Leucothea © Benoit Photo
Leucothea, the 2-5 favorite, performed to expectations Sunday with an easy victory in the featured $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes for two-year-old fillies at Del Mar.
Providing jockey Abel Cedillo with his third win of the afternoon, Leucothea broke on top from the gate and then was content to stalk from second place as longshot Biddy Duke set the pace.
Leucothea surged to the lead on the far turn, opened up into the stretch and cruised home three and one-half lengths in front while under mild urging. Longshot Orquidias Biz came on to be second, a length and one-quarter in front of third-place Stellar Sound, with Roadrunner’s Honor fourth in the field of six fillies.
Leucothea, owned by the partnership of Altamira Racing Stable, Socal Seven Racing and McGoldrick and trained by Peter Miller, ran the six and one-half furlongs in 1:17.42. The daughter of Midshipman scored her third triumph in six outings and returned $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10. First money of $60,000 increased her bankroll to $127,682.
Runner-up Orquidias Biz paid $7.60 and $3.80, while Stellar Sound returned $2.80 to show.
Cedillo’s previous winners were Miss Hot Legs in the fifth and Murad Khan in the seventh. Miller also won the sixth race with I Belong to Becky.
ABEL CEDILLO (Leucothea, winner) – “The plan was to let her go to the lead, but if something happened I could take back. The one horse (Biddy Duke) showed a lot of speed and my filly was very relaxed so I just let her go.”
PETER MILLER (Leucothea, winner) – “It wasn’t exactly the way we drew it up, we thought we’d be on the lead. I thought the one (Biddy Duke) could be the fly in the ointment, but (Leucothea) showed she could rate, so at the end of the day it’s probably a good thing.”
FRACTIONS: :22.01 :45.24 1:10.55 1:17.42
The stakes win was the first of the meet, first in the Desi Arnaz for rider Cedillo. He now has two stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet and the first in the Desi Arnaz for trainer Miller. He now has 28 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winner is owned by trainer Peter Miller of Encinitas (Altamira Racing Stables), Lance Hayes of El Cajon (Socal Seven Racing) and Brian McGoldrick.