Spiced Perfection Scores Betty Grable at Del Mar
Image:
Description:
Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
Spiced Perfection wins the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar
The winning margin was wide enough in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes Nov. 11 that jockey Flavien Prat probably could have waited a little longer to make his move aboard Dare To Dream Stable's Spiced Perfection.
Trapped on the rail in the turn during the seven-furlong dirt test for California-bred fillies and mares—inside of longshot Gorgeous Ginny and behind frontrunners Love a Honeybadger and S Y Sky—Prat had a ton of horse underneath him but nowhere to go.
Gorgeous Ginny tired and opened up an outside path, but that would have required some waiting, and a slight opening had just revealed itself between the frontrunners. Rather than run the risk of waiting, the jockey took the path of most resistance, split the pair, and after some slight bumping kicked clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:23.21.
"I thought we were going to get screwed, but she was strong, got through clean, and ran huge," said winning trainer Brian Koriner. "We're just glad she handled the step up to older mares, because that's a big step up for a 3-year-old."
It was the second of three wins on the day for trainer Brian Koriner (from three starters). He also won a maiden claiming race with Fast Cotton and closed the nine-race Del Mar card with 30-1 allowance winner Gypsy Blu.
"It was a good day—made the meet. We can just pack up and go home now," Koriner joked.
Just Grazed Me rallied up the rail to finish second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Phil D'Amato-trained stablemate S Y Sky. Love a Honeybadger, the last-out winner of the off-the-turf California Distaff Handicap Oct. 13 at Santa Anita Park, finished fourth, and was followed by Shoe It N Moe It, Gorgeous Ginny, One Fast Broad, and Meet and Greet to complete the order of finish.
The Betty Grable was the Smiling Tiger filly's third stakes win in Cal-bred company and second at Del Mar. She also won the April 7 Evening Jewel at Santa Anita and the 2017 Generous Portion at Del Mar.
Bred by Premier Thoroughbreds out of the Pleasantly Perfect mare Perfect Feat, Spiced Perfection now has a 5-4-2 record from 13 starts and $442,405 in earnings. She was a $50,000 purchase by Dare To Dream out of the Checkmate Thoroughbreds consignment to the 2017 Barretts March Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.