Red Outlaw remains unbeaten with El Cajon win

DEL MAR, Calif. – He’s won sprinting. He’s won on turf. He’s won on synthetic. He’s won at Hollywood Park, Golden Gate, Santa Anita, and Del Mar. And on Friday at Del Mar, Red Outlaw added a two-turn race to his impressive and growing resume, leading start to finish in the $100,500 El Cajon Stakes for 3-year-olds to run his perfect record to five wins.

Red Outlaw ($7.20) immediately seized the lead while breaking from the outside stall in a field of seven. He was able to set comfortable fractions of 24.38 seconds, 48.82, and 1:12.66 for the first six furlongs before kicking clear to win the one-mile Polytrack race by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:36.38.

Edwin Maldonado was aboard for trainer Peter Miller.

Toowindytohaulrox rallied from last to finish second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of third-place Conquest Two Step, the favorite.

Home School was fourth and was followed, in order, by Big Tire, Diamond Bachelor, and FriendswithK Mill.

Van Fraassen was a late scratch owing to getting his Lasix shot after the deadline.

Miller said he felt good once Red Outlaw made the lead.

“He’s so competitive," Miller said. "Every time [Diamond Bachelor] come up to him he let out a notch, then pricked his ears.

“I’ve called him the poor man’s Shared Belief. I’d love to have a barn full of poor man’s Shared Beliefs. Everything we’ve asked – distance, surface – he’s done it.”

The El Cajon victory was the second stakes win of the meet for Red Outlaw, who captured the seven-furlong Real Good Deal for California-breds going seven furlongs on Aug. 1.

Miller said the next step for Red Outlaw likely would be to try him on dirt at Santa Anita.

Red Outlaw, a gelding by Tribal Rule, is owned by a partnership headed by the Blinkers On Racing Stable.