Eddie's New Dream © Benoit Photo
Reddam Racing’s homebred gray Eddie’s New Dream sat in the garden for virtually all of the one-mile grass run that was Friday’s Solana Beach Stakes at Del Mar, then accelerated come stretch time and pulled away to a length and a quarter tally in the $151,000 California-bred headliner.
The winner, a 5-year-old daughter of Square Eddie, was registering the eighth victory of her career and earned a first prize of $85,500. She also has eight seconds and four thirds from 26 starts and now has earnings of $705,580.
Final time for the race was 1:36.16 and the winner returned $7.20 to win for her backers.
Eddie’s New Dream was piloted by her regular guy, Mario Gutierrez, and is trained by Ben Cecil.
Finishing second was Nick Alexander’s Rose Maddox, who had a head on Smolich or Smolich’s Chancery Way, who had cut out all the fractions in the affair.
The track’s popular Pick Six wager was not solved once again and now will offer a carryover of $183,777 heading into Saturday’s 11-race card. First post is 2 p.m.
MARIO GUTIERREZ (Eddie’s New Dream, winner) – “Usually she’s up in the bit, but today she was happy right where she was; nice and relaxed. As she’s gotten older, she’s gotten better. She’s real mature now and she’s real good. She one of those ones that you like to ride.”
J. PAUL REDDAM (Owner/Breeder) (Eddie’s New Dream, winner) – “We thought the one (horse, Chancery Way) had a lot of speed and the idea was if she broke out of there well we would just track her. Plans rarely work out, but this time they did. It looked to me like he (Gutierrez) measured her well; he didn’t move too early which sometimes, when you think you’re the best, that can happen in a turf race. When she rolled up (alongside the leader) I thought: ‘Ok, here we go.’”
FRACTIONS: :22.92 :47.39 1:12.65 1:24.35 1:36.16
The stakes win was the first of the meet for both rider Gutierrez and trainer Cecil.
The stakes win was the first in the Solana Beach for rider Gutierrez, but his 19th overall at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the second (Poteen in 2019) for trainer Cecil and his 16th overall.
The winning owner and breeder is J. Paul Reddam of Laguna Beach, CA.