Siberian Iris takes advantage of speed duel in CTT and TOC Stakes

DEL MAR, Calif. – The opportunities for Siberian Iris to run 11 furlongs are few and far between, so trainer Richard Mandella for months had pointed to the $85,000 CTT and TOC Stakes on Friday at Del Mar. What he couldn’t have anticipated, though, was the silly pace duel that developed up front, one that made Siberian Iris’s task that much easier.

Last early in the seven-horse field, Siberian Iris came charging home under Rafael Bejarano to beat 10-1 shot Over Thinking by a neck in the 1 3/8-mile grass race for older females. Pantsonfire, the 6-5 favorite, was three-quarters of a length farther back in third.

Siberian Iris ($16.20) completed the distance on firm turf in 2:13.45.

It was the early part of the race that told the tale. Lostintranzlation, as expected, took the lead, but Mirth, under Martin Garcia, applied far more pressure than expected, then surged to the lead coming to the second of three turns, with a half-mile split of 46.90 seconds that was way too fast for the distance.

Bejarano sat back, nearly 15 lengths behind that pace, then began to progress after a mile in 1:36.94. Over Thinking hit the front inside the furlong pole, but Siberian Iris wore her down late.

“We’ve always wanted to run her long distances, but you don’t get that many opportunities,” Mandella said. “She’s a filly that just wants to run all day.”

The win was only the third in 17 starts for Siberian Iris, 5, a daughter of Excelebration who was second in the Grade 3 Red Carpet going 1 3/8 miles here last fall.

Siberian Iris is owned by Calumet Farm.

Mandella and Bejarano were joined in the winner’s circle by Drew Brees and more than dozen of his teammates on the New Orleans Saints, who were here for the day prior to a Sunday exhibition game in Los Angeles against the Chargers.