Gabriel Charles sweeps by to win Eddie Read

DEL MAR, Calif. – After the issues Gabriel Charles has been through in the last two years, a rainstorm was nothing to worry about in the buildup to the $400,500 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar on Saturday.

Gabriel Charles won a division of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in September 2013 and was second in the Grade 2 Twilight Derby two months later. He was later sidelined with a bowed tendon and missed more than a year.

The Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes, the richest turf race at Del Mar, was the third start of a comeback for Gabriel Charles. The 5-year-old horse ran like he has never had a bad day.

Ridden by Mike Smith, Gabriel Charles rallied from sixth in a field of seven to win the richest race of his career by an impressive 3 3/4 lengths over 11-1 Twentytwentyvision. Gabriel Charles ($11.40) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.13 on a turf course rated as good. Approximately a half-inch of rain fell from dawn to early afternoon.

The victory left trainer Jeff Mullins gratified that owners Sam Britt and Michael House did not give up on Gabriel Charles.

“He only bowed a tendon and won a Group 1,” he said. “We were fortunate. The owners were willing to give him the time.”

Gabriel Charles was sixth for the first six furlongs, well behind pacesetter Big Cazanova, who set fractions of 23.43 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.26 for the first half-mile while being tracked by 6-5 favorite Midnight Storm.

On the turn, Midnight Storm was within a head of the lead and appeared in position to take command of the race. He could not sustain the rally.

Twentytwentyvision, making his stakes debut, led by a length in the stretch but could not hold off the late run from Gabriel Charles.

“When he swung him into the clear, I could see he had plenty of horse,” Mullins said of Smith’s ride.

Gabriel Charles, by Street Hero, has won 4 of 11 starts and earned $584,400. He was third in the Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita on May 9 in his only other stakes appearance this year.

Twentytwentyvision finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of Finnegans Wake, who was followed by Power Ped, Midnight Storm, Big Cazanova, and Maltes.

Midnight Storm, the winner of the 2014 Del Mar Derby, was beaten 9 3/4 lengths on a turf course that may have been softer than he preferred, trainer Phil D’Amato said.

“It seems he’s not the same horse on it,” D’Amato said. “The ones that were up close early weren’t around at the finish. He likes to hear his feet rattle.”

Finnegans Wake, the winner of the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May and three stakes here and at Santa Anita in the last year, closed from last to finish third.

“He ran well,” trainer Peter Miller said. “I don’t know if he cared for the soft stuff. We think he likes it firm.”