Midnight Memories © Benoit Photo
Pegram, Watson and Weitman’s Midnight Memories cruised along on an easy lead early in the one-mile Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar Sunday. But then she was challenged strongly by H and E Ranch’s race favorite Desert Dawn around the turn and through the stretch, causing the dark daughter of Mastery to dig down deep and find a reserve to hold off her challenger for rider Ramon Vazquez en route to a three-quarter length victory in the $125,500 Grade III test.
The homebred miss was taking her first try with stakes types and she proved up to the task for trainer Bob Baffert. Her $75,000 winner’s share of the purse pushed her bankroll up to $166,680. It was her third win in four starts.
Desert Dawn, who went off at 6/5, held on for second, four and a quarter lengths ahead of Willow Grace Farm or Petersen’s Grace Adler.
Final time for the race was 1:36.32.
Midnight Memories returned $13.00, $4.80 and $3.20. Desert Dawn paid $2.60 and $2.10, while Grace Adler returned $3.60 to show.
The tally was the second on the day for the Baffert/Vazquez team and put the Hall of Fame conditioner in front in the contentious local trainers’ race. He now has 17 winners at the session, putting him ahead of Phil D’Amato with 16 and Doug O’Neill with 15. Baffert has been the leading trainer at Del Mar seven times, though the last one was in 2003.
But the white-haired conditioner may not be through yet on the Sunday card. He’s running the favorites in the 8th Race, a straight maiden affair at six furlongs, as well as the favorite in the nitecap, a six and one-half furlong allowance test scheduled as Race 10 on the program.
RAMON VAZQUEZ (Midnight Memories, winner) – “She broke well and we were going easy on the lead. Then when it came time, she dug in down the stretch. She’s a very nice filly. I’m so happy to be riding at the meet for the first time and doing well. I wanted to ride for someone like Bob Baffert and here I am. Today I rode two horses for him and both were winners. It’s exciting.”
BOB BAFFERT (Midnight Memories, winner) – “I told Vaz (jockey Ramon Vasquez) I don’t know how far she’ll go but just leave there and put her on the lead. I was afraid when Desert Dawn (came to her) because she has a lot of races under her belt. We’ve been high on this filly all along. I would have liked to run one-two-three but it’s been a good day.” (Baffert’s Grace Adler ran third and Under the Stars finished fifth. He won a race earlier on the card with Vazquez up.)
FRACTIONS: ;23.25 :46.95 1:11.23 1:23.63 1:36.32
The stales win is the second of the meet for Vazquez, but his first in the Torrey Pines. He now has three stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the fourth of the meet for trainer Baffert and his seventh in the Torrey Pines. He now has 151 stakes wins at Del Mar, the most of any trainer.
The winning owners are Mike Pegram of Del Mar, Karl Watson of Tucson, AZ and Paul Weitman, also of Tucson.