Elm Drive pulls perfect trip to win Sorrento
Elm Drive turned back a strong bid from Eda and outlasted her rival through a prolonged stretch battle to win the Grade 2, $200,000 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Friday at Del Mar.
The six-furlong Sorrento is a prep for the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante next month.
Elm Drive ($6.60) got a dream trip. She sat third during the early going as 79-1 longshot First Promise led through an opening quarter in 22 seconds, then moved outside that rival to take the lead nearing the quarter pole, with a half-mile fraction posted in 46 seconds.
Eda, inside early down the backstretch, switched out on the far turn and loomed menacingly coming off the bend, and appeared to be going the better of the two in upper stretch, but Elm Drive proved best by a head.
Smash Ticket, the 6-5 favorite, was a distant third after a rough trip. She broke slowly, then had to check when Eda crossed over shortly after the start, then was forced to steady in traffic a furlong into the race. She made a mild move on the far turn to enter contention, but the top two sailed away from her in the lane.
Elm Drive, under Juan Hernandez, was timed in 1:10.64 on the fast main track.
Phil D'Amato trains Elm Drive, a daughter of Mohaymen, for the Little Red Feather racing partnership. Elm Drive had won her only prior start, romping by eight lengths against maidens at Los Alamitos on June 26.
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Nine were scheduled to run, but Shesgotattitude reportedly flipped en route from her barn to the paddock and suffered such severe injuries that she had to be euthanized, according to Del Mar. She had won once in three starts in Kentucky before coming to California. Shesgotattitude, a daughter of Tiznow, was trained and co-owned by John Ennis