john c. mabee stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Going To Vegas Pointed To Rodeo Drive Stakes After John C. Mabee Win

Soon after Going to Vegas crossed under the finish line 2 ¼-lengths in front to win the $200,000 Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Ca., on Saturday, what seemed like a tsunami of humanity descended from the grandstand to engulf the winner's circle for the picture and trophy ceremonies.

It was estimated that around 250 people – owners or friends of owners of the three partnership groups involved with the 4-year-old daughter of Goldencents — whooped, hollered, and smiled for the camera.

Bing Bush, founder and manager of Abbondanza Racing, figured that his 14-member group accounted for about 50 of the crowd, Medallion Racing about four, and the rest from MyRacehorse, the micro-shares organization that has had a large impact on racing in a short time.

There was plenty of joy to go around, and Bush, a Del Mar resident, was still savoring it this morning when he checked in at trainer Richard Baltas' barn to get the good news that Going to Vegas had come out of the race fine.

The Mabee victory, her sixth in 21 career starts, fueled thoughts of a Breeders' Cup start at Del Mar, where Going to Vegas has two wins and has only been out of the money once in seven starts on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

“We can always dream and this made that dream seem a step closer to reality,” Bush said. “We're going to be aiming her for the Rodeo Drive Stakes at Santa Anita. I think she'll like the distance.”

The Rodeo Drive, on October 2, is 1 ¼ miles, an eighth of a mile longer than the John C. Mabee but a distance at which the 4-year-old daughter of Goldencents won the Santa Ana there in March and was second in the Santa Anita Oaks last December.

A victory in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive carries with it a berth in the 1 3/8-mile, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar on November 6. Otherwise, a six-figure supplemental entry fee would be necessary for Going to Vegas, who was not made Breeders' Cup eligible as a foal.

“To win here is so wonderful and to win the John Mabee Stakes, a man who was such an iconic figure here and such a major figure in the racing industry, is just great,” Bush said.

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Going To Vegas Proves Best In Del Mar’s John C. Mabee

Going to Vegas and Del Mar's leading rider Flavien Prat sat a perfect trip Saturday in the nine-furlong John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar, then pulled clear at the top of the stretch and could not be caught in scoring a 2 1/4-length triumph in the Grade 2 headliner at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif.

The winner, a 4-year-old filly by Goldencents, was winning the sixth race of her career and the $120,000 winner's share of the $201,000 purse increased her earnings to $454,151. The bay Kentucky-bred is trained by Richard Baltas.

Going to Vegas is owned by three racing groups – Abbondanza Racing, Medallion Racing or MyRacehorse. An estimated post-race crowd of 250 of her owners filled Del Mar's winner's circle to capacity, and then some.

Finishing second in the grass test was LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag, who had a length and a quarter on Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta.

The winner, the 19-10 race favorite, returned $5.80, $3.20 and $2.60. Dogtag returned $2.80 and $2.40, while Bodhicitta paid $2.80 to show.

This was the 64th running of the Mabee, named for one of the founders of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Post-race quotes:

FLAVIEN PRAT (Going to Vegas, winner) – “I had a good post and a good break. I got right where I wanted to be and we weren't going that fast. When I asked her, she had a really good turn of foot. She was a winner all the way today.”

RICHARD BALTAS (Going to Vegas, winner) “She was where she wants (second, stalking position) from the start. She'll rate now, she used to not rate. I'm very proud of the horse coming back fairly quickly from the (allowance win) at the start of the meet to win a mile and an eighth graded stakes. (On the overflow crowd of owners in the winner's circle) This is great. They're all having fun and that's what it's all about.”

FRACTIONS: :24.20 :47.80 1:12.41 1:36.60 1:48.14

The victory was the 11th of the meet for rider Prat and his fifth score in the John C. Mabee. He now has 68 stakes wins at Del Mar, tied for 11th most in track history.

The victory was the third of the meeting for trainer Baltas, but his first win in the John C. Mabee. He now has 20 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owners are Abbondanza Racing (Bing Bush of Del Mar), Medallion Racing (Philip Shelton of Nicholasville, KY) and the large ownership group of MyRacehorse.

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Pair Of Graded Grass Stakes Headline Saturday Card At Del Mar

Two graded grass stakes – both at a mile and one-eighth out of the track's unique angled infield chute — will highlight an 11-race card scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Del Mar – the Grade 2, $250,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and the Grade 2, $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes.

