The upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend is traditionally one of the busiest in North American horse racing, and this year is no exception as major stakes races are scheduled at several tracks spanning the U.S.
Baoma Corp's Eda, a fast 4-year-old filly who has made a strong habit of winning everything in sight, captured her seventh consecutive race Sunday at Del Mar in taking down the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap by 1 1/2 lengths.
With leading rider Juan Hernandez at the controls for trainer Bob Baffert, Eda, a daughter of the fast horse Munnings, kept her streak alive by covering the 6 1/2 -furlong distance in 1:16.49. She sat second for most of the trip, then accelerated at the top of the lane and never looked anything but a winner.
Eda was the 4-5 favorite in the $126,000 headliner and she returned $3.60 to her backers and $75,000 to her bank account. She now has total earnings of $667,600 off a record that shows eight victories and a second in 10 starts. It was the fifth time in a row that Hernandez has been aboard her for a score.
Keith Abrahams' Kirstenbosch was second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Cerin or Cady, et al's Princess Adaleigh. Eda carried 124 pounds under the handicap conditions, three more than the runner-up.
The track's popular Pick 6 wager once again couldn't be solved and the jackpot carryover to next Thursday's pool will start at $324,789. First post that day for an eight-race card is 2 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Eda, winner) – “She came out of there well and was running OK. When we went past the five-eighths (pole), she relaxed. That was good. Then when we got near the head of the stretch, I ask her and she goes. She's a nice one. I should tell Bob (trainer Baffert) I want to ride ones like this all the time.”
BOB BAFFERT (Eda, winner) – “She's solid. This is the distance she likes. She's very competitive and some horses they know how to win. I had a filly, Silverbulletday, who won like 10 in a row so you're lucky to have fillies like this. I wanted to see my other filly, Home Cooking, up on the pace. I thought she'd run really well.”
FREACTIONS: :21.74 :45.07 1:10.06 1:16.49
The stakes win the fourth of the meet for rider Hernandez. It is also the fourth of the meet for trainer Baffert.
This is the second victory in the Rancho Bernardo (Edgeway in 2022) for jockey Hernandez and his 37th overall at Del Mar.
This is the third victory in the Rancho Bernardo for trainer Baffert and his 160th overall, which is far in front of all other trainers. (Next nearest is John Sadler who has 85.)
The winner is owned by Baoma Corp, which is the nom du course for Charles Chu of North Andover, MA.
The post Eda Extends Win Streak to Seven in Rancho Bernardo Handicap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Augustin Stable's homebred Mouffy made a bold late rally to pass favored Lovely Princess in deep stretch to win Sunday's $125,000 Ellis Park Turf for fillies and mares.
Mouffy is trained by Jonathan Thomas and was piloted by Emmanuel Esquivel. The Ellis Park Turf was Mouffy's first stakes victory. She completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.46.
It was a good start to the Ellis Park Turf Stakes as Sahlabiya inherited the lead from the rail. Mouffy sat fourth in the early stages and saved ground through an opening quarter mile in :24.50. Up the backside, Sahlabiya continued to the lead the field through a moderate half-mile in :48.96. Esquivel kept Mouffy to the inside around the far turn while 7-5 favorite Lovely Princess made a three-wide bid at the quarter pole.
At the top of the stretch, Esquivel tipped Mouffy to the two-path as she began to pass the tiring pacesetters. At the eighth pole, Mouffy dove inside of Lovely Princess and pushed clear to a one-length victory. Bipartisanship rallied from the back of the pack to round out the top three.
Kentucky-bred Mouffy is a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo out of the Smart Strike mare Truly Together. Her record stands at 4-1-0 from six career starts and purse earnings of $207,920.
The post Mouffy Lands Ellis Park Turf With Late Surge In Stakes Debut appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
