Sunset Glory aces stakes debut with win in CTT-TOC Stakes

Sunset Glory has gone from a maiden winner to a stakes winner in three races in the last four months in Southern California.

In her stakes debut at Del Mar on Friday, Sunset Glory stalked the heavily favored Linda’s Gift to the final sixteenth in the $100,500 CTT-TOC Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 3/8 miles on turf before taking a late lead.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, Sunset Glory ($5.60) won by a half-length over 3-5 Linda’s Gift, who finished six lengths clear of 8-1 Musical Rhapsody. Sun Of Hill, Duvet Day, and Federalist Papers completed the order of finish. Abhita and Zeyaraat were scratched.

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Sunset Glory was timed in 2:14.33. A 4-year-old Irish-bred filly by the Exceed and Excel stallion Cotai Glory, Sunset Glory won her third career start in a maiden race at Santa Anita on April 27, her first race since October 2022.

Sunset Glory followed with a sharp win in an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 21 that was a prep race for Friday’s stakes.

Rispoli rode a patient race in the CTT-TOC Stakes.

Rispoli had Sunset Glory behind Linda’s Gift as that mare set an early pace of 24.87 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 48.98 for a half-mile. Linda’s Gift led by several lengths on the backstretch, a margin that was smaller when the field reached the turn.

Sunset Glory challenged Linda’s Gift with a two-wide move in the stretch before taking the lead.

“It looked she was in a great spot on the backstretch,” said winning trainer Michael McCarthy.

Linda’s Gift was favored on the strength of four stakes wins in distance races for fillies and mares since last November.

Sunset Glory, who races for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Bruce Treitman, has won 3 of 5 starts and earned $150,854. She was fourth in a maiden race in Ireland in August 2022 and was second in a maiden race at Santa Anita in October 2022 for her current owners and trainer before she was sidelined until earlier this year.

McCarthy said the layoff was caused when Sunset Glory had “a bunch of little maladies.”

“We couldn’t get her right,” he said.

Sunset Glory’s 2024 season has been perfect so far. She represents the third consecutive win in the CTT-TOC Stakes for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. They won the race with Sister O’Toole in 2022 and 2023.

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