’Neill, Sky Jack, at 6-1, will be ridden by Laffit Pincay, seeking his first Pacific Classic victory. O’Neill was not happy with Sky Jack’s No. 3 post, which puts him inside Bosque Redondo (No. 4) and War Emblem (No. 6).

“If they’re flying up front, we hope to be sitting just off the pace,” O’Neill said.

*

Arbiter, who has five victories in seven starts this year, including a victory over the track, was not entered in the Pacific Classic because of a leg injury.... Garrett Gomez, who rides Momentum, is seeking his third Classic victory in a row. He was aboard Skimming in 2000-01.... Came Home worked three furlongs in :37 2/5 at Hollywood Park. He and Bosque Redondo will be vanned the 100 miles to Del Mar on Sunday morning.... Seven horses were entered for Saturday’s $300,000 Del Mar Oaks. They include Dublino, Megahertz and Alozaina, who finished 1-2-3 in the American Oaks at Hollywood. Dublino was disqualified to second place by the stewards. Others running in the Del Mar Oaks are Pina Colada, Arabic Song, Ristra and Fair Bianca.... Flores rode three winners Thursday.... Vindication, a $2.15-million yearling purchase by Satish Sanon, won for the second time in as many starts and is a possible for the closing-day Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 11.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Pacific Classic

*--* Pacific Classic The $1 million Pacific Classic will be run as the fifth race on Sunday’s Del Mar program. Distance: 1 1/4 miles. Post time: 2:42 p.m. TV: ESPN (coverage starts at 2 p.m.). The field by program number: NO. HORSE (PP) JOCKEY ODDS 1 BOSQUE REDONDO (4) David Flores 8-1 1a CAME HOME (9) Mike Smith 8-1 2 JIMMY Z (1) Patrick Valenzuela 30-1 3 MOMENTUM (2) Garrett Gomez 6-1 4 SKY JACK (3) Laffit Pincay 6-1 5 BONUS PACK (5) Jesus Castanon 20-1 6 WAR EMBLEM (6) Victor Espinoza 2-1 7 PLEASANTLY PERFECT (7) Alex Solis 15-1 8 MILWAUKEE BREW (10) Kent Desormeaux 3-1 9 SEINNE (11) Tyler Baze 30-1 10 GREY MEMO (13) E. Delahoussaye 10-1 11 TAPATIO (14) Corey Nakatani 30-1 12 SPEEDY PICK (8) Brice Blanc 30-1 12b NATES COLONY (12) Martin Pedroza 30-1 Entries: 1 and 1a--Farish, Goodman, Toffan & McCaffery. 12 and 12b--mutuel field

*--*