Prince Bobby B. Wins Feature in Del Mar Opener

DEL MAR â€”  The distance for the Oceanside Stakes, the opening feature of the season at Del Mar, was different, but the result was the same as 26,468 fans, fourth-largest crowd in the track’s history, came to bet and sun bathe Wednesday.

Del Mar lengthened the $55,750 Oceanside from 7 1/2 furlongs to a mile, and trainer David Bernstein, just as he had a year ago, saddled the winner.

This time, Bernstein didn’t have to share the laurels. Last year, his Grey Gauntlet won only a division of the Oceanside, but the race was run in one piece Wednesday and Prince Bobby B., who is both owned and trained by Bernstein, breezed to a 4 1/2-length victory.

Full Charm, who like Prince Bobby B. had won his only other start on grass, finished second, a neck better than He’s a Saros, and it was a head farther back to Slyly Gifted, who was trying to give Chris McCarron his third win in three races. Full of Stars, the 5-2 favorite, finished fifth in the nine-horse field.

Prince Bobby B., ridden by Frank Olivares, was clocked in an excellent time of 1:34 1/5 on Del Mar’s widened grass course and paid $11, $5.80 and $5.60. Full Charm paid $5 and $3.80 and He’s a Saros returned $5.60.

Bernstein had big plans earlier this year for Prince Bobby B. After third-place finishes on the dirt in the California Derby at Golden Gate Fields and in the Rich Cream Stakes at Hollywood Park, Bernstein wanted to send the colt to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, but couldn’t get a plane.

Instead, Prince Bobby B. went to Churchill Downs in early June, ran fourth in the Jefferson Cup, then returned to Hollywood and ran second in an allowance July 11.

Until Wednesday, Prince Bobby B. hadn’t run on the grass since winning the Charles Whittingham Stakes by eight lengths at Santa Anita March 28.

“The horse bruised his foot the day he ran at Churchill Downs,� Bernstein said. “I didn’t want to run him on the grass at Hollywood Park because the turf course was too hard there. I was pointing for this race, because I was confident that he had a good chance to win it.�

Breaking from the outside post under an impost of 116 pounds, one less than high-weighted Angle Arc, Prince Bobby B. was gunned to the lead by Olivares. He’s a Saros tried to pass Prince Bobby B. on the far turn but couldn’t do it.

Prince Bobby B., who is named in part after Bernstein’s son, had a 3 1/2-length lead heading into the stretch, and there were no threats behind him, although Full Charm closed a lot of ground under Fernando Toro to get second.

Olivares also rode Prince Bobby B. for his win in the Whittingham. “He’s just a superior horse on grass,� Olivares said. “He’s fun to ride on it. Everybody took back at the start, so I went. I hit him two or three times left-handed deep in the stretch. He’s a pro.�

There is grass on both sides of Prince Bobby B.’s bloodline. His sire, King Pellinore, is a son of Round Table, and his dam, Riviere Bleue, is by Riverman, who was a major stakes winner in France.

Riviere Bleue and Prince Bobby B. were part of a 12-horse package that Bernstein bought a couple of years ago.

“Unfortunately, we’ve sold Riviere Bleue,� Bernstein said.

The win for Prince Bobby B. was his third in 10 lifetime starts. He earned $33,250, giving him more than $100,000 for his career.

The Oceanside has given Bernstein the only two victories of his training career at Del Mar.

Horse Racing Notes Is this going to be another Year of the Bruised Jockey at Del Mar? Last season, the track resembled a shooting gallery with the riders as targets, and on opening day two jockeys left their mounts prematurely, although neither Eddie Delahoussaye nor Alex Solis was injured. Delahoussaye was unseated by his mount, Gentleman Don, shortly after the start of the fourth race. Solis was dumped by Contact Game right in front of the stands eight minutes before the sixth race, and the 2-year-old colt, scheduled to make his first start, was scratched by the stewards after he ran off. Delahoussaye had been badly kicked by a horse in the paddock a couple of years ago, and last year he narrowly missed being hurt when one of his mounts broke down. “Every year I come, something happens,� Delahoussaye said. . . . Jockey Rafael Meza will miss the entire Del Mar season, having broken a collarbone for the second time in six weeks. Meza reopened the original June 5 fracture while reaching back to hit a horse with his whip at Hollywood Park Sunday. With Meza sidelined, Bill Shoemaker picked up his only mount of the day Wednesday, finishing last with Smokey Orbit in the Oceanside Stakes. Shoemaker said he couldn’t remember ever not having a mount on opening day at Del Mar. . . . Jockeys Antonio Castanon and Ray Sibille were fined $100 apiece by the stewards for a fight in the jockeys’ room last weekend at Hollywood Park.