Do the Dance © Benoit Photo
Do the Dance, the most lightly-regarded entrant in the race at 13-1, stepped to the front at the break under jockey Tyler Baze and held on resolutely in the stretch to win the featured $78,450 Kathryn Crosby Stakes Friday on opening-day of Del Mar’s third fall racing season.
Do the Dance, a three-year-old filly owned by Mansor, Purple Shamrock Racing and trainer Gary Sherlock, set a moderate early pace in the mile and one-sixteenth grass course event and was able to resist stretch challenges to score by three-quarters of a length in 1:41.75 for the distance.
Keri Belle, the 6-5 favorite, closed well to be second, with Amboseli third and Dressed to a T fourth in the field of five older fillies and mares. Sobradora Inc, the 9-5 second choice, was last. Withdrawn from the original field was Glory.
Do the Dance returned $28, $7.20 and $2.60 after scoring her fourth victory in 19 career outings. First prize of $46,260 increased the winner’s bankroll to $185,015. Runner-up Keri Belle paid $2.80 and $2.10, while Amboseli returned $2.60 to show.
With longshots dominating the program, Saturday’s Pick Six will include a carryover of $55,093. The Jackpot Pick Six carryover, new to Del Mar’s racing menu, totaled $11,805 after Friday’s results. The Jackpot Pick Six will be paid out in the event of a single winning ticket during the 15-day fall Bing Crosby meeting.
Post time for the first race is 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
TYLER BAZE (Do the Dance, winner) – “It just set up perfectly. You hope for that sort of thing, but it doesn’t always happen. Today, it couldn’t have happened any better. She broke well and I expected some company, but they left me alone. I would have been alright sitting second or third, but the front was fine, too. We went easy for three quarters and I felt good. I know she’s got a great kick for that last five-sixteenths and I really liked my chances. Gary (trainer Gary Sherlock) is great with her and he doesn’t have to give any instruction. We did fine together.”
NORBERTO ARROYO, JR. (Keri Belle, second) – “I wanted to get her in the race, but she wouldn’t go up there. I told John (trainer John Shirreffs) that she ought to get blinkers. I think that would help her.”
MIKE SMITH (Amboseli, third) – “I wanted her to jump (out of the gate) and get in the race. But she wouldn’t go. She gave me some run at the end, but she’s just too European. That’s the way they want to do.”
GARY SHERLOCK (Do the Dance, winner) – “When they scratched the only speed horse (Glory), we decided to go for the lead as long as nobody else wanted it. We changed strategy a little bit (in that she’d been coming from behind most of her races). It worked out well.”
FRACTIONS: :24.24 :48.74 1:12.72 1:35.72 1:41.75
The stakes win was the first in the Kathryn Crosby for rider Baze. It was his 26th stakes victory at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first in the Kathryn Crosby for trainer Sherlock. It also was his first stakes win at Del Mar.