BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Speed Boat Beach, the 2023 Florida-bred Horse of the Year, returns to action for the first time in four months in Saturday’s $250,000 Pat O’Brien (Grade 2) at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club featuring nine 3-year-olds and older sprinting seven furlongs. 

Trained by Bob Baffert for Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Speed Boat Beach was last seen in the $199,000 St. Matthews overnight stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1 when he pressed the pace down the backstretch in the six-furlong test but faded to tenth and last.

That was his first race back since December of 2023 when he won the seven-furlong Malibu (G1) by a length-and-a-half. That came after he previously finished fourth after leading throughout in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in November.

 

Speed Boat Beach has won half of his eight career starts with one second and has earned $499,350. He is by Bayern out of Sophia Mia and was bred in Florida by Richard Heysek’s Caperlane Farm located in Morriston. 

Speed Boat Beach is a two-time graduate of Ocala Breeders’ Sales. He sold for $200,000 to Three Amigos out of the Really and Truly Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2022 March Sale. Rubin M. Sanchez purchased him for $12,000 as a yearling at the 2021 OBS October Sale out of the Stuart Morris consignment.

Juan Hernandez will ride Speed Boat Beach from post two.

Also set for the Pat O’Brien is Dr. Venkman, who exits a fourth-place finish to Lovesick Blues in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar on July 26.

Trained by Mark Glatt for Alipony Racing, Dan J. Agnew, Clint Bunch and James Hailey, Dr. Venkman was second to Florida-bred Roll On Big Joe in the Grade 3 Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs two starts back on June 28.

The 5-year-old gelded son of Ghostzapper won the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap going a mile-and-a-sixteenth at Del Mar in July of last year.

Umberto Rispoli will ride Dr. Venkman from post one.

Rounding out the field are Spirit of Makena with Mirco Demuro taking the riding assignment, Maymum and jockey Kazushi Kimura, Awesome Rhythm will have Armando Ayuso in the saddle, Antonio Fresu rides Stronghold, Express Train has Hector Berrios up, Abel Lezcano guides Tapalo and Man O Rose will be ridden by Edwin Maldonado.

Return to the August 22 issue of Wire to Wire