King Abner © Benoit Photo

Jockey Tyler Baze sent King Abner to the lead departing the gate and they never looked back, winning Del Mar’s feature race Thursday by seven and one-quarter lengths.

King Abner,  in the gate as third choice at 3-1, relaxed on the lead, opened up on his five rivals on the far turn and cruised to the wire in 1:36.84 for the mile over Del Mar’s main track.

Ground Attack, 2-1 second choice under Geovanni Franco, was second, a length and one-quarter in front of the lukewarm 9-5 favored California Journey.

King Abner, a son of Hansen owned by Little Red Feather Racing and Summit racing and trained by Phil D’Amato, was scoring his fourth victory in 13 starts. He returned $8.20, $3.80 and $2.40. Ground Attack paid $3.60 and $2.40, while California Journey returned $2.40.

Baze made it a double in the eighth race aboard the wire-to-wire winner, Epical, of a mile and three-eighths turf marathon. Epical paid $10.60. King Abner and Epical were Baze’s first winners of the young Del Mar fall season.

There were nine perfect tickets in the Pick Six and each paid $14,515.