Pushiness sets blazing pace en route to Fleet Treat victory

The speedy filly Pushiness proved impossible to catch in Friday’s $151,500 Fleet Treat Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar.

Setting a rapid pace of 21.93 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 44.31 for a half-mile, Pushiness was equally strong through the stretch, winning the race for statebred 3-year-old fillies by 3 1/2 lengths over 4-5 favorite Grand Slam Smile.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Pushiness paid $7.60 as the second choice in a field of nine, and finished in 1:23.03.

“She’s quite fast,” said winning trainer Michael McCarthy. “We weren’t sure about the seven-eighths, but it looks she did it all right.”

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Pushiness and Grand Slam Smile were first and second through the final three furlongs. Grand Slam Smile, a Northern California-based filly who is a four-time stakes winner at Santa Anita in her eight-race career, could not keep pace with Pushiness on the turn. About that time, McCarthy began to think Pushiness could handle the distance.

“I started to feel pretty good,” he said.

Safa, second in two stakes for statebred 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita earlier this year, finished third, beaten five lengths. Safa was the subject of an objection regarding a crowding incident at the start, but the stewards did not change the order of finish.

Back On Track, ridden by Jose Valdivia, and Safa, ridden by Tiago Pereira, raced in traffic a few strides away from the gate when they were crowded by rivals who drifted in and out, putting those fillies in tight positions.

Back On Track recovered to finish fourth, followed by Prancinthruparis, Roberta’s Love, Stop Digging, Quantum Innergy, and Andiamo Ragazza. Loretta Lynn and Shamrockin were scratched.

Pushiness, by the Lion Heart stallion Kantharos, races for Michael Repole. A winner of 3 of 5 starts, Pushiness has earned $205,290. She won the CTBA Stakes for 2-year-old statebred fillies at Del Mar last August and was seventh of 12 in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante last September in her final start of the year.

Pushiness finished second in an allowance race at Los Alamitos on July 4 in her 3-year-old debut. The Fleet Treat Stakes was her second start of the year.

Franco to have precautionary X-rays

Jockey Geovanni Franco was scheduled to undergo precautionary x-rays on a leg at a local hospital on Friday evening after he was unseated in Friday’s sixth race at Del Mar, according to his agent, Jack Carava.

Franco was aboard Smooth Salute, who struck the rail at the three-eighths of pole of a turf race when hampered by a chain reaction of interference. Franco lost his balance and came off. Smooth Salute, who did not fall, continued at the back of the field.

Franco was taken to the track’s first aid department, where he was advised to go to the hospital.

“I don’t think it will be anything serious,” Carava said.

As a result of the incident, Zalamo, who ran eighth of the remaining nine finishers was disqualified and listed as unplaced for causing the interference that led to Franco being unseated.

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