Edgeway © Benoit Photo
The classy mare Edgeway tied her running shoes tight Sunday at Del Mar, and it was a good thing she did. The extra-fast New Mexico filly Slammed put her to the test, going head and head with her older rival through the last five-sixteenths of a mile in the six and one-half furlong Rancho Bernardo Handicap. In the end, though, Edgeway edged clear late and prevailed by a half length under a strong ride by Juan Hernandez.
It was the second straight victory in the Rancho Bernardo for the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred by the Super Saver stallion Competitive Edge. She’d won the 2021 running of the Grade III stakes by a full length for her connections, Hronis Racing.
Slammed, who races for the partnership of Fincher Racing, King or Kirby, and was handled by Drayden Van Dyke, had seven and a half lengths on 5th Street Stables, Saldana or Urbina’s Cover Version.
Edgeway picked up a check for $90,000 from the $150,000 purse to increase her career earnings to $753,860 for her eighth win in her 13th start.
Final time for the dash was 1:15.97.
Edgeway returned $3.80, $2.10 and $2.10. Slammed paid $2.10 and $2.10 and Cover Version returned $3.40 to show. Edgeway and Slammed both had gone off at 9-10 on the board, but the winner was a slight favorite by approximately $3,000.
The victory was one of three on the day for Hernandez, who now has 39 wins through the first 23 days of the session. In the jockey standings, he is 16 winners ahead of the second-place rider, Umberto Rispoli.
Racing will return to Del Mar Thursday, September 1. There will be a 1 p.m. post that day, which will be the norm for all September dates for the balance of the meet. The exception to that rule will be the two remaining Fridays in the session when first post is 3 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Edgeway, winner) -- “She is a really good filly, really professional. She was standing really good, and when (the gates) opened she broke really sharp. The other filly battled with me and was trying to come back at me again, but my filly is a big strong filly and she knows where the wire is. She looked for the wire and in the last 1/16th she picked it up. I was working a little bit harder but she responded to me.”
JOHN SADLER (Edgeway, winner) – “It was a good win for her. It wasn’t easy, she gutted it out; it was a really good horse race and we’re happy. We had a lot of seconds and thirds this week so I was a little grumpy face, but with horse races it’s a new day every day. She’s one that needs spacing. She won’t run again now until the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.”
FRACTIONS: :22.05 :44.85 1:09.24 1:15.97
The stakes win was the ninth of the meet for rider Hernandez, but his first in the Rancho Bernardo. He now has 24 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Sadler, but his seventh in the Rancho Bernardo. He now has 84 stake wins at Del Mar, second most among all trainers.
The winning owners are Kosta and Pete Hronis of Delano, CA.