Cordiality, Baze reunite for Solana Beach victory

DEL MAR, Calif. - Cordiality won her second stakes in her last three starts in Friday’s $151,035 Solana Beach Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at Del Mar. This time, the 5-year-old Cordiality had regular rider Tyler Baze as a partner.

When Cordiality won the Fran’s Valentine Stakes for state-breds at Santa Anita, Baze missed the mount. Earlier that afternoon, Baze was injured in a spill and was at a hospital when the Fran’s Valentine was run. Gary Stevens rode Cordiality in the Fran’s Valentine.

Later, Baze rode Cordiality to a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Wilshire Stakes at Santa Anita on June 24. Friday, Baze rode Cordiality for the ninth time in her last 11 starts. The Solana Beach Stakes was the fourth time Baze won aboard Cordiality in that span.

Baze rode with confidence. He kept Cordiality in second for the first half-mile, tracking pacesetter Princess Roi to the turn. Cordiality ($4.60) took the lead in early stretch and won by 2 1-4 lengths over 14-1 Queen Bee to You.

Cordiality was timed in 1:34.14.

“It was a good trip,” trainer Mark Glatt said. “She’s just getting good. She showed that when she was third in open company.”

Queen Bee to You, who was claimed for $50,000 here in December 2016, held second under jockey Flavien Prat, finishing a length in front of 9-1 Cheekaboo.

“I thought I was loaded turning for home,” Prat said. “But (the winner) just kept going.”

Princess Roi finished fourth, followed by Shehastheritestuff, How About Zero, How Unusual, Moonless Sky and Lynne’s Legacy.

Cordiality is owned by Glatt, Lee Drummond and John Xitco. By Papa Clem, Cordiality has won 9 of 23 starts and earned $413,595. She was claimed for $32,000 by her current owners at Sacramento in the summer of 2016 and has since earned $342,935.

“They don’t come around like her very often,” Glatt said.