Patience pays off for Passified

DEL MAR, Calif. -- It has taken several months, but Passified is finally learning to sit and finish, and those tactics paid dividends again on Saturday at Del Mar when she closed strongly to run down pacesetting Fleet Caroline and capture the Grade 2, $150,000 San Clemente Handicap for 3-year-old turf fillies before a crowd of 24,873.

Passified ($15) beat Fleet Caroline by a half-length, with Spenditallbaby another length back in third. Super Freaky, the 6-5 favorite, was caught wide throughout and wound up fifth in the field of 10. Mike Smith rode Passified, who was timed in 1:34.15 for one mile on firm turf. She is owned by the Forging Oaks Farm of Jim Peyton

The victory was the second straight for Passified, and her fourth in eight starts since being imported from Great Britain by trainer Jim Cassidy, but it was her first graded stakes win.

Shes a pretty tough filly. We might have to consider the Oaks, Cassidy said, referring to the Grade 1, $400,000 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 18. She tries every single time. And now shes rating.

Passified won the Flawlessly Stakes at Hollywood Park in her previous start, with another patient trip from Smith. She was part of the pace in her three prior races, all losses.