None Above The Law Takes Charge in Del Mar Derby
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Photo: Benoit Photo
None Above The Law wins the Del Mar Derby at Del Mar
Monmouth Park's loss has been Del Mar's gain, as jockey Joe Bravo put on a masterful display of patience Sept. 4 with None Above the Law in the $254,000 Del Mar Derby Presented by Caesars Sportsbook (G2T).
Bravo elected to spend the summer on the West Coast this year, and while no one will likely catch Flavien Prat atop the standings, the New Jersey invader has been clicking along at an 18% win rate. Bravo, in fact, took over from Prat on None Above the Law in the Derby when Prat opted for 9-5 favorite Hudson Ridge .
Credit also trainer Peter Miller, who brought California-bred None Above the Law to the 1 1/8-mile turf test, off a victory in the Real Good Deal Stakes, a state-bred stakes at seven furlongs on the dirt. Before that, None Above the Law finished ninth in the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes at a mile on turf.
"I know he went from a mile on turf to seven furlongs on the dirt to a mile and an eighth on the turf to win this," said Miller. "You won't find that in any training manual—that's not the way you do it. But this horse just does everything well. He's just an overachiever, and I just love this horse."
Miller said he was especially pleased to win his first Del Mar Derby for longtime clients J. Kirk and Judy Robison. They bred None Above the Law and race him in the name of their Downstream Racing.
Thirteen went to the post in the Del Mar Derby after Optimistic Valor was scratched. The top three finishers from the Oceanside and the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla Handicap (G3) returned, along with several other stakes winners. A son of Karakontie , None Above the Law brought the most experience, having started 13 times. No other horse in the field had more than nine outings, and None Above the Law also had more stakes victories (three) than any of the others. Nevertheless, bettors sent him off as the 10-1 fifth choice.
When the gate opened, Hockey Dad broke on top to set the early pace, tracked by Jimmy Blue Jeans . They remained in those positions past the stands the first time and into the first turn, with Hockey Dad completing the first quarter-mile in :23.80.
Bravo allowed None Above the Law to race comfortably in the middle of the pack in sixth, saving ground along the rail. Around the second turn, Flashiest swung four wide to challenge for the lead. Hockey Dad remained fairly close to the inside, leaving very little room in which Bravo could aim None Above the Law. Bravo's patience paid off, as he found a small seam and pointed his game mount toward it.
"We just saved all we could, and I showed him daylight turning for home," said Bravo. "He really got up under me."
None Above the Law ($23) responded to Bravo's urging, taking command in the final sixteenth. He defeated Flashiest by three-quarters of a length in 1:48.97. Hockey Dad held on for third. Hudson Ridge ran ninth after encountering traffic issues.
"I'm having fun riding out here," Bravo said. "Riding for good horsemen and riding good horses in Southern California—what more could a guy want?"
The Robisons won the Del Mar Derby on the same card as the I'm Smokin Stakes, a stakes for Cal-bred 2-year-olds that went to Rusty Brown, Phillip Lebherz, and Alan Klein's Joker Boy . The Robisons won the I'm Smokin last year with their homebred Good With People . They also bred the winner of the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) Saturday at Del Mar in Going to Vegas , who now races for different connections.
The owners bred None Above the Law by purchasing the Northern Afleet mare Legally Blanca in foal to Karakontie at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $30,000 from Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services.