Speed was the key for gray Irish-bred filly Zona Verde, who won the $100,000 Jimmy Durante (G3) for juvenile fillies on the front end Saturday at Del Mar.
Under Del Mar's leading rider, Juan Hernandez, and trained by the track's leading conditioner, Phil D'Amato, Zona Verde won by one length from favorite Lady de Berry while covering the one-mile on firm turf in 1:36.02. The winner was registering her first stakes victory and paid a handsome $23.60 to her backers.
En route to the her victory, Zona Verde clocked early fractions of :23.59 for the opening quarter mile, :48.08 for the half mile, and 1:12.15 for six furlongs.
Lady de Berry outfinished third-place finisher Yatta by a neck in the field of 10.
Zona Verde, a daughter of Coolmore's Irish-based stallion Calyx, started her career in April in Ireland and was unsuccessful in four maiden weight-for-age races. Sent to the U.S. this summer, she landed her United States debut Sept. 8 at Del Mar, then was sixth in the Surfer Girl (G3) Oct. 8 at Santa Anita in her stakes bow, but she would not be denied Saturday.
The winner, campaigned by Benowitz Family Trust, CYBT, McLean Racing Stables and Michale Nentwig, picked up a the winner's share of $60,000 from the Jimmy Durante purse, pushing her bankroll to $114,926. She was bred by Knockainey Stud from the Dark Angel mare Namibie.
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