Mi Hermano Ramon © Benoit Photo
Outsiders Mi Hermano Ramon and Will Then captured the Seabiscuit Handicap and the Jimmy Durante Stakes, respectively, on Saturday’s next-to-last day of racing at Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Season meeting.
Mi Hermano Ramon, owned by Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal, came running hard late under Hector I. Berrios to take down honors in the $203,500 Seabiscuit at a mile and one-sixteenth on the lawn. The gelded son of Creative Cause covered the distance in 1:41.07 and returned $24.80 to his backers. He’s trained by veteran Mark Glatt, who may have used the score to put a check on his quest to be leading trainer at a Del Mar meet for the first time.
Klaravich Stables’ Redistricting, the 3/2 favorite in the Grade II testing, had to take the overland and finished fastest before running out of turf course. He was a neck better than Bamford or Tabor’s Astronomer.
Mi Hermano Ramon picked up a check for $120,000 for his handiwork and pushed his bankroll to $321,480. It was the 4-year-old’s first graded stakes victory.
Earlier on the card, Augustin Stables’ Will Then swept to the lead in the stretch and went on to a handy two and a quarter length victory in the 34th running of the Jimmy Durante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies.
The victory in the Grade III, $103,000 feature was the third straight Fall Turf Festival triumph for the connections of owner/breeder George Strawbridge, Jr., jockey Vincent Cheminaud and trainer Jonathan Thomas. Earlier at the session they combined to capture the Red Carpet Stakes and the Hollywood Turf Cup.
Will Then, a daughter of War of Will, ran the one mile on turf distance in 1:36.46 and returned $23.00 to her backers.
Finishing second in the Jimmy Durante was Peagram, Watson and Seitman’s Casalu, who had three quarters of a length on California Racing Partners, Ciaglia Racing or O’Donnell’s Resolve. Eleven horses ran in the test after race favorite Supa Speed was scratched for an incident in the starting gate.
Will Then earned a first prize of $60,000 and increased her earnings to $92,571. The Durante was her first stakes tally – and second victory -- in only her third start.
Racing resumes at Del Mar for a closing day card tomorrow starting at 12:30 p.m.
HECTOR I. BERRIOS (Mi Hermano Ramon, winner) – “They went fast early and we just got comfortable. He was fine. Then I started following Kazushi (Kimura on Astronomer) and on the turn we found a spot. When I asked my horse, he really went. He’s a nice horse. At the end he was looking around for another horse to beat.”
MARK GLATT (Mi Hermano Ramon, winner) – “He’s going to run his race. He’s going to fall back. He’s not a horse that can quicken so we just wanted to keep him in the clear. Don’t want to lose any momentum with him because once he gets going he comes pretty good. Hector (Berrios) put a perfect ride on him, they parted the seas for him and he got a spot and got the ‘W’.”
FRACTIONS: :23.98 :47.29 1:10.55 1:34.92 1:41.07
The stakes win was second of the meet for rider Berrios, but his first in the Seabiscuit. He now has 19 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Glatt, and his first in the Seabiscuit. He now has 17 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winning owner is Red Baron’s Barn or Rancho Temescal of Tim Cohen of Del Mar.