Daddy D T Tops Cecil B. DeMille Stakes

By Jerry Bossert

After finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park Oct. 31, Daddy D T appears the one to beat in Sunday's $150,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Del Mar Race Course.



The DeMille and the Matriarch Stakes (gr. IT) highlight the final day of racing at the inaugural Del Mar Bing Crosby meet.



Daddy D T was sixth in his career debut Aug. 9 over Del Mar's Polytrack before the 2-year-old chestnut ridgling son of Scat Daddy scored by a half-length in his turf debut in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 3. He then had to settle for a troubled fifth in the FrontRunner Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 27 when he was squeezed at the start before finishing full of run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf to be third, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths by Hootenanny.



Corey Nakatani, who rode Daddy D T to victory in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf Stakes and in the Breeders' Cup, is back aboard for the Cecil B. DeMille for trainer John Sadler.



Daddy D T will break from post 6 in the 10-horse field in the one-mile DeMille, which Sadler won twice already in his career with Warning Zone in 2006 and Stoney Fleece in 2011.

Just a head behind Daddy D T in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf was Conquest Stables' Conquest Typhoon, who drew post 10 in the DeMille. Trained by Mark Casse, Conquest Typhoon won the Summer Stakes (gr. IIT) at Woodbine Race Course Sept. 13 before finishing second in the Grey Stakes (gr. III) at Woodbine Oct. 5.



He then finished well to be fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf under jockey Mike Smith, who will ride the colt again.



Sadler will also saddle Irish-bred Guilty, who is making his U.S. debut, in the DeMille. The 2-year-old colt lost his first three starts before breaking his maiden at Newmarket July 25. He followed that with a third-place finish at Newmarket Aug. 8 before prevailing at Chester Sept. 12. Victor Espinoza will have the mount.