Gimme Da Lute Dominates Real Good Deal

A little more than an hour after his stablemate wowed the masses on the East Coast, Bob Baffert-trained Gimme Da Lute dominated an overmatched group of California-breds in the $200,000 Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar.

The 3-year-old son of Midnight Lute  —owned by breeders Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman—sat just off two dueling leaders, bypassed them with ease on the outside in the turn of the seven-furlong event, and pulled away to win by 12 1/4 lengths.

Rocko's Wheel closed from last to finish second, followed by Grazen Sky a length back in third.

Richard's Boy, who broke from the rail, led early with fractions of :22.88 for the first quarter-mile and :46.11 through a half-mile, with Smack Talk just to his outside and Gimme Da Lute a length and a half back. But the race was essentially over once jockey Martin Garcia opened Gimme Da Lute up, as he ran six furlongs in 1:10.12 and hit the wire in 1:22.37 on a fast dirt track.

It was the first stakes win this summer at Del Mar for Baffert.

"It was not as strong a field as he's used to and he ran well," Baffert assistant Mike Marlow said. "I haven't talked to Bob (who is in New Jersey to saddle American Pharoah in the William Hill Haskell Invitational) and I didn't have any instructions for Martin. Martin works him and he knows the horse. We just tell him, 'Go win the race.' "

The winner brought $2.80, $2.40, and $2.10 across the board. Rocko's Wheel paid $4.80 and $2.80, while Grazen Sky delivered $2.20 to show.

Bred in California, out of the Proud Citizen   mare Casino Gold, Gimme Da Lute now has a 5-1-2 record from eight career starts, with $567,560 in earnings. He has won three straight stakes, including the Affirmed Stakes (gr. III) June 7 and the Los Alamitos Derby (gr. II) July 4.

Richard's Boy faded to fourth, followed by Smack Talk and Neveradoubt, to complete the order of finish.