Doug O’Neill, a four-time Del Mar summer training champion, whose last title came in 2010, enters the final, six-day week of the meeting with an 18-16 lead in wins over Peter Miller and Richard Baltas.
So Miller, Baltas and O’Neill’s No. 1 assistant, Leandro Mora, were asked to do some odds-making regarding the race.
“I’d make O’Neill 1-to-5 and Baltas and me are 2-1,” said Miller, the defending summer champion and a winner of two other, solo or shared, titles. “Doug’s not done winning and we’d have to have a hot closing week. But anything’s possible.
“I’m just happy we’ve had a good meet and hope to finish strong.”
Informed of Miller’s line, Mora said Team O’Neill’s odds should be “more like 5-2,” while expressing confidence. “We need to win a few more but we’ll have our chances,” Mora said. “I think we’ll run about 15 more horses (in the last week).
Baltas said “I ought to be around 10-1,” because he figures to have fewer horses to run than his rivals.
The numbers of entries leading up to Labor Day weekend favor O’Neill. He has five horses entered Wednesday and three Thursday. Miller has two Wednesday and two Friday, Baltas one Wednesday and two Friday.
Wednesday’s lineups: O’Neill – Juggles (1st, 5-1), Of Good Report (1st, 2-1), So Gucci (5th, 12-1), Vegan (7th, 20-1); Baltas – Morse Code (3rd, 5-1); Miller (6th, Dean Martini, 3-1), Bulletproof One (7th, 4-5).
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