Hang the Moon springs major upset in John C. Mabee Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – At 20-1, Hang the Moon was ignored in Saturday’s Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes for fillies and mares at Del Mar, the longest price of trainer Phil D’Amato’s three outsiders.

Turning into the stretch, Hang the Moon was last of seven and did not merit attention. Much of the focus was on 7-10 Didia and 8-5 Anisette who both seemed poised to win.

In the final sixteenth, the outlook changed. Hang the Moon surged to the front under jockey Kazushi Kimura to record a significant upset in the $251,000 race at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

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Under a patient ride, Hang the Moon caught stretch leader Anisette in the final strides and held off a late surge from the D’Amato-trained Lucky Girl to win by a half-length.

“My horse was comfortable and that was the key,” Kimura said. “If you’re not fighting them, they finish really strong.”

Hang the Moon gave Kimura a second graded stakes win on the program. Earlier, he won the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Tenma. Kimura, the champion jockey in Canada in 2021 and 2022, is riding at Del Mar on a full-time basis for the first time this summer.

Hang the Moon ($43) was timed in 1:48.50 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 85.

Hang the Moon won her first stakes in the Mabee. She finished fourth in the Grade 3 Pucker Up Stakes at Ellis Park in August of 2023 in her only other appearance in a graded stakes. At the time, Hang the Moon was trained by Mike Stidham.

The Mabee was Hang the Moon’s third start for D’Amato, preceded by a win in her California debut in an allowance race at Santa Anita on June 9 and a second in a productive Osunitas Stakes at a mile on turf on July 21. Ag Bullet, the winner of the Osunitas, won the Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs on Aug. 31.

Despite a first and second in her last two starts, bettors focused on runners others than Hang the Moon on Saturday.

“I thought she was being overlooked,” D’Amato said in a trackside interview.

“She was a good second to Ag Bullet. I thought she was racing into form. Credit to Kimura. He saved every bit of ground.”

Hang the Moon’s surprise win came at the expense of Anisette, who had won three Grade 1 or Grade 2 races in as many starts since last December, and Didia, the winner of the Grade 1 New York Stakes at Saratoga on June 7.

Both Anisette and Didia were well-positioned in early stretch of the Mabee. Anisette led briefly, but eventually finished third, a head behind 14-1 Lucky Girl.

“I had a perfect trip,” jockey Umberto Rispoli said. “I had no excuse.”

Didia rallied wide to reach contention in early stretch, but was not a threat in the final sixteenth, losing by slightly more than two lengths.

“I moved at the half-mile pole and she didn’t respond,” jockey Hector Berrios said. “She was the same pace.”

Royal Charter, who set an early pace of 24.65 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.39 for a half-mile, faded to finish fifth, followed by Uncorked and Fuente Ovejuna. D’Amato also trains Uncorked, who was 18-1.

Hang the Moon, a 4-year-old filly by Uncle Mo, races for CJ Thoroughbreds. She was a two-time winner for Stidham in 2022 and 2023. In her career, Hang the Moon has won 4 of 11 starts and earned $307,913.

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