Velocity © Benoit Photo
Benefitting from a ground-saving ride by jockey Ricardo Gonzalez, the filly Velocity stormed through the stretch at Del Mar Saturday to take down honors in the 69th edition of the Grade I Del Mar Oaks presented by Keeneland Sales on a sun-splashed afternoon by the shore.
The lightly raced daughter of Nyquist paid a whopping $72 for $2 after running the mile and one eighth on the turf in 1:48.45 and proving a half length best at the wire.
Trainer Mike McCarthy saddled the bay for the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners overseen by local owner Aron Wellman. Those are the same folks behind the sparkling 3-year-old colt Journalism.
Velocity, who was making only her fifth lifetime start and scoring her third win and first stakes victory, picked up a check for $180,000 from the $303,000 Oaks purse pushing her earnings to $274,800.
Finishing second with a big late run was Medallion Racing, Weston or Shanahan, et al’s Lush Lips, who had three-quarters of a length on Estate of Brereton C. Jones, Little Feather Racing or Madaket Stables’ Thought Process, the 11/10 betting favorite among the 11 soph fillies.
Gonzalez, who was winning only the second Grade I race of his career, hugged the rail throughout the nine furlongs and saw a split between horses ahead as they turned for home. He asked his mount for speed there and she responded, then he quickly steered her back inside again to the rail and gave chase to the leaders for the last eighth of a mile. She made the front inside the sixteenth pole, then had just enough in the tank to hold off the fast-closing Lush Lips and favored Thought Process.
Racing will resume at Del Mar Sunday with a first post at 2 p.m.
RICARDO GONZALEZ (Velocity, winner) -- “To be honest I thought she was going to be better on the dirt. But I had a wonderful trip. I was following Antonio (Fresu on Edge of Mali) all the way around. Just waiting for a little seam, and once I saw it, she went right through it. This is such a fun race to race, especially here in Del Mar.”
MICHAEL MCCARTHY (Velocity, winner) – “That’s as good of a ride as you’ll ever see. I thought she got the perfect trip there. A seam opened up on the fence. It was good. She’s had a wonderful couple of weeks down here. She was on her toes in a great way walking around the paddock, coming out through the tunnel. I liked everything I saw today.”
FRACTIONS: :23.22 :46.98 1:11.48 1:36.20 1:48.45
The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Gonzalez and his first in the Del Mar Oaks. He now has three stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer McCarthy and his first in the Del Mar Oaks. He now has 16 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winning owners are Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners headed by Aron Wellman of Rancho Santa Fe, CA.