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Cougar II Handicap

DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA                                             WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009

COUGAR II HANDICAP

59th running, 3-y-o & up, 12 furlongs

“Win and You’re In Marathon Division”

ALONSO QUINONEZ (Unusual Suspect) – “I was wanting to get him over to the rail, because he relaxes so well down there. But I had to wait because there were so many horses inside me. But I got there and he was running easy. Near the far turn we started to pick it up and I got a good run from there. When I asked him, he gave me his all. He really fired. I thought I won it. But it was close, so close.”

VICTOR ESPINOZA (Richard’s Kid) – “We did everything but win. He’s a different animal on this surface as opposed to the turf. He tried really hard today.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (Church Service) – “He was acting like a horse that was only going to beat two or three of them. I was back there pedalin’ and pedalin’ and we weren’t going anywhere. Then all of a sudden in the last sixteenth he came firing. What can you do?”

BARRY ABRAMS (Unusual Suspect) -- “He’s a really nice horse. I thought this was a weak field and I believed my horse is good enough to win if he can go a mile and a half. He did it. Alonso [Quinonez] rode him perfectly. We’ll be looking at the Del Mar Handicap [1 3/8 miles on the turf Sunday, August 30]. This horse has won on grass, dirt and synthetic and sprinting and now going a mile and a half.”

FRACTIONS:  :24.24  :48.42  1:13.38 1:38.98 2:04.82  2:31.22

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Alonso Quinonez and his first in the Cougar II. It is his second stakes win at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Barry Abrams and his first in the Cougar II. It is his 12th stakes win at Del Mar.

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