The chestnut 3-year-old colt Conclude, owned by the partnership of Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Bret Jones, hung tough late to tally by a head Sunday at Del Mar in the 78th edition of the Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby.
Hector Berrios gave the son of Collected a well-timed ride and finished the nine furlongs on turf in 1:48.61. Trainer Phil D'Amato saddled the winner, who earned a first prize of $180,000 from the gross purse of $302,000 in the Grade 2 headliner for sophomores. The race is considered the championship event for 3-year-old males during the Del Mar meeting.
Finishing second was Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal's Maltese Falcon, who closed stoutly through the lane to just miss. He was a length ahead of CYBT, McLean Racing Stables, Gevertz, Nentwig and Pagano's Almendares.
Conclude, who had won the opening day Caesars Sportsbook Oceanside Stakes, won his third straight race and fourth overall and increased his bankroll to $359,600. He paid $4.20 to win as the 11-10 race favorite.
Earlier on the card, a racing rarity occurred when trainer Bob Baffert's two horses in the Shared Belief Stakes dead-heated for the victory.
Pegram/Watson/Weitman's Tahoe Sunrise and Sunny Brook Stables' Mr Fisk finished exactly even on the wire and both were awarded the victory in the $125,500 stakes for 3-year-olds. They ran the mile on dirt in 1:37.33 with Victor Espinoza up on Tahoe Sunrise and Juan Hernandez aboard Mr Fisk.
The winning horses each received $50,000 as their shares of the purse.
Finishing third, eight lengths farther back, was C R K Stable's Smart Mo.
Tahoe Sunrise paid $3.00 for the win. Mr Fisk returned $2.80.
Baffert previously had been involved in a dead-heat stakes victory in the De Anza Stakes at Del Mar in 1992 when his horse Wheelers Oil tied with Boss Soss, trained by Jack Haynes.
Racing will resume at Del Mar on Labor Day Monday with a first post at 1:30 p.m.
HECTOR BERRIOS (Conclude, winner) – “I had a good trip, all the way. He was relaxed and that's the best. Then when we turned for home, I said 'Vamoose!' And he really took off from there.”
PHIL D'AMATO (Conclude, winner) – “A masterful ride by Hector (Berrios), letting that other horse go and then making that move at the three-quarter pole to get him comfortable on the lead. He's tough horse. The mile and an eighth is where he wants to be at. Anywhere in that mile to mile and an eighth range he's going to be a top class horse down the road.”
FRACTIONS: :23.91 :47.40 1:12.20 1:36.68 1:48.61
The stakes win was the fifth of the session for rider Berrios and the sixth for trainer D'Amato.
Rider Berrios was winning his first Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and his ninth overall stakes at Del Mar.
Trainer D'Amato was winning his second Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby (Midnight Storm, 2014) and his 50th overall stakes at Del Mar.
The winning owners are Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and Bret Jones.
The post Berrios Guides Conclude To Narrow Victory In Del Mar Derby appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Love to Shop, at odds of 5-2, was full of run late to take the $125,000 Toronto Cup Stakes for 3-year-olds Sunday at Woodbine.
Arriving at the one-mile Toronto Cup off a third in the Ontario Colleen Stakes (G3) on July 22, Love to Shop, the lone filly in the field of eight, emerged victorious courtesy of a strong stretch drive over a firm E.P. Taylor turf course.
Eyes On the King, one of three Mark Casse trainees (Conman and Lifetime of Chance were the others), took the early lead and was 3½ lengths in front of Conman through an opening quarter in :23.28, as Emma-Jayne Wilson, board Love to Shop, settled into sixth spot.
On top by three lengths after a half in :45.86, Eyes On the King was then pressured to his outside by stablemate Conman heading into the turn for home. Wilson, who kept Love to Shop well within striking distance, gave her charge her cue at the top of the lane.
A head clear at the stretch call, the bay, trained by Kevin Attard, was resolute in the final yards, going on to secure a 1¼-length triumph in a time of 1:34.14.
Conman edged Souper Blessing by a head for second. Sammy Stone was fourth, followed by British Artillery, Eyes On the King, Lifetime of Chance and Dream Jereem.
“I learned a little bit about her last time,” said Wilson, in reference to the Ontario Colleen. “I gave her the best trip I could. The last 70 yards, it got a little tight and I had to alter course, and she's such a big, strong filly, so it wasn't ideal. This time, I had the chance to get her into a nice, outside stalking trip, and let her get into rhythm. With three-eighths of a mile stretch run, I just tipped her off heels and let her build and build. She finished on strong, and she got the job done.”
It was the first stakes win for the daughter of Violence out of Tiffany Case, by Uncle Mo. She came to the Attard barn after three starts in the U.S. for Todd Pletcher, which included a maiden-breaking score at Belmont on June 10.
“I think she was the best horse in the race,” said Wilson. “I knew that going in and she ran like it.”
Owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable, Love to Shop was bred in Kentucky by DJ Stable LLC. Offered by Taylor Made Sales Agency at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, she was purchased for $200,000.
Launching her career with a pair of seconds, one at Saratoga, the other at Belmont, Love to Shop is now 2-2-1 from five starts.
She returned $7.70 for the win.
The post ‘She Got The Job Done’: Love To Shop Defeats Males In Toronto Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
9th-Del Mar, $84,000, Msw, 9-3, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:11.82, ft, 4 3/4 lengths.
TAP YOUR DREAM (f, 2, Tapwrit–Peruse, by First Samurai), let go at 10-1 for this unveiling, pressed the early pace and had more than enough late to take her career opener at Del Mar Sunday. Prompting Girl of My Dreams (Kantharos) through a half mile in :45.79, the chestnut filly strode to the front in early stretch and drew away with authority to win by an eye-catching 4 3/4-length margin. Girl of My Dreams was second. The winner has a yearling half-brother by Speightsong. Sales history: $15,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $37,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP; $180,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200.
O-Stetson Racing, LLC, Cornelia & Ioan Campeanu; B-Tommy Wente (IN); T-Tim Yakteen.
The post Tapwrit Filly Wins Debut for Fun at Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
