DEL MAR – Del Mar fans will remember Candy Ride's huge win in the 2003 Pacific Classic. That was his 2-year-old daughter, Evita Argentina, romping to the upset victory in yesterday's $150,000, Grade III Sorrento Stakes at Del Mar.
“This really was like a Grade I race with all those good horses in there,” said Rancho Santa Fe's Ted Aroney of Halo Farms, who owns the filly with Ron Judy of Three Sisters Thoroughbreds. Both were good friends of the late Sid Craig, who owned Candy Ride with his wife, Jenny.
“We had our guardian angel,” Judy said of Sid Craig, who died last month.
They also had the hottest trainer in the country, John Sadler, who won his fourth stakes race of the meet and 26th of his career at Del Mar to tie for 10th on the all-time list with Mel Stute.
“That means I'm getting old,” said Sadler, who leads all trainers this meeting with 15 wins, six more than second-place Mike Mitchell. Sadler won last year's Sorrento Stakes with Tasha's Miracle.
Sadler didn't have to tell Tyler Baze anything about Evita Argentina; the jockey knows her well after riding her to a maiden win at Hollywood Park on June 8 and traveling back and forth to Hollywood Park to guide her in workouts. Cosmic Queen and Dash Dot Dash showed early speed along with Glitter City as Evita Argentina and 2-1 favorite Stardom Bound hung back.
Baze had Evita Argentina four wide on the turn and five wide into the stretch, but the filly showed her late kick. She covered 6½ furlongs in 1:17.51, one length in front of a charging Stardom Bound.
“Perfect trip,” Baze said. “I couldn't have asked for more. I knew that the 6 (Stardom Bound) on my inside was the one to beat.”
Baze, Sadler and the owners praised assistant trainer Larry Benevidez, who has taken the filly on as a “project,” according to Baze. “And the project is working,” Baze said.
Jockey Mike Smith, who rode Stardom Bound, said his filly had trouble getting going.
“She got away bad again,” Smith said. “She was standing there perfect and the ground just seemed to come away from her.”
Sadler said the winner's stablemate, Emmy Darling, the 3-1 second choice who was placed third when Glitter City was disqualified to fourth, will join Evita Argentina on Sept. 1 in the Grade I Del Mar Debutante, which determines the meeting's top 2-year-old filly.
Evita Argentina, fourth in the betting at 8-1, paid $17.20, $6.40 and $3.60.
Notes
Hold That Exposure, a 3-year-old colt trained by
Vladimir Cerin, broke down (broken right front sesamoids) at the wire during a five-furlong workout with jockey
Rafael Bejarano aboard and had to be euthanized.
The Pick Six pool, with a carryover of $140,095.24 from Monday, grew to $1,050,019.20 yesterday. Six bettors picked all six winners to earn $32,343.80 each.
Ed Zieralski: (619) 293-1225; ed.zieralski@uniontrib.com
