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La Jolla Handicap

DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA                                                                                          SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2009

LA JOLLA HANDICAP

$150,000, Grade II, 3-y-o, 1-1/16 (T)

ALEX SOLIS (Meteore) – “Richard (trainer Richard Mandella) told me he wanted to take him back, drop over and make one late run. It worked well. I knew they were going along at a good clip up front, so I felt comfortable back there.  I saw Garrett’s horse (Garrett Gomez on Gretsky) get in trouble near the five-sixteenths (pole) and I was able to come out and go around. It worked out perfectly. It was a good race for him.”

JOEL ROSARIO (Rendezvous) – “I had no choice but to go around them all. Everybody was down on the inside and there was nowhere else to go. He made a nice move on the turn and for a second there I thought I was the winner. But the other horse (Meteore) came and got us. Today he was better. Next time it might be my horse.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (Gretsky) – “Oh, man. Horrible trip. Coming away from there the three horse (I’ll Show Them) came over and sandwiched me. But I got him settled and he was running good, then at the three-eighths I clipped heels and he nearly went down. I got him back off that and he was running again and then the leader backs up in our face. And still he came running. He ran a tremendous race.”

RICHARD MANDELLA (Meteore) -- “We thought he was too close to the pace in the Oceanside [on opening day July 22] and so we wanted to take farther back today. I guess it worked. He came out of that race with a bruised foot, also, and I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to run in this race. We took his shoes off and poulticed the foot for a while and he responded real quickly. He sort of pushed us to run here.”

FRACTIONS:  :23.05  :46.92  1:10.03  1:34.89  1:40.82

The stakes win was the second of the meet for Alex Solis and his second in the La Jolla. He now has 93 stakes triumphs at Del Mar, sixth most of all time.

The stakes win was the first of the meet for Richard Mandella and his first in the La Jolla. He now has 47 stakes victories at Del Mar.

The La Jolla is the track’s key prep race for its 3-year-old showcase race, the $350,000, Grade II Del Mar Derby at nine furlongs on turf Sunday, September 6.

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