Madone rallies to win Del Mar Juvenile Fillies; Prat gets meet-record 14th stakes victory
DEL MAR, Calif. - Flavien Prat rode Madone to a come-from-behind victory in Sunday’s $83,500 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, setting the record for most stakes wins at a Del Mar summer meeting.
Prat rode his 14th stakes win in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, breaking the 2012 mark of 13 stakes wins held by Rafael Bejarano. Prat, 28, tied Bejarano’s mark with a win in Saturday’s Grade 2 John Mabee Stakes on Raymundos Secret.
Bejarano set the record during a 36-day meeting. The current meeting, which ends Monday, encompasses 27 days, with racing primarily held on a Friday-through-Sunday basis.
“With three days a week, I thought it would be hard to do,” Prat said of the milestone. “When we got close, we tried to break it.”
Madone ($5.20) was sent off favored and closed well to win the one-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf by a half-length over 19-1 Nimbostratus, who finished a nose in front of 5-2 Ivy League.
Nimbostratus, ridden by Ricardo Gonzalez, was disqualified and placed third for drifting out in the final sixteenth, causing Umberto Rispoli on Ivy League to alter course.
“She lost her momentum,” a frustrated Rispoli said. “She’s green and has had only two starts. It cost me a winner.”
Super Game set slow fractions of 24.03 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 50.53 for a half-mile before fading through the stretch. With a quarter-mile remaining, five lengths separated the field.
:: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more
Madone closed from ninth in a field of 10 to reach contention in the stretch. Fourth with a furlong remaining, Madone finished a mile on turf in 1:39.09. She earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 64.
“She broke slow,” Prat said. “It was a slow pace. She was traveling a little too well. When I got space, she responded.”
Sweetest Angel, a 56-1 outsider, finished fourth, followed by Canoodling, Inner Beauty, Tetragonal, Frazzled, My Princess Ellie, Super Game, and Basilia.
Madone, by Vancouver, is unbeaten in two starts for owner Kaleem Shah and trainer Simon Callaghan. Madone won a maiden race at a mile on turf in her debut on July 31. She has earned $81,300.