Mr. Hinx © Benoit Photo
Gary Barber’s Mr. Hinx, ridden by Flavien Prat, gamely withstood the stretch long challenge of favored Ann Arbor Eddie to win the featured $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred three-year-olds Friday.
Prominent from the start of the seven-furlong sprint, Mr. Hinx responded to Prat’s urging in the stretch to hold on and win by a half-length in 1:22.79 for the distance. Edwards Going Left was third, with Milton Freewater fourth in the field of seven.
Mr. Hinx, a gelded son of Ministers Wild Cat trained by Steven Miyadi, went postward at 9-2 and returned $11, $4 and $2.60 after recording his fifth victory in eight starts. First money of $85,500 increased the horse’s earnings to $326,548. His previous stakes success was in the Echo Eddie in April.
Ann Arbor Eddie, the even-money betting choice under Mario Gutierrez, carried highweight of 125 pounds, conceding two pounds to the winner, and returned $2.80 and $2.40 after a strong effort. Third place Edwards Going Left paid $3 to show.
FLAVIEN PRAT (Mr. Hinx, winner) – “I had a very good trip today. He broke well and I felt like I was cruising. When I asked him, he jumped right into the bridle and picked it up. He went right on with it from there.”
MARIO GUTIERREZ (Ann Arbor Eddie, second) – “He ran well. We were in a good spot and he responded. But the winner just ran too fast.”
TYLER BAZE (Edwards Going Left, third) – “He never got to run today. I was on the brakes all the way around. I think I was on the best horse, but we never got to show it.”
STEVE MIYADI (Mr. Hinx, winner) -- “He (Mr. Hinx) was born a racehorse. Mike Allen from Tommy Town and (owner-breeder) Gary (Barber) told me very early on that this was a nice horse; when the guy who broke him tells you that, it means something, I’d say Mike hasn’t missed one yet. I knew that if one day we could just send this horse hard from the gate he was going to show something he hadn’t shown yet. I think he has got a chance to be an open company stakes sprinter.”
FRACTIONS: :22.42 :45.30 1:09.92 1:22.79
The stakes win was the third of the meet for rider Prat and his second victory in the race (he won last year’s running on Gold Rush Dancer). He now has 13 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Miyadi and his first in the Real Good Deal. He now has two stakes wins at Del Mar. (His other was the Grade I Del Mar Futurity with Drag Race in 1989.)