DEL MAR – The only time Chismosa has run worse than second place in seven career starts at Del Mar was last year’s Betty Grable Stakes, when she finished fifth.
The 4-year-old daughter of Clubhouse Ride made up for that defeat Sunday when she caught Big Summer near the wire to win the 2024 edition of the Grable – a seven-furlong dash on the dirt for older Cal-bred fillies and mares.
Chismosa scored her fourth Del Mar victory under a strong stretch ride from jockey Tiago Pereira.
“She finishes strong and did it again today,” said Pereira, who was also aboard Chismosa when she finished second to Sweet Azteca in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 25.
She had to finish strong Sunday. The second favorite, Chismosa was fourth as the field of seven turned for home and still third behind Big Summer and fading early leader Pushiness in the stretch.
Chismosa ($2.90) won by a neck over Big Summer with 3-to-5 favorite Pushiness third another 3 ¾ lengths back. Chismosa charged from the outside early in the stretch as Big Summer and Pushiness battled for the lead.
“She closed super,” said trainer Rafael DeLeon. “I told Tiago, ‘Don’t push her.’ She looked for a clear space and took care of business. I was happy (Big Summer) was pushing Pushiness because the leader was very quick.”
Said Pereira: “Coming around the turn I saw Hector Berrios on Big Summer, so I pushed and Chismosa responded very well. She kept going and made it easy.”
Big Summer returned to the dirt Sunday after six straight starts on grass.
Tamara returns
Tamara, a daughter of Hall of Famer Beholder and the 6 ¾-length winner of the 2023 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante, is scheduled to return to racing in Friday’s seventh race.
Tamara hasn’t raced since a post-race examination revealed a fractured splint bone in her left leg following a seven-place finish in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.
The original plan by trainer Richard Mandella was to run the 3-year-old Bolt D’Oro filly in an allowance race Sunday. But the race failed to fill, postponing her 2024 debut by five days.
“She’s doing good,” Mandella told a track official Sunday morning. “She’s ready to race. She seems to have the same ability and her old style back. I think we’re ready to go.”
Youth served
Next weekend’s program features two, seven-furlong dirt stakes for 2-year-olds — Saturday’s $100,000 Desi Arnaz for fillies and Sunday’s Grade 3 Bob Hope.
Trainer Bob Baffert has nominated six fillies for the Desi Arnaz. The group is led by Tenma, the winner of the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante at the end of this summer’s meeting. Also nominated is Tequilaandtherapy, the winner of the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies on the Breeders’ Cup undercard.
The Hope nominations are led by trainer Tim Yakteen’s McKcKinzie Street, who was scratched from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Notable
Don Valpredo, the former chairman of the California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, died Oct. 31 while vacationing overseas. He was 85. Valpredo also served as commissioner of the California Horse Racing Board and is a member of the California Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
• Berrios moved into a tie for the jockey lead Sunday with two wins — Aunt Mo ($3.60) in the first race and Andreadytorumble ($9.20) in the ninth. Berrios and Antonio Fresu each have six wins to five for Kazushi Kimura, who had four wins the past two days. Reigning champion Juan Hernandez also had two wins Sunday – Isabel Ludlow ($12.80 in the fifth) and Classically ($8.40 in the sixth) – to move into a three-way tie for fourth with Umberto Rispoli and Pereira.
• Mark Glatt leads the trainer standings with five wins to four for Peter Miller, George Papaprodromou and Doug O’Neill.