Maxim Rate, Rispoli make winning combo in CTT & TOC

DEL MAR, Calif. – A turf filly who has returned to top form and an Italian jockey whose relocation to California is influencing turf racing this summer at Del Mar teamed Sunday for a popular victory in the $82,500 CTT & TOC Stakes.

Maxim Rate ($7) won her second race of the meet as the bet-down favorite in the 1 3/8-miles grass race for fillies and mares, as jockey Umberto Rispoli scored his 21st turf win of the season by holding on for a neck victory over pacesetter Quick.

It is not coincidence that Maxim Rate is now 2 for 2 under Rispoli, whose ability to save ground and finish are key reasons for his turf success. With two wins Sunday, Rispoli nearly doubled jockey Flavien Prat in grass wins at the meet; Prat has won 11 turf races. Prat and Rispoli each have 27 wins at the meet and are tied for the lead.

Rispoli, riding his first full season in California and his first summer at Del Mar, tucked Maxim Rate third on the rail in the CTT & TOC, saved ground on all three turns, angled out for the drive, and won in 2:14.31.

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“You need everything to be right,” Rispoli said. “You need the horse, you need the pace, you need it all. My filly today is a good filly.”

Simon Callaghan trains Maxim Rate, whose career stalled in spring 2019 after she won the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes in the third start of her career. It took more than a year to get back in a groove. Maxim Rate lost her next six races over a 14-month period until Del Mar opened in July.

Callaghan credited the ride. “Umberto rode her perfectly. He got good position and was patient. We thought she was the best filly, but we were not sure about the distance. One thing about this filly, she relaxes so well and gives herself a chance to get the distance.”

The runner-up Quick nearly achieved the improbable, which is winning a Del Mar turf marathon in front-running fashion. Over Thinking, runner-up in the CTT & TOC last year, raced in fourth position, loomed a threat in the lane, and finished a nose back in third. Program favorite Siberian Iris, somewhat cold in the betting at 3.60-1, finished sixth.

Maxim Rate’s owners are Slam Dunk Racing and James Branham. The win was her fourth from 10 starts.