Underappreciated stallion Pavel has four juvenile winners opening weekend

The hottest stallion of 2-year-olds at Del Mar this summer is a 12-year-old Grade 1 winner who has struggled to attract many mares in recent years.

Pavel, owned by Paul and Zillah Reddam, had four 2-year-old maiden race winners on the first three days of the Del Mar meeting last Friday through Sunday. The fillies Strident Miss and Tashie and the colts Net Par and Phone Booth all won races for California-breds.

Net Par, in particular, caught the attention of Paul Reddam when he won his second start by 7 3/4 lengths in a five-furlong race last Saturday.

“That is a racehorse,” Reddam said in the winner’s circle. “That was awesome. Pavel is on fire.”

Trained by Antonio Garcia, Net Par was third by five lengths in his debut at Santa Anita in June, racing from off the pace. He took an early lead on Saturday and was quickly in control.

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Net Par could return in the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes for statebred 2-year-olds at six furlongs on Sept. 7.

Pavel,by Creative Cause, won 3 of 18 starts in a career that spanned from 2017 to 2019. He won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in 2018, the year he was second to Accelerate in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar.

In 2019, Pavel was fourth behind Thunder Snow in the $12 million Dubai World Cup.

Pavel stands for $4,000 at the Reddams’ Ocean Breeze Ranch in Bonsall, Calif., the former Vessels Stallion Farm. According to Jockey Club statistics, Pavel was bred to 43 mares in 2024 and 28 in 2025.

Reddam estimates that Pavel was bred to “maybe 20” mares earlier this year.

Through Thursday, Pavel led California stallions in 2-year-old earnings this year with $312,623.

“I would like to think that would attract some more mares,” Reddam said. “For the number of mares he was bred to, it’s amazing.”

Pavel is seventh on the state’s general list this year with progeny earnings of more than $1.3 million. Collected leads the list, with more than $3.5 million.

Pavel’s leading runner this year has been Pavlovian, the winner of the $500,000 Sunland Derby in New Mexico in February.

This weekend at Del Mar, Pavel will have as many as four runners, notably She’s No Quant in Friday’s $150,000 Fleet Treat Stakes for 3-year-old California-bred fillies.

The others are Refocus and Tate Batz on Saturday and Running Iron on Sunday.

She’s No Quant, trained by Garcia, will have her stakes debut in the Fleet Treat. She’s No Quant, who races for the Reddams, has won her last two starts in six-furlong turf races at Santa Anita – a maiden race on May 22 and an allowance race on June 12.

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