Dolce Zel bounces back with Kathryn Crosby victory

Favorites are dominating the Del Mar autumn meet; the two-day trend continued Saturday.

Despite breaking through the gate before the start of the $85,100 Kathryn Crosby Stakes, Dolce Zel became the 10th winning favorite from the first 15 races at the meet. Dolce Zel also was the first favorite to win the Kathryn Crosby, a restricted stakes for fillies and mares at a mile on turf. The race was run Saturday for the eighth time.

Dolce Zel ($7) won by three-quarters of a length over Yerwanthere; Nadette finished third in a race delayed about three minutes after Dolce Zel and Ganadora broke through the gate. Dolce Zel did not get far. Jockey Flavien Prat jumped off and held her yards from the gate, while Ganadora ran down the stretch before she was ponied back to the gate.

The gate miscue did not prevent Dolce Zel from victory in her first start since December and first for trainer Phil D’Amato. Dolce Zel rated fourth just off a slow pace (48.31 and 1:12.82), challenged three-wide on the far turn, burst to the lead into the lane, opened up and held in 1:35.95.

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Dolce Zel’s victory in the Kathryn Crosby was her first win since the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes in summer 2022 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown. The comeback win on Saturday, her first start for D’Amato, was her fourth victory from nine starts. She earned $49,680 for owners Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Robert LaPenta and Michael Caruso.

Ganadora did not fare as well after she broke through the gate. She set the slow pace, and weakened to finish sixth. Linda’s Gift, second choice in the betting at 3-1, got rank inside and behind horses and finished fourth.

Favorites missed the final two races Saturday; the two-day win total for favorites is 10 for 17.

*** Bettors wagered $183,653 on the $1 pick six Saturday, a 10 percent decline from the first Saturday of the 2022 fall meet when the pool was $205,115 and the pick six was a 20-cent wager with a single-ticket jackpot of $24,212. Del Mar refurbished the pick six this fall by reinstituting a traditional payoff structure – 70 percent of the net pool to perfect tickets or carryover, 30 percent to consolations. The $1 pick six on Saturday paid $19,622.80.

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