Sneaking Out © Benoit Photo
KMN Racing’s Sneaking Out put it in gear at the head of the lane and drew off from seven rivals to tally a handy three and three-quarter length victory Friday in the 49th running of the Rancho Bernardo Handicap.
Packing topweight of 123 pounds and Del Mar’s leading rider, Umberto Rispoli, the homebred daughter of Indian Evening scampered the six and one-half furlongs in 1:15.57.
It was win number four on the day for Rispoli, the newcomer to Del Mar this season who has established himself as its top rider and now has 32 victories at the session after 17 days of racing.
Sneaking Out earned $60,000 as the winner’s share of the $101,500 purse in the Grade III offering enlarging her bankroll to $491,441 following her sixth victory in 12 starts. The 4-year-old bay, the lone California-bred in the lineup, paid $5.60, $3.40 and $2.80 across the board as the favorite.
Finishing second was Clairborne Farm, Bass or Dilschneider, et al’s Amuse and running third was Kelly and Wiltz’s Gingham.
Winning trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, a member of racing Hall of Fame, captured his third Rancho Bernardo and his 40th stakes at Del Mar. Rispoli now has five stakes wins at the seaside oval.
In the day’s Pick Six wager, nobody was able to sweep the bet resulting in a $72,098.99 carryover into tomorrow’s card.
Del Mar will present its biggest racing day of the year tomorrow when it showcases five stakes races headed by the 30th edition of the Grade I, $500,000 TVG Pacific Classic. First post is 2 p.m.
UMBERTO RISPOLI (Sneaking Out, winner) – “This is my first time on her. We can’t work horses here, so we have to watch a lot of videos. I like what I saw. She did all this today herself. She switched leads nicely, then ‘ban,’ she just went. At the end she was really rolling; I couldn’t stop her. She’s a really nice filly.
JERRY HOLLENDORFER (Sneaking Out, winner) – “I think she was even better today (than when winning the Grade II, Great Lady M at Los Alamitos on July 4) and my rider told me he was very impressed with her. She’s getting good right now. She wins a Grade II and then puts weight on and still wins; you always hope she can be better. (Breeders Cup?) You always have those thoughts in the back of your mind. I think there’s more that she can do.”
FRACTIONS: :22.35 :45.35 1:09.34 1:15.57
The stakes win was the fifth of the meet, but first in the Rancho Bernardo for rider Rispoli in his first season at Del Mar.
The stales win was the first of the meet for trainer Hollendorfer, but his third in the Rancho Bernardo. He now has 40 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winning owners – KMN Racing – are Kevin and Kimberly Nish of Fairfield, CA.