Diamond Oops has four graded stakes victories in his career, which puts him ahead of the competition in terms of accomplishments and money ($1.4 million). However, his most recent triumph occurred in June 2021. Next comes the outstanding sprinter Drain the Clock, who last year won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes and the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes, both of which were presented by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.
American Principles and Theorem Following their most recent performances, Carlo demonstrated that they were among North America's best sprinters when they finished first and second in Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes. Letsgetlucky is another intriguing contender; he recently ended a three-month absence and, when last seen, finished swiftly for second in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap behind sprint division leader Jackie's Warrior. In the autumn of 2020, Get Her Number won the Grade 3 American Pharoah Stakes, but he only had one success in his subsequent seven attempts. Nevertheless, towards the tail end of June, he secured a huge victory.
Howbeit was making his comeback earlier this month in the Oak Tree Sprint Stakes after spending more than ten months on the sidelines. He has won six out of 20 dirt races but slipped and lost his jockey. Big boss has placed first or second in seven of eight races and now attempts stakes company. Desmond Doss has won several stakes races against horses bred in California, most recently the Bertrando Stakes in June. Shaaz is the Bing Crosby Stakes starter with the least prior experience, with only four starts and three victories. After finishing third in the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes in his most recent run, he shortens his distance.
I'll start with Howbeit, who has won six of 20 races in his career on dirt, including three of eight last year. Howbeit ran the strongest races of his career in succession after being claimed for $32,000 in February 2021 after winning four of 12 dirt sprint events. He started with two runner-up finishes and two strong victories by margins of 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 lengths. When put into perspective, those efforts produced Equibase Speed Figures of 108 and 105, which are comparable to those of the best horses in this field, as shown by American Theorem's 109 figure from winning the Triple Bend Stakes in May and the 109 figures obtained by Shaaz (Steve Sexton Mile) and Letsgetlucky (Count Fleet Sprint) from their respective races.
Howbeit returned to racing on July 2 after a 10-month absence as the odds-on favorite in the Oak Tree Sprint Stakes, but he fell and lost his jockey early on. Trainer Mark Glatt gave Howbeit just one slower five-furlong workout in preparation for this race because he was already in excellent shape after several speedy activities before that event. I believe that Howbeit may have what it takes to win this year's Bing Crosby Stakes and shock many racing fans, primarily because one of the best performances from his career occurred at Del Mar exactly one year ago this week (July 25).
In 2019, after winning three of his first four races in 2017, including two stakes on dirt, his trainer, Patrick Biancone, switched him to grass (both sprints). He then returned to earth to win the Smile Sprint Stakes that summer. Biancone had entered the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland that season but decided to run Diamond Oops in the Shadwell Turf Mile. The horse almost pulled off the 12.20-1 upset when it took the lead late and finished second.
I've always thought Diamond Oops was a special kind of horse. In 2019, after winning three of his first four races in 2017, including two stakes on dirt, his trainer, Patrick Biancone, switched him to grass (both sprints). He then returned to earth to win the Smile Sprint Stakes that summer. Biancone had entered the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland that season but decided to run Diamond Oops in the Shadwell Turf Mile. The horse almost pulled off the 12.20-1 upset when it took the lead late and finished second.
Speculator Stakes won the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes the following September (2020). Presented by Sysco After a last-to-first rally, the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes winner later switched back to dirt. Diamond Oops has only won one of the 12 races subsequently, but even that win gave him a 111 Equibase Speed Figure, which was nearly as good as any earlier in this career.
If the horse ran well, which he did when finishing a third of seven behind multiple stakes winner C Z Rocket, Biancone would have likely considered the Bing Crosby Stakes. Before that race, Diamond Oops ran a speedy five-furlong workout in 58.85 seconds, proving that the horse enjoys the Del Mar track and has the potential to perform even better in his next local outing.
In his 14 starts, Drain the Clock has won five of them, including four stakes contests. Drain the Clock had a career-best 113-speed figure in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Stakes, which one could anticipate from a mature 4-year-old horse. Drain the Clock made his first start of 2022 and opened up late in the race before being narrowly defeated by a neck. After a disappointing seventh-place showing in the Dubai Golden Shaheen against some of the top sprinters in the world, Drain the Clock was reintroduced in the Smile Sprint Invitational Stakes four weeks ago was sponsored by Atlantis Dubai. He faced horses that had raced more recently than March, which may have been why he faded to fourth after rising from sixth to lead after a half-mile.
Before departing his home base in South Florida, Drain the Clock put in a very strong:46.26 half-mile training. Since this is his second start after the break, he may be back in peak condition and be able to win a graded stake for the fourth time in his career.
Honorable mention must go to a few additional horses because the top three are, in my opinion, the prime contenders for the win. The first of these are American Theorem and Principe Carlo, who finished first and second, respectively, in the Triple Bend Stakes at the end of May, and both achieved solid 109 Equibase Speed Figures. Both were overlooked in the betting at 13-1 odds, but if they performed well in this scenario, neither would be a surprise.
Also deserving of admiration is Letsgetlucky, who in April's Count Fleet Sprint Handicap put forth his most outstanding performance to date (with a 109 figure). Not only did he overtake Breeders' Cup Sprint division leader Jackie's Warrior in the final eighth of a mile, but both the victor and the third-place finisher went on to triumph in their subsequent starts.
Shaaz might be viewed as the betting favorite because he is trained by Bob Baffert and because of his performance when placing third in the Steve Sexton Mile Stakes in his most recent outing.
I'll take a position against Shaaz since he has only run four times and because his three earlier runs produced 93, 97, and 101 figures, which are below the efforts of the rest of the field in races like this one.
The remaining runners (with the best Equibase Speed Figure) are Get Her Number (107), Desmond Doss (107), and Bagboss (105) (103).
Winner Aspirants:
Howbeit
Diamond Oh, No!
Remove the Clock
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