Rusty Slipper Gives de Sousa First Graded Win

East Coast shipper Rusty Slipper provided a small upset in the $100,000 Red Carpet Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Del Mar Nov. 21, closing in the stretch to capture the 1 3/8-mile turf test and give jockey Silvestre de Sousa his first graded score on U.S. soil.



The British champion jockey this season, de Sousa moved his tack to the U.S. this fall and came into the Saturday Del Mar card with just one win from 39 U.S. starts, mostly in New York.



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But he was the right jockey for the right horse Saturday, as he guided the Graham Motion-trained daughter of Lemon Drop Kid   to victory, 1 1/2 lengths ahead of favored Elektrum.



Elektrum's jockey, Victor Espinoza, claimed foul against the winner, contending Rusty Slipper impeded his mount entering the first of three turns, but Del Mar stewards found video evidence to be inconclusive and upheld the result. Elektrum raced in eighth after steadying early, and rallied late.



"(Rusty Slipper) really got me right out of the gate," Espinoza said. "At the three-eighths pole, he dropped over on me big time and I nearly clipped heels. It cost me the race. She should have come down."



Three Hearts, who shot to the lead and held an eight-length advantage after setting fractions of :24.81, :48.44, and 1:13.55 through six furlongs, held for third, 1 3/4 lengths back. Rusty Slipper and de Sousa raced in fifth, as many as 10 lengths back, through most of 1 3/8 miles, and by the time Three Hearts ran a mile in 1:38.92, they were already in striking position, 3 3/4 lengths back. The duo surged in the stretch and hit the wire in 2:15.34 on turf rated firm.



"I had a great trip around there," de Sousa said. "I'd spoken to (Motion) and he was very confident. He said he thought he had the best horse in the race. He told me to come away from there and get a good spot. I was concerned about the (outside post), but she came away well and we got a good spot. Then she went on from there."



Off at odds of 6-1, the winner paid $14.20, $6.40, and $4.60 across the board. Elektrum brought $4.40 and $3, while Three Hearts returned $4.20 to show.



Trophee finished an even fourth, followed by Personal Diary, Customer Base, Star Act, Havanna Belle, Energia Fribby, Tiz Kissable, and Beat of The Drum, to complete the order of finish.



Bred in Kentucky by Woodford Thoroughbreds, out of the With Approval mare Classic Approval, Rusty Slipper now has a 6-0-2 record from 17 lifetime starts, with earnings of $326,393 for RMJ Stables. She was coming off a fourth place finish in the Athenia Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park Oct. 17, but won two starts back at Kentucky Downs, where she took the Glen Hill Farm One Dreamer Stakes. She also has a score in last year's Violet Stakes (gr. IIIT) on her résumé.