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The lightly raced 5-year-old Gabriel Charles (Street Hero), a winner of a division of the GII Del Mar Derby two years ago, put it all together with a very powerful performance here. He bided his time in sixth behind lively early fractions of :23.43 and :47.26 over the “good” going. With Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard, he was swung out widest of all at the top of the stretch and exploded down the lane to inhale Twentytwentyvision and win for fun.
Gabriel Charles, a 5 1/2-furlong debut winner over the former Del Mar Polytrack, scored in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview S. going down the hill before concluding his 2-year-old season with a runner-up finish in the Eddie Logan S. that December. He faced the starter only three times at three, but made them count. In addition to his win in the Del Mar Derby, he was second in Del Mar's Oceanside S. and Santa Anita's GII Twilight Derby. Sidelined all of 2014, he resurfaced to finish a distant second behind Eddie Read favorite Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile) in a Santa Anita optional claimer Apr. 16 and entered off a third-place finish in a lively renewal of the GIII American S. in Arcadia Apr. 16.
Gabriel Charles added to an already red-hot start to the Del Mar meet for trainer Jeff Mullins, who took the Oceanside S. on opening day and a 2-year-old maiden special weight one race earlier on the card.
“The early fractions were well enough that I thought we were OK,” Mullins commented. “He was perched up on him like they were going a two-minute mile and when he swung him into the clear, I could see he had plenty of horse. How many horses bow a tendon and come back and win a Group I? We took our time with him and that was the key. We knew he had this caliber of talent, it was a matter of keeping him healthy. We were worried about the turf course after the rain, but Mike [Smith] said the course was great.”
Smith added, “I don't think it rained on the turf course; only the main track. It was plenty fast. My horse was so nice and comfortable; going along so easy. I was watching the competition up front, but I thought I could handle them. I was worried about that one in the back [Finnegans Wake]. I knew he was going to be coming and he's run some big ones. [Gabriel Charles] was impressive.
Saturday, Del Mar
EDDIE READ S.-GI, $400,500, DMR, 7-18, 3yo/up, 1 1/8mT, 1:48.13, gd.
1–&GABRIEL CHARLES, 119, h, 5, by Street Hero
1st Dam: Star of Atticus (SP, $123,971), by Atticus
2nd Dam: Trip Around Heaven, by Halo
3rd Dam: Key to Flight, by Key to the Mint
($19,000 Ylg '11 KEESEP; $160,000 2yo '12 OBSAPR). O-Sam Britt & Michael House; B-Doris E Tummillo (KY); T-Jeff Mullins; J-Mike E Smith. $240,000. Lifetime Record: 11-4-4-1, $584,400. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Twentytwentyvision, 119, g, 4, Pollard's Vision–
Miss Alphie, by Candi's Gold. O-Ellen & Peter O Johnson; B-Peter O Johnson (KY); T-Richard E Mandella. $80,000.
3–Finnegans Wake, 123, h, 6, Powerscourt (GB)–
Boat's Ghost, by Silver Ghost. O-Donegal Racing & Rockingham Ranch; B-Jerry Crawford (KY); T-Peter Miller. $48,000.
Margins: 3 3/4, 1HF, NK. Odds: 4.70, 11.20, 2.20.
Also Ran: Power Ped, Midnight Storm, Big Cazanova (Arg), Maltes (Brz).
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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