The Padre (Benoit Photo)
Del Mar Press
DEL MAR, Calif.—A well-made bay colt named The Padre came rambling late in the nine-furlong Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby Sunday at the shore oval and cleared his field late to capture the 79th edition of grass test by a length in 1:49.23.
Umberto Rispoli rode the son of the Irish stallion Ghaiyyath with confidence and earned the first prize of $180,000 from the gross purse of $300,000 in the Grade II testing. He bested four other 3-year-olds in the process and earned yet more honors at the meet for trainer Phil D’Amato, who has now captured seven stakes at the session.
Finishing second in the “Derby” was Blinkers On Racing Stable, Corbett, et al’s Freedom’s Not Free, who had a neck on Jethorse’s Game Warrior.
“I’m extremely impressed with this horse. The last two races — neither had any pace — and he’s not a pace horse,” remarked D’Amato. “But he has a tremendous turn of foot and to overcome really slow fractions like that just shows he’s a real racehorse. I think the year-end goal for him will be something like the Grade I Hollywood Derby. We’ll just work around that, make him a Grade I winner and develop him for next year.”
The Padre is owned by a partnership headed by the folks from Little Red Feather Racing and joined by Sterling Stables or Naify. Their runner won his third race of the year in his fourth start and raised his earnings to $259,585. It was his first graded stakes victory.
“No, Phil (trainer D’Amato) doesn’t give me any instructions before the race. He says you know the horse better than me. The pace was slow; I could tell that. But I was sitting with a handful of horse. I wasn’t concerned. Then when I asked, he answered. He’s a nice horse,” said Rispoli.
The stakes win was the sixth of the meet for rider Rispoli and his third win in the Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby.
Racing will continue tomorrow to close out the holiday weekend at the seaside. First post for the Labor Day card will be 1:30 p.m.
