Mastery lived up to the “TDN Rising Star” moniker he earned in his Arcadia unveiling with a victory in the Bob Hope Saturday. Shedding blinkers for this step up to stakes company, the 1-5 chalk broke on top and ticked off easy opening fractions of :23.23 and :47.07. Swarmed by California Diamond and Ann Arbor Eddie exiting the bend, the dark bay briefly appeared beaten in early stretch, but readily responded when asked for more by Hall of Fame pilot Mike Smith and skipped clear to score.
“We knew he was a nice horse when he broke his maiden, but from what we saw today he could be something,” winning conditioner Bob Baffert said. “The second out is so important. They can run well in the first outing and then take a step back. We didn't have him super cranked for the first out and this one was a lot of him [talent]. He just shipped down this morning and he shipped well. Now's he's got that experience. He didn't look exhausted afterwards but he didn't really have to exert himself.”
A $425,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland September, Mastery lived up to the pre-race hype in his Oct. 22 debut at Santa Anita, zipping from gate-to-wire for a 4 1/4-length success and 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
Pedigree Notes:
Mastery, a half-brother to stakes winner Clear Sailing (Empire Maker), is the eighth individual graded stakes winner for Candy Ride this year. His dam Steady Course, a half-sister to GSW and GISP sire Jump Start (A.P. Indy), most recently produced a First Samurai colt May 9 of this year.
Saturday, Del Mar
BOB HOPE S.-GIII, $100,000, DMR, 11-19, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.32, ft.
1–#@MASTERY, 118, c, 2, by Candy Ride (Arg)
1st Dam: Steady Course, by Old Trieste
2nd Dam: Steady Cat, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Hopespringsforever, by Mr. Prospector
'TDN Rising Star' ($425,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Cheyenne
Stables LLC; B-Stone Farm (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith.
$60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $91,200. *1/2 to Clear
Sailing (Empire Maker), SW, $128,940.[bullet ad=”bradshaw-randy-shell”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″] Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–California Diamond, 124, c, 2, Harbor the Gold–Carrie's a
Jewel, by Slewdledo. ($35,000 Ylg '15 WASSEP; $42,000 RNA
Ylg '15 BAROCT; $60,000 RNA 2yo '16 BARMAY; $125,000 2yo
'16 BARJUL). O-Rockingham Ranch; B-Stormy B. Hull (CA);
T-Peter Miller. $20,000.
3–Ann Arbor Eddie, 118, g, 2, Square Eddie–Repo, by In Excess
(Ire). O/B-Reddam Racing, LLC (CA); T-Doug F. O'Neill.
$12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1HF, 5 1/4. Odds: 0.30, 3.10, 11.90.
Also Ran: Oopper Wallah, Bernin Sensation. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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