Elsa © Benoit Photo

JOE BRAVO (Elsa, winner) – “No sprint,  no soft – just what we wanted. (The filly had finished far behind in a sprint stakes on a yielding course at Laurel in Maryland last out.) Michael (trainer Michael Stidham) said we’ve got to go somewhere where they’ve got some fast turf, so you know that had to be Southern California. She ran good and she was in the right spot at the finish.”

JOE TALAMO (Courteous, second) – “She ran really well and hung in there for me. When I got her over (from Post 11) and got her on the rail, she relaxed and was going real well. Then she hung tough. Even when the winner went by us, she dug in and tried again. Impressive performance.”

DRAYDEN VAN DYKE (Pivottina, third) – “She acted just like what she is today – a European. Coming away from there she was sleepy; I had to shake her up some to get her running. But she can run and she showed it. Once she gets used to the way we do it here, she’s going to be a really good filly.”

MICHAEL STIDHAM  (Elsa, winner) – “The firm track definitely made a big difference. She didn’t like the soft ground (when seventh in her last start at Laurel in September). They went three-quarters in 16 (in Maryland), she broke sharp and then just started retreating backwards and that’s not her. We couldn’t wait to get her out here.”

FRACTIONS:  :22.83  :47.07 1:11.37 1:23.61  135.68

The stakes win was the first of the meet, but second in the Jimmy Durante for rider Bravo (won 2017 Durante on Daddy Is a Legend). He now has two stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the Jimmy Durante for trainer Stidham. He now has three stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owner – Godolphin – is the nom du course for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice president of the United Arab Emirates.