The Saturday program will have a first post a half hour earlier than normal – 1:30 instead of 2 p.m. – and that will be the case also with Sunday's and Monday's cards during the Labor Day weekend. The Mabee, which is Race 9 on the Saturday card, will go off at approximately 5:30 and the Derby will be the day's nitecap and run at approximately 6:30.

The Derby has drawn 14 runners and is, of course, for 3-year-olds as the culminating event in the track's turf triple for sophomores, having been preceded by the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes and the Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes.

The first three finishers in both of those “prep” races are back to give it a go in this 77th edition of the Derby, which makes for a delicious mix. And the fact that Del Mar's morning line maker, Jon White, has made his favorite a very tepid 9/2 tells you that the race looms wide open with a thrilling finish likely to decide the winner.

The Mabee has drawn nine fillies and mares for its 64th running and it, too, appears to be the kind of race where contention runs deep. LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag has been made a slight 3-1 favorite over Slam Dunk Racing, Stable Currency and Branham's Maxim Rate at 7/2.

Here are the fields for the two features from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby

Double L Racing or Baffert's Hudson Ridge (Flavien Prat, 9/2)
Holly and David Wilson's Barraza (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1)
Reddam Racing's Hockey Dad (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1)
Downstream Racing's None Above the Law (Joe Bravo, 12-1)
Sayjay Racing's No Foolery Here (Giovanni Franco, 8-1)
STD Racing Stable, Kenly or Miller, et al's Optimistic Valor (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1)
Perry or Ramona Bass' Petruchio (Mike Smith, 20-1)
Sterling Stables, Nentwig or CYBT's Cathkin Peak (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 12-1)
Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1)
Bruno, Gezon or Jones' Jimmy Blue Jeans (Kyle Grey, 12-1)
Rockingham Ranch or Supreme Racing's Lincoln Hawk (Tiago Pereira, 20-1)
Hronis Racing's Crew Dragon (Juan Hernandez, 8-1)
Yuesheng Zhang's Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
Wachtel Stable, Barber or Drion, et al's Flashiest (Abel Cedillo, 6-1)

John C. Mabee Stakes

Maxim Rate (Hernandez)
Clarke Cooper Family Trust, Lawless, Kruljac, et al's Quiet Secretary (Cedillo, 15-1)
Dogtag (Rispoli);
LNJ Foxwood's Nasty (Ricky Gonzalez, 20-1)
Deborah McAnally Trust's She's Our Charm (Franco, 10-1)
Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta (Desormeaux, 6-1)
LNJ Foxwoods' Tapwater (Bravo, 6-1)
Abdondanza Racing and Medallion Racing's Going to Vegas (Prat, 4-1)
Aoshiba Corporation's Fast Jet Court (Van Dyke, 6-1)

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Frontrunning Raymundos Secret Just Lasts In John C. Mabee

Going straight to the front at the outset under Flavien Prat and setting all the fractions, Sierra Racing and Sterling Stables LLC's Raymundos Secret reached the wire just in time to hold off a fast-finishing Lady Prancealot and Umberto Rispoli to win Saturday's Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., by a nose.

Catch the Eye was third and Zee Drop fourth in the field of eight fillies and mares going nine furlongs on turf. Raymundos Secret was timed in 1:48.60 on firm turf after fractions of :24.87, :48.60, 1:12.52 and 1:36.16 were posted.

Raymundos Secret was favored at 7-5 with Lady Prancealot the 8-5 second choice.

The victory was Prat's fourth of the afternoon, giving him 46 for the summer session in 25 days of racing. Rispoli, who was blanked on Saturday, has 45.

“The plan wasn't necessarily to go to the front; just to break her out of there and see what happens,” said Prat. “She broke super sharp and we were on the lead. From there I just tried to get her to relax and to slow it down as best as I could. Then when we went for home, she gave me a good kick. She just had enough at the end.”

The Mabee was Prat's 13th stakes success of the meet, equaling the record number set by Rafael Bejarano in 2012.

“It's a good accomplishment. I'm glad for it. I'm hoping I've got one or two more before we're done here, too.”

Trained by Phil D'Amato, Raymundos Secret earned her first black-type win in the Mabee and fifth win overall in seven starts. Bred in Florida by Edward Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Joseph Barbazon, Raymundos Secret was produced from the Greatness mare, Paulette Caveat.

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