Speed Boat Beach has no problem with mile distance in Cecil B. De Mille

DEL MAR, Calif. - Speed Boat Beach is not just a sprinter on turf or dirt. He’s capable of winning at a mile on turf, as he showed in Sunday’s Grade 3 Cecil B. De Mille Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar.

Sent off favored, Speed Boat Beach ($5.40) tracked pacesetter Game Time to early stretch before taking the lead. Ridden by Flavien Prat for his fourth of six wins on Sunday, Speed Boat Beach took a half-length lead with a furlong remaining and won by that margin over Game Time in his first start around two turns.

“I got him to relax on the backside and he kicked home very well,” Prat said. “Two turns, that was no problem.”

Game Time, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, set a decent pace of 22.82 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.30 for a half-mile, closely tracked by Speed Boat Beach. Game Time (9-1) was unable to get away from Speed Boat Beach.

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“I tried to steal the race,” Rispoli said. “Flavien was outside with the horse to beat.

“I tried to open up. My horse tried to fight back. I thought my horse ran super well.”

First Peace, the 2-1 second choice, was third for much of the one-mile race and held third, beaten 2 1/4 lengths. Ah Jeez finished fourth, followed by Ransomware, Ze’bul, Fleet Feet and Kolomio.

Speed Boat Beach, who is trained by Bob Baffert, was timed in 1:35.38 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 77.

“I like the way he relaxed,” Baffert said.

Speed Boat Beach won for the third time in four starts.

Speed Boat Beach won his debut in a flashy style, scorching through 5 1/2 furlongs in track-record time of 1:01.86 in a maiden special weight race on dirt here Sept. 10.

“For a horse to go from setting a track record at 5 1/2 furlongs and win at a mile on the turf – he’s a racehorse,” Baffert said.

After winning the Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, Speed Boat Beach finished ninth of 12 at 5-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Keeneland on Nov. 4.

“I think he lost a shoe in the race,” Baffert said. “They were flying.”

The $101,500 DeMille may be Speed Boat Beach’s final start on turf for the foreseeable future. Baffert said Speed Boat Beach would “probably” race on dirt for his next start, in early 2023.

“We’ll pick our spots with him,” Baffert said.

Speed Boat Beach has earned $178,000 in four starts. By Bayern, Speed Boat Beach was purchased for $200,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale in April. The colt races for Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.

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