Curlin's Kaos © Benoit Photo
Zephyr Racing and Alfred Pais’ Curlin’s Kaos added blinkers for Friday’s Real Good Deal Stakes at Del Mar, then broke running and never looked back in capturing the 37th edition of the seven-panel sprint for Cal-bred 3-year-olds.
The winner, a gelded son of Clubhouse Ride, was registering his first stakes tally. Additionally, it was the first stakes triumph at Del Mar for his rider – Diego Herrera – and the first Del Mar stakes score for his trainer – Antonio Garcia.
The chestnut ran the distance in 1:21.72 after setting rapid splits. He earned a check for $85,500 as the winner’s share of the $153,000 purse and now has total earnings of $258,520. His margin of victory was five and three-quarters lengths and he returned $14.80 as the third betting choice in the 12-horse lineup.
Finishing second Koriner and Lyons’ Pure Madness, who had seven and a quarter lengths on race favorite Shady Tiger, who is owned by Rusty Brown.
Racing returns to Del Mar on Saturday with an 11-race card beginning at 2 p.m. The day’s primary feature is the Grade I, $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares.
DIEGO HERRERA (Curlin’s Kaos, winner) – “I’ve ridden him for most of his career. He is just a really solid horse and he broke really well today. He was really aggressive, with him giving me such a nice clean break. I saw the length in the distance and thought why now take the chance and put him in the lead, and he seemed to really like it today. I knew that the outside (horses) weren’t going to put too much pressure on him, so I took a chance. He surprised me a lot today.”
ANTONIO GARCIA (Curlin’s Kaos, winner) – “I wasn’t really expecting the speed out of him today but we did have the blinkers on. I was a little worried when I saw the :44 fraction. But Diego (Herrera) looked pretty confident by the quarter pole and I figured we might have a shot, and when I saw him in the stretch I knew he was gone.
FRACTIONS: :22.20 :44.78 M 1:09.09 1:21.72
The victory was the first stakes win ever at Del Mar for rider Herrera.
The victory was the first stakes win ever at Del Mar for trainer Garcia.
The winning owners are James Shenouda of Burbank, CA (Zephyr Racing) and
Alfred Pais of Santa Monica, CA.