Weekend Racing at Del Mar : Gosden Strangely Confident About Read ‘Cap

DEL MAR —  John Gosden is a confident trainer going into Sunday’s $150,000 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.

Strangely, though, Gosden’s confidence lies with Al Mamoon and Truce Maker, two horses he’ll have to beat in the 1 1/8-mile race that includes several of the country’s best turf runners. If Al Mamoon and Truce Maker could hear Gosden talking about them, they would be overconfident going into the Read.

Zoffany, one of two horses that Gosden has entered in the Read, carries top weight of 123 pounds and will probably go off the favorite, but Gosden senses that circumstances might not be right for the 6-year-old New Jersey-bred to win his third straight stake.

“This is a difficult spot for Zoffany,” Gosden said. “He’s coming in off a win in the Sunset Handicap (at Hollywood Park on July 4), but that was a mile and a half, and now he’s dropping back to a mile and an eighth in distance.”

After pointing out the disadvantage for Zoffany, Gosden went on to cite the edge that Al Mamoon and Truce Maker have.

“Those horses like to run fast early, and this course suits horses with that kind of style,” Gosden said. “There’s not a very long stretch here, unlike Hollywood Park, and that’s another thing in their favor.

“Truce Maker is dangerous if he gets an easy early lead. Al Mamoon is also fast and capable of running a big race. He was second in this stake (a half-length behind Tsunami Slew) last year, and as I recall, he was unlucky in the race.”

Clever Song, Gosden’s other entry for Sunday, has been unable to beat either Al Mamoon or Truce Maker lately. Al Mamoon won the American Handicap July 12 at Hollywood, with Clever Song running fourth, about five lengths back. In an allowance race at Del Mar July 28, Truce Maker galloped to a three-length win over Clever Song, running 1 1/16 miles in an excellent 1:41.

Gosden indicated Friday, however, that he might not run Clever Song. “We entered him just to take a look,” the trainer said.

Michael Whittingham, who trains Truce Maker, said the purse for the Read should be $1 million, a facetious reference to the fact that three of the starters--Zoffany, Palace Music and Al Mamoon--were among only seven American horses invited to run in the Budweiser-Arlington Million at Chicago on Aug. 31.

Truce Maker, who wasn’t nominated by his owners to the Arlington Park race because problem legs prevented him from making his first start this year until late May, has a 115-pound assignment Sunday. That’s four more pounds than he carried in finishing only a half-length behind Al Mamoon in the American.

“I don’t know about the short stretch helping,” Whittingham said, alluding to Gosden’s comments, “but this turf is softer than Hollywood Park’s and should be kinder to my horse’s legs. Truce Maker’s a tough horse, and when he’s sound, he runs well everywhere. He sure looked awfully strong in winning here the other day.”

Nine horses were entered in the Read. Here’s the field, in post-position order, with jockeys and weights in parentheses:

Al Mamoon (Pat Valenzuela, 121); Prince True (Chris McCarron, 120); Raipillan (Fernando Toro, 113); Zoffany (Eddie Delahoussaye, 123); Will Dancer (Gary Stevens, 113); Palace Music (Bill Shoemaker, 122); Shulich (Santiago Soto, 112); Clever Song (Laffit Pincay, 117), and Truce Maker (Frank Olivares, 115).

Palace Music and Shulich, both owned in part by Allen Paulson, will be coupled in the wagering.

Gosden will spend the entire weekend trying to beat a Whittingham. Today, when Charlie Whittingham, Michael’s father, saddles Estrapade in the $75,000 Palomar Handicap here, Gosden will counter with Spectacular Joke and Justicara.