Chancery Way runs away with Betty Grable Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – It’s nice when a Del Mar stakes race unfolds according to plan, particularly for the jockey, trainer and owner of the lone front-runner.

Chancery Way ($7.80 second choice) popped the gate in in the $100,500 Betty Grable Stakes, cruised to the lead under Antonio Fresu, and was long gone in the seven-furlong sprint for California-bred fillies and mares.

The 3 3/4-length win was the second Del Mar stakes victory for Fresu, and first Del Mar stakes win for Northern California-based trainer Jamey Thomas. The inside post was never an issue.

“No problem today, anyway,” Thomas said. “It all worked out. She’d been training really good, and she ran really good.”

Chancery Way is really good. The win was her sixth from 11 starts for owners Andy and Rob Smolich, who named the Mr. Big filly after a street in Northern California. The Betty Grable was her third stakes win.

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Fresu picked up the mount when regular rider Evin Roman was not available. Fresu was asked what he knew about Chancery Way before the race.

“Nothing,” he said, laughing. “I saw her form and watched her videos, she showed speed and I thought coming into the race that seven-eighths was perfect for her.”

Especially when your weapon is speed. Chancery Way set splits of 22.91 and 45.39. Fresu said “coming into the lane, she was loaded.”

She was gone, in 1:22.43. Rose Dawson, the 2-1 favorite, finished second. Carmen Miranda finished third.

Favorites won five of the nine races Sunday; favorites won 15 of the 26 races opening week of the four-week autumn meet.

*****

The pick six handled a whopping $262,242 on Sunday, highest of the first three days of racing after Del Mar restored the bet to a traditional payoff structure, made it a $1 minimum, and scrapped the single-ticket jackpot. The Sunday pool was $72,270 higher than the corresponding Sunday last fall when the wager was 20 cents. After three days of racing at the current meet, total pick six handle was $587,813, a 17 percent increase over the first three days of the 2022 autumn meet. The $1 pick six on Sunday paid $619.80.

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