Hronis Racing's Livingmybestlife took the lead right out the gate and simply wouldn't be caught Wednesday afternoon at Del Mar in the featured $103,750 Seashell Stakes as the seaside track opened its eight Bing Crosby Season with an eight-race card.
The winner, a 3-year-old daughter of The Big Beast trained by John Sadler, ran the mile on the main track in 1:36.53 under Juan Hernandez and picked up a winner's check for $62,250, pushing her bankroll to $209,970 after she reported home a length and a half the best. It was the fourth victory in seven career starts for the Florida-bred who was claimed for $50,000 by her current connections out of her first start at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas last April.
Finishing second was the 1/2 race favorite Moonlight d'Oro, owned by MyRacehorse or Spendthrift Farm, while Michael Rosemayer's Clockstrikestwelve ran third.
The opening card was the first of 13 that will be held over the course of the Del Mar session that goes forward to Sunday, November 28. Adding special spice to this edition of the “Crosby” is the 38th running of the Breeders' Cup Championships, which will be conducted here this Friday and Saturday with $31 million of purses and awards on the line.
Racing continues Thursday with another eight-race card with first post at 12:30 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Livingmybestlife, winner) – “Yes, that was the plan – go to the front and see how far we could go. She likes to run that way. We had a Plan B in case someone did something crazy, but our first plan worked out fine. We weren't going that fast and she was comfortable. When we turned for home, she changed leads on her own and from there I was on a winner.”
JUAN LEYVA, assistant to John Sadler (Livingmybestlife, winner) “She got to break out front and do what she likes to do, which is cruise on the lead. She was comfortable the whole time and ran a great race. She's been nothing but good since we claimed her. At the three-eighths when I saw the favorite (Moonlight d'Oro) wasn't really pressing her and she was pulling away, I felt really good.”
FRACTIONS: :23.16 :46.38 1:10.78 1:23.63 1:36.53
The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the initial running of the Seashell. Jockey Hernandez now has 12 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the initial running of the Seashell. Trainer Sadler now has 81 stakes wins at Del Mar, second most of all time.
The winning owners are Kosta and Pete Hronis of Delano, CA.
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