Avenue de France surges in final furlong of Osunitas Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. - A burst of speed through the final furlong carried Avenue de France to a win in Saturday’s $103,000 Osunitas Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar for her third stakes victory in the last year.

Ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, Avenue de France ($14) ran past a tiring pacesetter in 2-1 favorite Hamwood Flier, winning the restricted one-mile turf race by 1 1/4 lengths. Hamwood Flier held off a late surge from 15-1 Rocking Redhead to hold second by a nose.

Avenue de France was timed in 1:34.57 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 92.

Hernandez, who had three wins on Saturday to match his three-win day on Friday’s opening-day program, needed a bit of luck to guide Avenue de France to victory.

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Avenue de France was ninth of 11 on the turn when Hernandez moved her to the outside for a clear running path.

“It’s her style to run like that,” Hernandez said. “She relaxed pretty well. When I took her outside, she responded and passed everybody.”

Quattroelle finished fourth, followed by Carpe Vinum, Ever Smart, Sassyserb, Amy C, Buyback, Bye Bye Bertie, and Quiet Secretary.

Hamwood Flier led by as many as four lengths after setting an early pace of 22.47 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.59 for a half-mile. The Osunitas Stakes was her stakes debut and her sixth start.

Avenue de France is a 5-year-old French-bred mare by the Selkirk stallion Cityscape.

Owned by a partnership that includes Convergence Stable and Madaket Stable, Avenue de France has won 7 of 20 starts and earned $325,066. Avenue de France has won two minor stakes at Golden Gate Fields in the last year – the Miss America Stakes on the synthetic main track last December and the Golden Poppy Stakes on turf in April.

Trained by Leonard Powell, Avenue de France was second in the $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff Stakes at a mile on turf at Lone Star Park on May 30, leading in the stretch before losing by a length to fellow California shipper Park Avenue.

The loss allowed Avenue de France to start in the Osunitas Stakes, which was restricted to fillies and mares who have not won a stakes worth $50,000 or more to the winner since Sept. 1.