LH grad Van Dyke ties Del Mar record with 7 wins

The Associated Press HAVING A DAY: Drayden Van Dyke wins the Grade 2 $200,000 Del Mar Mile Sunday aboard Catapult at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California. Benoit Photo.
The Associated Press HAVING A DAY: Drayden Van Dyke wins the Grade 2 $200,000 Del Mar Mile Sunday aboard Catapult at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California. Benoit Photo.

One day after Del Mar enjoyed record business, Drayden Van Dyke performed a riding feat that ranks with the best in the California track's history.

The 23-year-old jockey had seven winners from eight mounts Sunday, tying Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza for the most victories on a single Del Mar card. Van Dyke rode four winners in a row early on the program and launched a late three-race sweep on Catapult ($12.20) in the featured Grade 2 $200,000 Del Mar Mile.

Van Dyke, a past Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, is a 2012 Lake Hamilton High graduate. He won two Oaklawn Park stakes races this year, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap aboard City of Light and the listed Smarty Jones on Mourinho. Before Hall of Famer Mike Smith took the reins, Van Dyke rode Justify to a debut victory at Santa Anita, the first of six wins for the undefeated (and since retired) Triple Crown winner.

"I believed I had a lot of live mounts for the day, but I never expected anything like this -- winning seven," Van Dyke said. "After the race, all the guys were congratulating me -- (Joel) Rosario, (Gary) Stevens, (Keith) Desormeaux."

Van Dyke tied the Del Mar record of seven wins set by Espinoza Sept. 4, 2006. Hall of Fame jockeys Laffit Pincay Jr. (twice) and Bill Shoemaker, along with Rudy Rosales, all won six races on a single Del Mar card.

Van Dyke surged ahead of Flavien Prat for the lead in the Del Mar jockey standings, 26-25, with 10 days left in the meet.

Van Dyke won the last four races in a pick-five wager, booting home Neighborhood Bully ($12.80) in the second, Quebec ($8) in the third, Triple Shot ($26.20) in the fourth and Tantara ($6.20) in the fifth. His only loss on the program came when second in the sixth race on Allaboutaction.

After winning aboard Catapult, Van Dyke posted his sixth victory on Policy ($3.80) in the ninth race and tied the record on Ohio ($9.60) in the 10th and final race.

"So special. I had a day up at Santa Anita recently where I won the first four races, including a Grade 1, and that was the best," said Van Dyke, who lives in Louisville, Ky. "But I think today (five wins after the Del Mar Mile) goes past it."

Rosario won four Del Mar races Saturday, including the featured Grade 1 $1 million Pacific Classic aboard odds-on favorite Accelerate. Both Accelerate and Catapult are trained by John Sadler, Catapult giving Van Dyke his meet-high seventh stakes victory and 18th at Del Mar.

Catapult went a mile in 1:33.40 over a firm-rated Del Mar turf course, giving Sadler his fifth stakes win of the meet, third in the Del Mar Mile and 64th at the track.

"We're winning these big races and getting good trips and I can't ask for anything more," said Sadler. "I'm very happy with Catapult. He ran a good race in winning (Del Mar's Grade 2) Eddie Read and I wasn't sure I was going to bring him back here. But I figured that since he's so good on this turf course I wanted to run him twice here. We're hoping he'll end up in the Breeders' Cup Mile (November at Churchill Downs)."

* One year after hosting thoroughbred racing's world championships for the first time, Del Mar on Friday was granted the 2021 Breeders' Cup. Enjoying a solid meet, Del Mar broke its record for single-day handle when $25,969,128 was wagered on Saturday's Pacific Classic card.

Sports on 08/21/2018

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