With his heart elsewhere, Mandella celebrates in Real Good Deal winner's circle
DEL MAR, Calif. – For months, trainer Richard Mandella had circled Aug. 5 on his calendar, as he was planning on traveling from Del Mar to Saratoga for his mare Beholder’s induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
COVID got in the way.
Mandella is back at work after isolating recently owing to a mild case of the virus, but wasn’t up to traveling to Saratoga for Friday’s ceremonies. He ended up in a familiar spot anyway, the winner’s circle at Del Mar.
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Mandella sent out the comebacking Big City Lights for a front-running victory in the $176,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds, a win that left the 3-year-old colt unbeaten in three starts. And though Mandella was rightly proud of the win – “I feel great,” he said, his eyes flashing above his mask, “I won a race” -- he admitted his heart was elsewhere Friday.
“I’d have liked to have been at Saratoga,” he said.
Big City Lights ($4.80), favored off a strong series of workouts despite not having raced for 13 months, used his outside draw in the seven-furlong race to full advantage. He coasted to the lead after not breaking as alertly as some of his rivals, and then never looked back, safely holding off bids from Slow Down Andy and Finneus through the lane.
Big City Lights, under Juan Hernandez, won by 1 1/4 lengths over Slow Down Andy, with Finneus another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Royal’n Rando was fourth, then came, in order, Joker Boy, Smuggler’s Run, Lmlooknformischief, and Straight Up G.
Creative Peak was scratched.
Big City Lights completed seven furlongs on the fast main track in 1:23.16 after carving out fractions of 22.14 seconds for the quarter, 44.27 for the half, and 1:09.59 for six furlongs. The race was fast early, slow late, but a colt who runs consecutive quarters in 22.14 and then 22.13 more than earns it.
“He trained really well,” said Mandella, for whom Big City Lights was racing for the first time. “He’s a smart horse. He trains like a really good horse.”
Big City Lights, by Mr. Big out of the Exchange Rate mare Champagne Exchange, won twice at age 2 for trainer Luis Mendez – by a combined margin of 19 3/4 lengths -- before going to the sidelines. His owner, William Peeples, subsequently transferred Big City Lights to Mandella.
Mandella was winning his second stakes of the meet, following Royal Ship in the Grade 2 San Diego last Saturday.
Big City Lights earned $99,750 on Friday and now has career earnings of $196,350.