Making his first start in more than five months, Red Outlaw showed no signs of rust as he sped to the front leaving the gate under jockey Edwin Maldonado and led all the way to win the featured $200,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred three-year-olds Friday.
Red Outlaw, a son of Tribal Rule owned by Blinkers On Stable et al and trained by Peter Miller, held on tenaciously in the final sixteenth to score by a length over the fast-closing 13-1 longshot Patriots Rule who lost considerable ground making his move on the far outside on the final turn.
Convoy, another outsider at 36-1, was third, 1 ¾ lengths behind the second horse and 1 ¼ lengths in front of fourth-place Whine for Win in the field of a dozen sprinters.
Withdrawn from the original field were Eddie’s First and Chattering Gambler.
Scoring his fourth win in as many starts, Red Outlaw ran the seven furlongs in 1:22.68 to earn first money of $110,000, almost doubling his bankroll to $225,200. Off at 5-1, he returned $13.20, $8.20 and $5.40.
Patriots Rule paid $12 and $7.60, while Convoy returned $14.40 to show.
Friday’s Pick Six pool, enhanced by a two-day carryover of $239,002 and $1,148,669 in “new” money, totaled $1,387,671. There were 31 perfect tickets and each was worth $27,504.
EDWIN MALDONADO (Red Outlaw, winner) – “There were scratches in the race and we were the speed of the speed. The plan was to go to the front. This horse, he knows what he’s doing. He waits on horses. When they come up to him, he goes again. He’s a pro.”
FERNANDO PEREZ (Patriots Rule, second) – “He’s a funny horse. He will not run down inside. We’ve tried to get him to go inside, but he just won’t. I know I went way wide; I don’t know how far (extra) he had to run. But it’s the only way he’ll go. You’ve got no choice.”
MARTIN PEDROZA (Convoy, third) – “Longest shot on the board (36-1, second longest) and he ran huge. Good race for him.”
PETER MILLER (Red Outlaw, winner) – “The plan was to go to the front. The speed had been holding and he’s such a game horse. It didn’t look like there was much pace in the race and my horse has more speed than the rest. I told [jockey Edwin] Maldonado that if he could get him to the lead, they wouldn’t get by him. I knew his speed and his tenacity would work for him. It doesn’t matter what surface he runs on, this horse can run.
“We might look at the El Cajon at the end (August 29) of the meet [for his next start].”
FRACTIONS: :22.68 :46.00 1:09.98 1:22.68
The stakes win was the first of the meet for Maldonado and his first in the Real Good Deal. He now has five stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for Miller and his first in the Real Good Deal. He now has six stakes wins at Del Mar.
Blinkers On Racing Stable, the owner of the winning horse, is a large racing syndicate headed by Scott Sherwood of Alamo, CA.