Himika © Benoit Photo
Baoma Corp’s Himika, the 1-5 favorite in a field of six fillies, overcame some tight quarters on the backside in the six-furlong Sorrento Stakes Sunday, but then drew clear late to click by four and a quarter lengths in the Grade III feature.
The bay daughter of Curlin won her second race in her second start and earned a first prize of $90,000 from the gross purse of $150,500. She now sports earnings of $126,000. She paid $2.40 to her backers in the sun-splashed crowd after covering the distance in 1:10.61.
Juan Hernandez rode the juvenile miss for trainer Bob Baffert. It was the rider’s third score in the Sorrento and the trainer’s ninth.
Finishing second in the sprint was Altamira Racing Stable, Kagele and Marchosky’s Mo’Em Down, who had three and a quarter lengths on Michael Jawl’s Thank You India.
Racing at Del Mar will go on a short hiatus now, but be back rolling Thursday with a first post at 2 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Himika, winner) – “She broke just a bit slow and I saw that outside filly (My Kat) going fast, so I didn’t want to have to start chasing. I sent my filly up between horses and she was comfortable with it. There was space there and it worked out fine. At the 5/8ths (pole) she wanted to go, but I got her to wait. She took care of business in the stretch.”
BOB BAFFERT (Himika, winner) – “You always worry about the one hole. I think it was oh-fer-18 going six until Balboa (Race 1 winner) today. He had a hold of her since she stumbled there and she got behind a little bit. She’s young, second out and all, but Juan rode her with a lot of confidence. He put her in the right spot and he had a lot of horse the whole way. When she got to the quarter pole, I felt pretty good about it.”
FRACTIONS: :22.11 :45.40 :57.64 1:10.61
The stakes win was the sixth of the meet for rider Hernandez and his third in the Sorrento. He now has 58 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the fourth of the meet for trainer Baffert and his ninth in the Sorrento. He now has 182 stakes wins at Del Mar, far and away the most by a trainer.
The winning owners are the Baoma Corp of Charles and Susan Chu of Massachusetts.