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Practical Dream victorious in the Desi Arnaz (Benoit Photo)
Del Mar Press Release
DEL MAR, Calif. – Amestoy, Amestoy, Jr. and Beasley’s Practical Dream provided the spark for a case of the student outdoing the teacher when the gray filly outfooted a trio of rivals Saturday at Del Mar in the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes.
The winner, a daughter of the stallion Practical Joke who was winning her second race in her third start, is conditioned by Tim Yakteen, who learned many tricks of the trade during a stint as an assistant to Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert. The three fillies who checked in behind Practical Dream are all trained by Baffert.
Finishing second, a length and a quarter behind the winner, was the race’s odds-on favorite Silent Law, owned by CSLR Racing Partners. Another three quarters of a length farther back came Baoma Corp’s Mawu. The final Baffert runner – Hal and Patti Earnhardt’s Two Bar — was almost another eight lengths behind in last.
Practical Dream, handled smartly by Del Mar’s leading rider, Antonio Fresu, picked up a check for $60,000 for her work to enhance her bankroll to $123,486. She paid $10.60 to her $2 backers. She had been purchased at a 2-year-old in training sale in Florida this past April for $210,000.
Del Mar next will offer a nine-race card Sunday featuring the Grade III Bob Hope Stakes. First post will be the usual 12:30 p.m.
ANTONIO FRESU (Practical Dream, winner) – “Her last race at Santa Anita, she broke a little slow and I had to steady her. Today, she stumbled a little bit coming away from there in the one hole, but she recovered quickly and she was travelling well from there. When I asked her at the three-eighths (pole), she opened up. She ran her race today and I’m thankful to Tim (trainer Yakteen) and the owners for giving me this chance.”
PRACTICAL DREAM (Tim Yakteen, winner) – “The filly was sharp today and she’s only going to improve with distance. She obviously showed up today. She had been doing very well for us. I’m glad Santa Anita was able to get the Anoakia race for us and help us set up for this race. I thought things looked well when we were lapped on to Silent Law early, but until you cross the wire and you’re in front, you never know.”
FRACTIONS: :22.50 :45.20 1:10.49 1:24.47
The stakes win is the first of the meet for rider Fresu and his first in the Desi Arnaz. He now has 10 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win is the first of the meet for trainer Yakteen and his first in the Desi Arnaz. He now has nine stakes wins at Del Mar.
The winning owners –Leslie Amestoy, Pierre Jean Amestoy, Jr. and Roger Beasley are from Albuquerque, NM.
