Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor took up a perfect stalking spot through the early part of Saturday's $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, then worked hard through the lane for rider Juan Hernandez to outdo a pair of trainer Phil D'Amato's fillies and take down honors in the Grade 1 headliner by a length for trainer Bob Baffert.
The 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo was winning her fourth consecutive race in the process, with the previous two being a pair of Grade 2 stakes at Santa Anita. This was her first triumph in Grade 1 company and the $240,000 winner's purse push her bankroll up to $861,600.
The Clement L. Hirsch is a Win and You're In Challenge Series race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, giving the winner a fees-paid berth in the Distaff, to be run this year at Santa Anita.
H & E Ranch's Desert Dawn closed nicely late, but couldn't overtake the winner, but finishing a length and a half better than stablemate Elm Drive, who is owned by Little Red Feather Racing and cut out all the pace in the 1 1/6 miles on the main track.
The stakes win was the second of the meet for Baffert and his 158th overall at Del Mar, far and away the leading number in that department. He previously won the Hirsch in 2020 with Fighting Mad.
The tally was Hernandez's second of the meet and 35th overall at Del Mar. This was his first triumph in the Hirsch.
Adare Manor, a stout 3-5 favorite, returned $3.20 for the victory.
Earlier on the card, the 6-year-old gelding Carmelita's Man won the $152,000 California Dreamin' Stakes for the second year in a row, this time by three quarters of a length under Tiago Pereira. The son of Mucho Macho Man is owned by Larry or Ann Jett and trained by Dean Pedersen. He was winning the eighth race of his career and first since last summer at Del Mar. He earned a winner's share of $85,500 and pushed his total earnings to $554,670.
Finishing second in the 'Dreamin' was The Ellwood Johnston Trust, et al's Kings River Knight, the 9-10 favorite, who had a length and a half on J. Kirk and Judy Robison's None Above the Law.
Carmelita's Man returned $13.60 to his backers in the Saturday crowd.
Racing will resume at Del Mar on Sunday with an 11-race card and a first post of 2 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Adare Manor, winner) — “She (won) the last three races and today was four. She's been improving a lot. I just have to help her out of the gate because she was a little slow out of the gate today, but by the first turn she found a nice rhythm. I let her be quiet a little bit and save her energy. At the quarter pole I asked her to pick it up and she exploded again to the wire. She is a big filly; sometimes it takes a couple jumps to keep her momentum. She is the best. She was faster than me and so I sit quiet saving my horse till the last stretch. She (stays on) pretty well; she is really kind.”
BOB BAFFERT (Adare Manor, winner) – “I was hoping to be on an easy lead. I knew the one (Elm Drive) is a really fast filly; you want to stay close to her. Sort of took our filly out of her game a little bit. He had to keep riding her the whole way but, at the end, she's a big long jumping filly and she just got going there at the end. We're happy with the win; we got a Grade I”
FRACTIONS: :23.31 :46.68 1:11.30 1:36.78 1:43.33
This was the second stakes victory of the meet for both jockey and trainer.
This was the 35 stakes win at Del Mar for rider Hernandez. It was his first in the Clement L. Hirsch.
This was the 158th (a Del Mar record) stakes score at Del Mar for trainer Baffert. It was his second win in the Hirsch (Fighting Mad, 2020).
The winning owner is Michael Lund Petersen of Reisterstown, MD.
California Dreamin' Notes
TIAGO PEREIRA (Carmelita's Man, winner) – “Yes, this is the first time I ride this horse. I worked him last week and I got off and said 'I love this horse.' Dean (trainer Pederson) told me to put him in the race. We got a good spot and he was running well. Then I chirped to him and he really went. We were winners all the way.”
DEAN PEDERSON (Carmelita's Man, winner) – “The end result is what we were hoping for that's for sure. I was a little worried around the turn. He was in between horses and it looked like he was backing up a little bit but once he got him outside and in the clear it was good. He's still got it, I guess. He just very reliant on pace. We got a little help today and he's still willing to do it.”
FRACTIONS: :23.20 :47.45 1:11.29 1:35.15 1:41.00
The stakes win was the first at the meet for both the rider and the trainer.
The victory in the California Dreamin' is the first in the race for rider Pereira, but his 11th overall at Del Mar.
The victory in the California Dreamin' is the second in the race for trainer Pedersen (he won it with the same horse last year), and his third stakes win overall at Del Mar.
The winning owners are Larry or Ann Jett of Santa Ynez, CA.
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