Fashionably Fast prominent in Cary Grant for Pederson's small but mighty stable

DEL MAR, Calif. – If trainers are graded based on what they do with what they’ve got, Dean Pederson is sitting near the front of the class.

Pederson has just five runners, and this year has won six races from just 29 starts with them, a strike rate of 21 percent. Two of them will be in action Sunday in Del Mar, most notably Fashionably Fast, who will be seeking his fourth straight victory when he heads the field in the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes for older California-bred sprinters.

The Cary Grant, at seven furlongs, is race 8 on the nine-race card. Earlier, in race 4, Pederson will send out debut winner Win Often in search of her second victory in a starter allowance for 2-year-old fillies.

“I’m going to drive home happy, or it’s going to be a very long trip home,” Pederson said here Friday morning.

Both have excellent chances. Fashionably Fast is in the best form of his career. He won a pair of allowance races during the summer meet here, then last time out captured the Harris Farms for statebreds at Fresno, earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 90. It was an appropriate win, being as Fashionably Fast was bred and is co-owned by John Harris, who owns all or part of all of Pederson’s runners.

“He spoils you training for him,” Pederson said. “He’s the ultimate owner.”

Fashionably Fast, 4, is maturing as he gets older, Pederson said.

“He used to get hot and wash out. The race at Fresno was the first time he didn’t wash out in the paddock,” Pederson said. “Mentally, he used to be his own worst enemy.”

Fashionably Fast was gelded last December, but it wasn’t until blinkers were removed following a second-place finish at Los Alamitos in June that Fashionably Fast turned the corner. He has not lost since, all with Tiago Pereira aboard.

“He’s always trained like a good horse,” Pederson said. “Obviously taking the blinkers off helped. The day he got beat at Los Alamitos was very disappointing.”

The horse who beat Fashionably Fast at Los Alamitos, Grinning Tiger, is one of five rivals on Sunday.

In his lone start since, Grinning Tiger was second in the California Flag for statebreds sprinting on turf at Santa Anita. He is 0 for 2 on the main track here, including an allowance won by Fashionably Fast in August.

Ultimate Bango tries dirt for only the second time in his career after a romping win in a second-level allowance turf sprint at Santa Anita last time out.

Oliver is dangerous on the cut back after going long his last two starts. He romped in a statebred allowance during the summer meet here and has never finished out of the money in five dirt races at Del Mar.

Rick’s Dream and Shades of Victory, both trained by Reed Saldana, round out the field.