MIKE SMITH (Dressed in Hermes, winner) – “Janet (trainer Janet Armstrong) just said ride him with confidence. She said he might do best to lay fourth or fifth and then he should come running. She was right. I just had to guide him around there. He wants to run on, this horse. I had a hard time pulling him up after the race. Had a hard time pulling him up going into the winner’s circle. He’ll run on; mile and an eighth for sure. He’s got a lot of good energy.”

 

MARTIN GARCIA (Collected, second) – “First time at two turns for him and he ran great. He’s going to be a really good horse. He’s learning. This will be a building race for him.”

 

MARIO GUTIERREZ (Frank Conversation, third) – “Good trip for me. My horse ran a good race.”

 

JANET ARMSTRONG (Dressed in Hermes, winner) – “He’s filled out since he travelled (to Breeders’ Cup and back). He’s filled out more, has more weight and more muscle, which is really a good thing. During the stretch run, I really thought he was going to make it. He’s such a nice horse. We’ll give him a little time off now and probably come back at the end of January. We’ll probably try the dirt next. Just don’t know where or which one.”

 

(Her first stakes win at Del Mar, second win in California. First was the Zuma Beach at Santa Anita. “And I got a surf board for that one,” she said.)

 

 

FRACATIONS:  :22.45  :46.80  1:11.59  1:23.86  1:36.13

 

 

This is the second time the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes has been run at Del Mar. Previously, it was called the Generous Stakes and had been run 32 times at Hollywood Park.

 

This is the third stakes win of the meet for rider Smith (most by any rider). He now has 58 stakes wins at Del Mar, 11th best of all time.

 

This was the first stakes win at Del Mar for trainer Armstrong.

 

The winner is owned by Budget Stable, which is the nom de course of Syd Belzberg of Vancouver, B.C.