Drawn widest of all, the $16,000 OBS October Yearling turned $200,000 OBS April breezer (:9 4/5) pinged the stalls and showed good early speed to get down into the three path, where he cut the opening quarter-mile in a sharp :21.74 despite having to do some work. Maintaining a narrow advantage into the turn, the Florida-bred raced in the two path and faced a fresh challenge from $400,000 OBS March graduate  Agency (Bolt d'Oro), who rolled up three wide, looking every bit poised to capitalize on the favorite's early exertions. The latter got to within about a half-length with three-sixteenths of a mile to travel, but Havnameltdown had something in the locker and kicked home about 2 1/2 lengths to the good. Longshot Man Child (Creative Cause) rounded out the trifecta. Havnameltdown was providing trainer Bob Baffert with a record-extending ninth Best Pal, but first since Klimt (Quality Road) in 2016. The same ownership group won the 2009 Best Pal with future champion 2- and 3-year-old male Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike).

“I was outside and my plan was to stay second or third, but he was real aggressive out of the gate,” said winning rider Juan Hernandez. “He wanted to go to the front so I just let him run and do his thing. At the quarter pole he was getting kind of lazy so I woke him up a bit and he picked it up really well and got to the wire.”

Pedigree Notes:

Havnameltdown is the 11th stakes winner and sixth graded winner for Uncaptured, who was sold by Ocala Stud to South Korea to continue his stud career in late 2019 and covered a total of 137 mares in his first two seasons there, including 92 in 2020. The 12-year-old is a son of Lion Heart, whose record as a sire of sires–particularly in Florida–is well documented, as his son Kantharos achieved great success before being moved to Hill 'n' Dale. The latter's son Bucchero is off to a promising start at Pleasant Acres Stallions. Produced by a half-sister to three full black-type winners and to the dam of 2020 GIII Selene S. winner Two Sixty (Uncaptured), Havnameltdown has a yearling half-sister by Tapiture. Ashley's Babe was barren to both World of Trouble and Maximus Mischief for 2022 and was most recently bred to the latter.

Sunday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GIII, $202,500, Del Mar, 8-14, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.22, ft.
1–HAVNAMELTDOWN, 120, c, 2, by Uncaptured
1st Dam: Ashley's Babe, by Put It Back
2nd Dam: Charms Way, by Salt Lake
3rd Dam: Remember Midnight, by Cure the Blues
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($16,000 Ylg '21 OBSOCT; $200,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Michael E Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman; B-Katherine S Devall (FL); T-Bob Baffert; J-Juan J Hernandez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $168,000. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Agency, 120, c, 2, Bolt d'Oro–Queen of May, by Bernardini. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK-TYPE. ($100,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $400,000 2yo '22 OBSMAR). O-Muir Hut Stables LLC; B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Mark Glatt. $40,000.
3–Man Child, 120, c, 2, Creative Cause–Neck of the Moon, by More Than Ready. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK-TYPE. ($45,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-California Racing Partners, Ciaglia Racing LLC, Michelle Hanson, Richard C Pearson, Timothy J Husted & Robert Drenk; B-Dell Ridge Farm LLC (KY); T-Ryan Hanson. $24,000.
Margins: 2HF, 5 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.50, 9.40, 28.50.
Also Ran: Pop d'Oro, Jin Tong, Fleet Feet, Mardukas, Arman, King Adrock, Quagmire Magic. Scratched: Kangaroo Court. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Away smoothly from the three hole, the homebred was content to sit in third position beneath Joe Bravo, stalking the dueling duo of Bet On Mookie (Uncaptured) and Thirsty Always (Stay Thirsty) through an opening quarter in :22.11. Ridden quietly past the five-sixteenths pole, Pappacap was asked to come after the pacesetters three wide on the swing for home, breezed by with a minimum of fuzz and drew clear to remain unbeaten in two starts, having wired a field of Gulfstream babies by 2 3/4 lengths at first asking May 14. Finneus (Stay Thirsty) finished nicely to complete the exacta ahead of Bet On Mookie in third. Gun Runner joins Practical Joke, Mohaymen and Caravaggio as first-crop sires to be represented by a winner at the graded/group level.

“I was glad to see how well he settled in behind those two up front,” the winning jockey commented. “His race in Florida, he just was pure speed. You don't know if that's the way they like to go. But he showed another dimension today. Mark Casse sends them out ready.”

Pedigree Notes:

Karen and George Rustle acquired Pappacap's dam privately after she was bought back on a bid of $110,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale. One of three winners from as many to race out of Pappascat, Pappacap has a yearling half-brother by Bolt d'Oro and a colt foal by Spendthrift's Omaha Beach. Sticking to the Danzig line, the Rustles most recently bred Pappascat to War of Will. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Saturday, Del Mar
BEST PAL S.-GII, $200,500, Del Mar, 8-7, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.66, ft.
1–PAPPACAP, 120, c, 2, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Pappascat (GSP, $165,762), by Scat Daddy
2nd Dam: Redmeansgo, by Red Ransom
3rd Dam: Majestic Dy, by Dynaformer
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Rustlewood Farm Inc (FL); T-Mark E Casse; J-Joe Bravo. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $158,000. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A.
2–Finneus, 120, c, 2, Stay Thirsty–My Fiona, by Ghostzapper. ($200,000 Ylg '20 FTCAYR). O-Naseer Mohammed Fasihuddin, Terry C Lovingier & Amanda Navarro; B-Terry C Lovingier (CA); T-Walther Solis. $40,000.
3–Bet On Mookie, 120, c, 2, Uncaptured–Brown Glaze, by War Front. ($125,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-Gary Barber; B-Ocala Stud (FL); T-Peter Miller. $24,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 1HF, NK. Odds: 2.30, 4.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Thirsty Always, Aquitania Arrival, Our Empire. Scratched: Olympic Legend.

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Instagrand earned his ‘Rising Star’ after graduating by 10 lengths at first asking at Los Alamitos, covering five furlongs in a swift :56 flat, before validating that performance with a 10 1/4-length romp in the Best Pal. At three, he finished third off a seven-month absence in the one-mile GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct before filling the same spot when trying two turns for the first time in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

Bred in Kentucky by Stoneway Farm, Instagrand was purchased for $190,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton July Sale and was knocked down to Larry Best’s OXO Equine for joint sales-topping $1.2 million after breezing :10 flat at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale.

Instagrand is out of a winning daughter of GSW Added Asset (Lord At War {Arg}), a half-sister to Grade II winner Added Gold (Gilded Time) and from the family of GI Spinaway S. victress Irish Smoke (Smoke Glacken). Like Into Mischief’s dual champion Covfefe, Instagrand–one of 78 black-type winners and 32 graded winners for his enormously successful sire–carries Danzig on the bottom side of his pedigree.

Instagrand is currently available for inspection at Taylor Made.

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