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Harry F. Brubaker Stakes

DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA                                                                                     WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009

HARRY F. BRUBAKER STAKES

Overnight Stakes, $85,000-added, 3 & up, 1 1/16 (T)

MARTIN PEDROZA (Skyrush) – “He (trainer Darrell Vienna) told me there wasn’t that much pace in the race and that he thought we’d be up fairly close. The horse put me right in the race; I didn’t chirp to him or anything. He was going along easy and then when I asked him he exploded. He really finished up strong.”

JOEL ROSARIO (Racketeer) – “Good race for him. I got pushed out a little bit at the three-eighths pole, but nothing serious. He ran good.”

MIKE SMITH  (Tiago) – “He was fresh; really fresh. He wanted to go to the front on the backside. I didn’t have any choice. He just went. I hope he’s able to get something out of this race. That’s the idea. I hope he does.” 

DARRELL VIENNA (Skyrush) -- “I didn’t see much pace in the race so I told Martin [jockey Martin Pedroza] that if nobody wanted to go to the lead you might find yourself there. It turns out most everybody else was handicapping it the same way, so Martin just got him settled and in a good place. It was a little surprising to win, although he’s been training very well. I just haven’t had much luck with Argentine-breds the first time out in this country. I’ve had many who have trained better than him in Argentina, but haven’t run well at all the first time.”

Why the scratch of Generalito Nain, his entrymate? “The other horse ran poorly in his last start and I thought it was time for this horse [Skyrush] to run by himself. I didn’t want them to run against each other.”

JOHN SHIRREFFS (Tiago) -- “It looked like he got a little tired. He was pretty fresh after his long layoff (six and one-half months). He seemed to like the grass OK.”

FRACTIONS:  :23.08  :47.61  1:11.21  1:35.01  1:40.77

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Martin Pedroza and his first in the Brubaker (being run for the 17th time today). Pedroza now has 16 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Darrell Vienna and his first in the Brubaker. He now has 24 stakes victories at Del Mar.

The Brubaker is named for the late Harry F. (Bud) Brubaker, a multi-sport star athlete and long-time prep teacher and coach, who also served as a referee in the National Football League for many years. “Bud” worked at Del Mar for more than a half-century.

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