San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
SPENDARELLA COMES WEST TO GET BIG PRIZE IN DEL MAR OAKS
Spendarella lived up to her advance billing … and then some.
Under a perfectly measured ride by Tyler Gaffalione, Spendarella stalked the leaders from third place the length of the backstretch before taking the lead coming out of the far turn and running away from the rest of the 13-filly field in the stretch to win the Grade I Del Mar Oaks by 41⁄2 lengths over San Clemente Stakes winner Bellabel on Saturday.
Spendarella’s performance in the 11⁄8-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies was one of the best thus far of Del Mar’s 82nd summer meeting. She cruised to the finish line.
Spendarella controlled the $300,000 race while winning for the fourth time in five starts for trainer Graham Motion, who also trained Sister Otoole, the winner of Friday’s feature.
“I had a terrific trip,” said Gaffalione. “She broke alertly and we took up a good spot behind the speed horses. When we cleared the (infield) chute, she dropped the bit and relaxed.”
As Cairo Memories chased Gracelund Gray for the lead down the backstretch, Spendarella appeared to be waiting for Gaffalione to turn her loose.
“When Tyler got the nice spot coming in the bend and she relaxed, it was like ‘if she’s good enough, she’s going to win,’ ” said Alice Clapham, the assistant trainer for Motion who was his representative at Del Mar.
“Then, when she kicked for home and left them, that was pretty incredible.”
“She’s special,” said Gaffalione. “I have to give Graham and all his team all the credit. I’m just happy I got to ride her. I don’t get to ride many like her.”
Like the horse, the jockey flew in specifically for the Del Mar Oaks.
Motion and owners Gainesway Thoroughbreds have no problems putting Spendarella on a plane.
After winning her first two races at Gulfstream Park, the second being a Grade II stakes in March, Spendarella shipped to Keeneland where she won a Grade II stakes race on April 9 with Gaffalione aboard for the first time.
Spendarella was then off across the Atlantic, where she ran second in the Grade I Coronation Stakes on June 17. She had been training at a Motion base in Maryland before the trainer shipped her west earlier in the week.
“She is a very good traveler,” Clapham said of Spendarella. “She is very relaxed on a plane.”
Saturday marked the second time that Motion sent a filly west to win the Oaks. He scored earlier with Summer Soiree in 2011.
Meantime, the three Phil D’amato entries that finished 1-2-3 in the Grade II San Clemente Stakes on July 23, went second (Bellabel), eighth (Sixteen Arches) and ninth (Island of Love) Saturday.
Second-choice Bellabel (Umberto Rispoli) was behind Spendarella down and backstretch and also moved on the far turn, but was no match for the winner’s top gear. Cairo Memories (Mike Smith) led briefly on the far turn, but faded and held onto third by a neck over Tezzaray.
A 6-to-5 favorite, Spendarella paid $4.40 to win. The $180,000 share of the winner’s purse raised her earnings to $596,459.
Hajazi upset
Classical Cat scored one of the more notable upsets of the meeting in Saturday’s fifth race for maiden 2-yearolds.
Classical Cat, with Rispoli aboard, finished two lengths ahead of Hejazi ina 5½-furlong maiden sprint on the dirt. Hejazi is the Bob Baffert-trained son of Bernardini, who was purchased by Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., earlier this year for $3.55 million. Hejazi broke slowly and never led under Mike Smith, although he finished strong.
Trained by D’amato, Classical Cat paid $13.20.
Threepeat?
Pulpit Rider, a 7-year-old son of Lucky Pulpit, will be going for a third straight win in today’s $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes for older Calbred fillies and mares.
But Pulpit Rider is no better than the fifth-choice on the morning-line odds for the 1-mile turf test that has drawn 10 entries.
The early favorite is Eddie’s New Dream, a 4-yearold daughter of Square Eddie, who has five wins in 16 career starts. Mario Gutierrez has been aboard every race of Eddie’s New Dream’s career.
The field includes Rose Dawson (Juan Hernandez), who has two wins and two seconds in a four-start career for D’amato; Sassyserb (Joe Bravo), and Warren’s Candy Girl (Rispoli).