Avanzare returns from long layoff to take Del Mar Mile

DEL MAR, Calif. - Avanzare returned from a layoff of nearly seven months to win his second consecutive Grade 2 stakes in Sunday’s $201,250 Del Mar Mile. The win left jockey Gary Stevens thinking he has found a mount for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Stevens guided Avanzare from off the pace with a five-wide rally to score a mild upset, paying $15.40. Avanzare was seventh for most of the race, and rallied late to finish a half-length in front of 5-2 Talco.

Asked if Avanzare belongs in the BC Mile, Stevens had a quick answer. “Definitely,” he said.

The race was marred by a fatal injury suffered by Pure Tactics, a multiple stakes winner. Pure Tactics was pulled up with a hind leg injury on the turn. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Pure Tactics won the Wickerr Stakes here on July 22.

Avanzare ran a mile on turf in 1:35.22. Marchman, a 19-1 outsider, set a moderate pace of 23.38 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.77 seconds for a half-mile, leading by as much as 1 1/2 lengths.

Marchman yielded the lead to Jimmy Bouncer before the eighth pole. At that point, Avanzare was still seventh, but closing well. With a wide rally, he avoided traffic issues that affected other runners in the stretch.

“I knew I’d have to get a good trip,” Stevens said. “I was able to follow Bal a Bali. I had to give up some ground on the turn and didn’t want to risk not getting through.

“He’s got such a big kick. The horse to beat was Talco and he was wider than me.”

Talco finished a length in front of 41-1 Di Giorgio, who was followed by Kulik Lodge, Bal a Bali, Jimmy Bouncer, Winning Prize, Marchman, and Wilkinson. Kulik Lodge, a 39-1 outsider, and Bal a Bali, the 3-2 favorite, were in traffic in the stretch.

Talco holds a berth in the BC Mile after winning the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita in June, a race that was part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, offering an automatic berth for the winner.

Avanzare races for Stonestreet Stables and trainer Tom Proctor. A 5-year-old gelding by Grand Reward, Avanzare has won 7 of 13 starts and earned $505,180. He won the Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes at Santa Anita last January before being turned out.

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