Ron Charles and Samuel Gordon's mare Never Be Enough, a shipper from Golden Gate Fields in the Bay Area making her first stakes start stateside, lagged early in the one-mile Kathryn Crosby Stakes on the Del Mar lawn Saturday, then came running hard through the lane to capture the overnight by a length as the seaside track opened its fall racing season.
Tiago Pereira rode the winner, a 5-year-old daughter of the British sire Sir Percy bred in England. Her trainer is Manuel Badilla, who shipped his chestnut mare south, then rooted her home from his Golden Gate base.
Finishing second in the $75,000 turf test for fillies and mares was Branham, Baltas and McClanahan's Colonial Creed, who had three-quarters of a length on Donnie Crevier's Cordiality. Deborah McAnally Trust's She's Our Charm, the race favorite at 19-10, led for much of the trip, but was outrun late and finished fifth.
Never Be Enough, who covered the mile distance in 1:33.87, paid $14.80, $7.40 and $5.20 across the board. Colonial Creed returned $8.20 and $5.40 and Cordiality paid $4.20 to show.
The winner picked up a check for $46,740, increasing her earnings to $147,425. She's now finished first in seven of 27 starts, including races in Europe where she went over the jumps and tackled the boys on more than one occasion.
Three riders won two races each on the nine-race card – Mike Smith, Juan Hernandez and apprentice Alexis Centeno. Nine different trainers had winners during the afternoon.
Racing resumes at Del Mar on Sunday with first post at 12:30 p.m.
TIAGO PEREIRA (Never Be Enough, winner) – “My agent (Patty Sterling) spoke to the trainer (Manuel Badilla) this morning about this horse. He said she's got lots of speed and could go to the front. But if you go to the front, she's not going to finish. He said take a hold of her and get her to relax. Then get them in the straight. That's just what I did and when I asked the horse in the lane she had a great kick. Really good way to start the meet for me.”
MANUEL BADILLA (Never Be Enough, winner) – By phone from Golden Gate Fields: “I was a little nervous when she was last at the half-mile pole. Then I saw the fractions and I wasn't as nervous. This mare has a turn of foot and she's a real runner. The last race up here she beat a horse of mine (Blue Diva) I've won a couple stakes with. Back in Europe she ran against boys and in hurdles and on the flat. Talk about an iron horse. She'll ship back here Tuesday and we'll decide what's next from there.”
FRACTIONS: :22.59 :45.94 1:10.08 1:22.11 1:33.87
The stakes win was the first in the Kathryn Crosby for rider Pereira and his first of the meet. He now has nine stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first ever at Del Mar for trainer Badilla.
The winning owners are Ron Charles of Sunland, Calif., and his partner Samuel Gordon.
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