DEL MAR, Calif. - Well Armed led throughout Saturday's $300,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, winning his first start since finishing third in the $6 million Dubai World Cup in March.
From trainer Eoin Harty's perspective, the key to victory was the strategy that jockey Aaron Gryder used on the final turn. Instead of waiting until early stretch to ask Well Armed for extra run, Gryder urged his mount on the turn and widened a half-length lead on the backstretch into 2 1/2 lengths in early stretch. Well Armed won the Grade 2 San Diego by 1 1/4 lengths over Surf Cat.