Jockey Cedillo in home stretch for second Del Mar Riding Title; Del Mar Fall Betting Challenge sells out Saturday
DEL MAR, Calif. – Steve Landers Racing’s Royal Prince, trained by Brad Cox, drew the No. 10 post in a field of 11 and was named the 7-2 morning line favorite for Sunday’s Grade III, $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, a one-mile turf test for 2-year-olds.
A son of Cairo Prince who was a $70,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September sale, Royal Prince comes in off a maiden win at the Lexington track in October.
The field; click for entries:
Race 7, post time 3:00 p.m. PT
1. Ebeko (Ricardo Gonzalez, 6-1)
2. Harlan Estate (Abel Cedillo, 20-1)
3. Cotopax (Tyler Baze, 15-1)
4. Beer Can Man (Juan Hernandez, 8-1)
5. Commander Khai (Mario Gutierrez, 15-1)
6. Party Game (Irad Ortiz, Jr., 6-1)
7. Big Fish (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
8. Coastal Kid (Geovanni Franco, 30-1)
9. Caisson (Flavien Prat, 6-1)
10. Royal Prince (Joel Rosario, 7-2)
11. Wootton Asset (Manuel Franco, 9-2)
Jockey Cedillo in home stretch for second Del Mar Riding Title
Abel Cedillo (Benoit)
Abel Cedillo was winless with five mounts in eight race on the Thanksgiving Day program, but still has an 18-11 lead over Flavien Prat entering the final three days of the meeting as he tries to defend his 2019 Bing Crosby Season riding title.
Cedillo has 18 wins from a meeting-high 81 mounts while Prat, who missed the first four days of the stand while away at the Breeders’ Cup, has 11 wins from 49 opportunities. Prat guided Beguiled (4th race, $12.00) to a win Thursday and Umberto Rispoli scored with Gregdar ($15.00) in the eighth-race nightcap. Those three riders are the only ones with double-figure win totals. Rispoli has 10 victories from 60 mounts.
Training leader Peter Miller also was blanked from four starters Thursday, but holds a 9-7 advantage over Richard Mandella, Richard Baltas and Phil D’Amato. Baltas and D’Amato saddled one winner each to gain a share of second with Hall of Famer Mandella, whose seven wins have come from only 16 starters.
Del Mar Fall Betting Challenge sells out Saturday
The “Del Mar Fall Challenge” champion will be crowned on Saturday.
The “live money” Challenge, now sold out at 100 entries, is played online through TVG.com. Players deposited $4,000 to enter with $3,000 going to the the live bankroll and $1,000 goes to the prize pool.
Contestants will compete for $100,000 in cash and prizes including three 2021 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge entries held next year at Del Mar.
With their starting $3,000 bankroll, contestants will make win, place, show, exacta, trifecta or double wagers on the exceptional nine-race card featuring three graded stakes. Last year’s Fall Challenge winner, Mark Streiff from Mission Viejo, CA, turned his bankroll into $18,705 and with prize winnings of $35,000 brought home more than $50,000.
CLOSERS – The saddle that Mike Smith used when he rode Life Is Good to a romping 9 ½-length debut win for Bob Baffert in last Sunday’s second race – an effort that had 2021 Kentucky Derby contender written all over it – is a story in itself. It was the saddle Baffert used during his undistinguished riding career 50 years ago and was found by Baffert’s brother Bill at the family home on a ranch near Nogales, AZ. Smith asked to use it when Baffert showed it to him and the saddle went out a winner in its last assignment before retirement while strapped to the back of Life Is Good.
Edited Press Release
Royal Prince winning MSW at Keeneland. (Coady)
