Free Closer © Benoit Photo

Reddam Racing’s Free Closer, the 4/5 favorite in a field of six, tracked nicely early in the five and a half-furlong Sunday feature that was the CTBA Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and just went on about her business through the lane to win for fun.

The winning margin for the homebred daughter of Pavel was eight and a quarter lengths after a final time of 1:04.40 in the Cal-bred headliner. The victress returned $3.60 to her backers in the sun-splashed crowd.

Finishing second in the dash was Lovingier, Mihaljevich and partners’ Stay Bossy, who had a length and three quarters on the show horse, Paula Capestro’s Strident Miss.

The race carried a $100,000 purse and a $57,000 winner’s share. Juan Hernandez was aboard Free Closer for the first time and she took him for a fine ride. Trainer Michael McCarthy tightened the cinch on the dark bay or brown filly.

Racing will now take several days off before returning to the shore oval on Thursday. First post will be the usual 2 p.m.

JUAN HERNANDEZ (Free Closer, winner) – “Michael (trainer Michael McCarthy) told me she was very professional; to ride her with confidence. I’d never been on her before but she surely handled herself well. Nice filly, no doubt.”

MICHAEL McCARTHY (Free Closer, winner) – “Pretty uneventful. She broke without incident, broke with the field. At Churchill she actually didn’t break that bad but the horse next to her pushed her out into the middle of the racetrack. Juan (Hernandez) put her in a comfortable stalking position today and when he asked her to go she took off and won by open lengths.”

FRACTIONS:  :21.77  :45.39  :57.83  1:04.40

The stakes win was the second of the meet for rider Hernandez, and the second of the meet for trainer McCarthy. 

This was his first stakes win in the CTBA, but his 21st for McCarthy at Del Mar. 

This was his first stakes win in the CTBA for Hernandez, but his 67th stakes win overall at Del Mar.

The winning owner – and breeder – is J. Paul Reddam of Reddam Racing.