Veteran sprinter Kafister scored his twelfth victory in a 28-race career Wednesday as he captured Del Mar’s featured event in a hard-earned win under jockey Kent Desormeaux.

 

Kafister, a six-year-old gelded son of Kafwain bred in Kentucky, engaged for the lead out of the gate and responded gamely to Desormeaux’s urging in the late stages of the 6 ½ furlong race to click by one and one-quarter lengths in a fast 1:14.73 for the distance.

 

Clever Royal, the lukewarm 5-2 favorite in the field of six older horses, was runner-up, a length and three-quarters ahead of Anytime Anyplace, with Songforjohnmichael fourth.

 

Kafister, owned by Aidekman and Ailshie and trained by David Bernstein, returned $7.40, $3.40 and $3.20. Clever Royal paid $3.40 and $2.60, while Anytime Anyplace returned $3.60 to show.

 

Kafister provided Desormeaux with his second straight win on the afternoon, the jockey also having won the sixth race on 6-5 favored Billy Big. Also doubling Wednesday were leading rider Flavien Prat, who won the third on Ky. Colonel at $6.40 and the fourth aboard Papa Papa Papa at $3, and Santiago Gonzalez who scored with Ponder Lea at $3.40 in the second and Golden Light at $9 in the eighth.

 

Wednesday’s attendance was 8,337.