While the first part of the year didn't play out exactly as planned, things have a way of coming together, as was the case for Jonathan Thomas when the trainer sent out three graded stakes winners in one week during the Del Mar Turf Festival. On top of his stakes victories with Truly Quality, Mrs. Astor, and Will Then, Thomas finished the fall meet with five winners from 13 starters. Those numbers are made all the more impressive by the fact Thomas had sent only 14 horses to Southern California, more than half of his barn, which he says is the "smallest it's been" since he began his public stable a decade ago.
Thomas, a former steeplechase jockey, was an assistant to Christophe Clement and Todd Pletcher before going out on his own. The 44-year-old native of Virginia first made a name for himself as the trainer of Catholic Boy , whose 2018 exploits included the unprecedented feat of landing the Belmont Derby (G1T) and Travers Stakes (G1) in the same year. While Catholic Boy was equally as impressive on both surfaces, Thomas has honed his skills as a proficient conditioner of turf horses over the past few years. All five of his Del Mar winners this fall won over the lawn.
It's Thomas' second season in California after sending a string west last winter. Assistant trainer Chelsie Raabe has been at the helm on both of those occasions.
"I like the fact that the races go (in California)," Thomas said. "You're really unencumbered by the weather, and if the horses are good enough to compete in stakes races, there's a very good series of stakes races that you can count on.
"(The meet) just fit our stock. We have some nice stock but we often have to shop around because out East we're running into the mega barns. We're constantly having to shop around for opportunity. When the Del Mar book came out, there were quite a few races that fit the horses we had."
The Thomas barn reaped the benefits from Del Mar's advantageous "Ship and Win" program, which offers lucrative incentives for owners and horsemen to make the journey to the West Coast. Besides complimentary lodging for barn staff, the Ship and Win program pays a $3,000 bonus for each shipper's first start (including stakes races) at Del Mar in addition to a 30% purse bonus for every start of the fall meet (excluding stakes).
"They really help with the costs you're absorbing when you ship out there," Thomas said.
All five of Thomas' winners were homebreds for George Strawbridge Jr.'s Augustin Stables. The Mid-Atlantic-based operation, established by Strawbridge's father, the late George Sr., has a long-established reputation for breeding and racing on an international scale. Some of the most successful runners to wear the Augustin ivory and green silks include Breeders' Cup winners Forever Together, Informed Decision, and grade 1 winner With Anticipation.
"We've been very fortunate together," Thomas said. "We're entering our sixth year as having the bulk of his stable and in return him having the bulk of ours. We've won a graded stakes for him every year."
Augustin Stables finished the Turf Festival leading all owners by wins. In addition to the five from Thomas' stable, Augustin also landed a winner during the meet with the Richard Mandella-trained Amorita, owned in partnership with Stone Farm.
"(Strawbridge is) a guy that needs no introduction," Thomas said. "Incredible breeder, great horseman, great person. He's one of those people where anytime you can do well for him it's extra special because he's everything an owner can be. We feel very privileged to train for him."
Strawbridge was the one who put Vincent Cheminaud on Thomas' radar after the jockey rode successfully for the owner in France. Cheminaud, now based in Kentucky, piloted all three of Augustin's Del Mar stakes winners.
"(Strawbridge) called me and said, 'Listen, anytime you get a chance and you feel comfortable I'd love Vincent to have a shot to get on some of our horses,' " Thomas said. "Early on it didn't really line up where we weren't at the right places at the right time, but this year we picked him up in the Mid-Atlantic and he delivered again and again."
Prior to guiding Truly Quality to his third consecutive stakes score in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2T) Nov. 29, Cheminaud rode the Quality Road colt to victory in Woodbine's Singspiel Stakes (G3T). On that same Oct. 5 card, Cheminaud landed the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) for Thomas aboard Truly Quality's older half sister and Augustin Stables color bearer Mouffy.
"(Cheminaud has) been able to take his skill set anywhere," Thomas said. "I think he's won races for us at five or six different racetracks now. He's a very, very good rider. He's very smart, he places his horses extremely well. I think he's flying dramatically under the radar right now but he's done little wrong for us."
Thomas attributes a large portion of his Del Mar success to Raabe. She galloped all of the barn's horses in the mornings after an exercise rider quit two days into the meet. She also decided to set up shop before the meet to help get their horses acquainted with the facility.
Being able to settle into the new surroundings boded especially well for Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T) winner Will Then. Thomas called the 2-year-old filly's performance the "most impressive" of any of his winners at Del Mar. Exiting a Woodbine maiden victory, the daughter of War of Will showed an electrifying turn of foot down the lane Nov. 30 to win by 2 1/4 lengths at odds of 10-1.
"Her last two works out here I thought were excellent," Thomas said of Will Then. "It didn't surprise me that she won but it did surprise me how easily she won."
Thomas said Will Then, in addition to Truly Quality and Red Carpet Stakes (G3T) heroine Mrs. Astor, are all likely to start during the upcoming Santa Anita meet once the right spot arises.
Truly Quality, who made a splash in the older turf division during the second half of this year, could have his eye on bigger targets in 2025.
"If he can improve just a little bit, it puts him in the thick of things next year in some of the bigger races," Thomas said. "Once we started stretching him out and identifying his style, which is coming with one big run and forcing him into his races, it made a big difference.
"He's obviously going to be pace dependent. His last two races were nail-biters, he leaves it to the last minute, but that seems to be the style he's developed. I think he's going to continue to improve."
Thomas thinks the added distance also played a key role in Mrs. Astor's recent stakes success. The Lookin At Lucky filly earned a breakthrough triumph Nov. 24 in the 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet.
"Once we stretched (Mrs. Astor) out, it really changed things for her," Thomas said. "I thought she ran a very sneaky good race in the (1 1/2-mile) Dowager—I think she was 50-1—and just missed for third. So I felt very good about her (in the Red Carpet). She had been training very well and always had a stakes-quality feel about her, so it was nice to get that done."
Riding on the heels of a fortuitous Del Mar meet, the Thomas barn sets its sights on the winter Santa Anita meeting.
"Not only is Santa Anita a great place to get some black type and develop some younger horses, but it's also a great place to rest and get some of these horses ready for some of the bigger targets later in the year," Thomas said.
"We have some maidens we're excited about. We have a couple of unraced 2-year-olds that we'd like to get ready to run in January and February. I have a horse, Geometry, that broke his maiden at Keeneland in the fall I'd like to run out here, he's by far our best 2-year-old colt turning 3. He should make it back to the races in the beginning of February and I'd love to utilize their 3-year-old stakes program with him."
