Spiced Perfection © Benoit Photo
Perfectly placed by jockey Flavien Prat behind dueling leaders in the early stages of the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes, Spiced Perfection surged between rivals to take command entering the stretch and drew off impressively to win the seven-furlong sprint by two and one-quarter lengths Sunday.
Spiced Perfection, sent off at 4-1 odds, scored her fourth win in six lifetime starts at Del Mar and fifth in 13 career efforts, running the distance in 1:23.21. Runner-up was Just Grazed Me under Tyler Baze, with S Y Sky, the 2-1 favorite, third, a length and one-quarter farther back, and three-quarters in front of fourth-place Love a Honeybadger in the field of eight older California-bred fillies and mares. Mo See Cal was scratched.
Spiced Perfection, a three-year-old daughter of former top sprinter Smiling Tiger, is owned by the Dare to Dream Stable of Michael Faber of Mundelein, Illinois and conditioned by Brian Koriner. She returned $10.60, $5 and $3.20 and earned $57,000 to increase her bankroll to $442,405. Prat also won the Betty Grable Stakes a year ago, aboard Majestic Heat.
Just Grazed Me paid $5 and $3, while S Y Sky returned $2.80 to show.
In addition to winning the Betty Grable Stakes, Koriner also saddled two other winners, for a rare training triple. He won the sixth race with Fast Cotton for a $4.20 payoff and the day’s ninth and final race with Gypsy Blu in a $63.60 upset.
Racing at Del Mar continues Monday, Veterans Day, with a special holiday program commencing at 12:30 p.m. Feature race is the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes for two-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.
FLAVIEN PRAT (Spiced Perfection, winner) – “We had a very good trip. Sat right behind the speed in a perfect spot. She split horses and went right on with it. She’s a good one.”
TYLER BAZE (Just Grazed Me, second) – “I wish I could have got her running sooner. We were stuck down there on the fence and couldn’t get running early enough. What can you do?”
JOE TALAMO (S Y Sky, third) – “Good trip for her. She’ll be fine. She’s a good filly.”
BRIAN KORINER (Spiced Perfection, winner) – “We’ve had a lot of luck doing that (turf to dirt switch). She ran great last time down the hill at Santa Anita. We didn’t know that she would, but she’s just a tough filly who runs great every time. Flavien (Prat) rode her great and she responded for him. I thought she was a little bit far back early, but a hole opened up for her coming for home and once she poked her head through there, that was it.”
FRACTIONS: :22.46 :45.17 1:10.13 1:23.21
The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Prat. He won the Betty Grable last year aboard Majestic Heat. He now has 31 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Koriner and his first in the Betty Grable. He now has six stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winning owner is Dare to Dream Stable, which is the nom du course for Michael Faber of Mundelein, IL, located about 35 miles northwest of Chicago.