Fair Grounds: Daddy Nose Best roars from far back to capture Diliberto

Halfway into the Buddy Diliberto Handicap on Saturday at Fair Grounds, Daddy Nose Best led only one of his 11 rivals and trailed the lead trio of runners by more than 15 lengths.

He was in perfect position.

Swooping wide around the far turn into a blistering pace, Daddy Nose Best sustained a powerful run from just past the half-mile pole all the way to the finish, going on to a 3 1/2-length score in the $75,000 Diliberto.

“He made a great acceleration from the half-mile pole to the quarter pole,” said winning rider David Flores. “When you’re on the best horse, you just don’t want to get in trouble.”

Flores teamed with trainer Steve Asmussen to win his second stakes in a row on the program, dubbed Santa Super Saturday, and including six stakes. A half-hour earlier, Prayer for Relief had won the Tenacious Handicap by more than six lengths.

Daddy Nose Best, a 4-year-old Scat Daddy colt owned by Cathy and Bob Zollars, won for the fourth time in his last five starts. He had finished a one-placed fifth on a soggy course last out in the River City Handicap at Churchill, but got the firm ground he prefers in the Diliberto and made the most of it.

Steadied just after the start, Daddy Nose Best dropped out to the back as Adios Nardo, tracked by Hammers Terror and Marchman, flew through splits of 23.01 seconds, 46.89, and 1:11.52, an extreme pace for even a dry Fair Grounds grass course. Hammers Terror was done before the turn, and Marchman dropped tamely away in upper stretch, but Adios Nardo continued on bravely, easily holding off Compliance Officer for second, while no match for Daddy Nose Best, who was far superior on the day, and could well be a player in more major turf stakes during the 2014 portion of the meet.

Daddy Nose Best paid $8 as the second choice and was timed in 1:44.53 for 1 1/16 miles. King David, the 2-1 favorite, finished sixth.

Sums of the Parts scores in Bonapaw

Sum of the Parts no longer comes with the label “synthetics specialist.”

Speeding straight to the front under Rosie Napravnik, and easily outrunning favored Great Mills for the early lead, Sum of the Parts never was threatened scoring his first turf win in the $75,000 Bonapaw Stakes.

Channel Marker rallied mildly for second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner and a neck in front of Strong Impact. Great Mills ran flat in the stretch and checked in fifth, as Sum of the Parts ($8.40) ran 5 ½ furlongs on firm turf in 1:04.30.

Sum of the Parts, a 4-year-old by Speightstown owned by Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence, won for the seventh time in 17 races. Four of those victories have come in his five synthetic-surface starts, and prior to the Bonapaw, Sum of the Parts had finished second and off the board in his two grass tries.

But he skipped over a firm surface on Saturday, going his opening quarter-mile in a swift 21.99 seconds, but looking comfortable doing it. Sum of the Parts, up by a half-length after the first call, took a three-length lead into the stretch and never was threatened.

“He won the race, probably, the first half-mile,” said trainer Tom Amoss. “He got an advantage on the group and was able to sustain it.”

Blushing K.D. second straight stakes for Class Included

Class Included won her second straight race since being purchased by the Brittlyn Stables and turned over to trainer Ron Faucheux, taking the $75,000 Blushing K.D. Stakes on turf a month after winning the $150,000 Treasure Chest on Delta Downs dirt for her new connections.

A 5-year-old Include mare, Class Included spent the early part of her career in the Pacific Northwest, finishing seventh in the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic. She made three starts early this year for trainer Dale Romans before winding up in the Faucheux barn and finding a nice niche in listed Louisiana stakes.

Class Included, winning her first grass race, tracked the tepid pace of Honey Hues under Shaun Bridgmohan, taking control of the race after straightening for home and going on to a 1 ¾-length score over Blue Sapphire. Twirl finished third.

Class Included paid $6.40 as the favorite and was timed in 1:45.93 for about 1 1/16 miles on firm going.