Sunset Glory © Benoit Photo
Benefitting greatly from a perfectly timed ride by grass specialist Umberto Rispoli, the 4-year-old filly Sunset Glory picked up race favorite Linda’s Gift deep in the stretch and went on to a half-length victory in Friday’s $100,500 CTT & TOC Stakes, an 11-furlong turf test that highlighted Del Mar’s Friday card.
Rispoli tracked the favorite for most of the marathon, then asked his filly for her best inside the eight pole and the daughter of the British stallion Cotai Glory provided the right answer at the right time.
Final time for the distance was 2:14.33 and the winner paid $5.60 as the 9/5 second favorite to Linda’s Gift’s 7-10 odds.
Rider Rispoli was winning his sixth stakes of the season on Day 16. Five of those races have been on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Michael McCarthy trains Sunset Glory.
Finishing third, sixth lengths behind the favorite, was Michael House’s Musical Glory.
Sunset glory earned $60,000 for her long-winded run pushing her bankroll to $150,854. It was her third victory in only her fifth start.
Racing continues at Del Mar tomorrow with first post for the Saturday 10-race card at the usual 2 p.m.
UMBERTO RISPOLI (Sunset Glory, winner) – “You know, this filly is improving race by race. Once she puts her feet on the track she is always on her toes. Look, she doesn’t have a lot of experience, but she learns something every race. Today, she proved to everyone again, going a mile and 3/8th. My thought was to keep behind Linda’s Gift all the way, without letting Linda’s Gift getting too far ahead of me. When we turned for home I was just behind the leader and I think she took her out pretty well.”
MICHAEL McCARTHY (Sunset Glory, winner) – “That filly (Linda’s Gift) is so good. She’s been dominant when she gets the kind of leads like that so I was a little concerned. But this filly (Sunset Glory), in both of her victories, has been coming late running underneath the wire so I had a sneaky suspicion that she’d be able to get the distance. It’s nice to get it done.”
FRACTIONS: :24.87 :48.98 1:13.15 1:37.87 2:02.24 2:14.33
The stakes win was the sixth of the meeting for rider Rispoli and his third in the CTT & TOC Stakes. He now has 31 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the third of the meeting for trainer McCarthy and his first in the CTT & TOC Stakes. He now has 10 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The owner is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners or Treitman. Eclipse is the nom du course of owner Aron Wellman of Rancho Santa Fe, CA.