DEL MAR, Calif.—The bay filly Vegas Magic stalked the pacesetting favorite Procrastination for the majority of the six-furlong Sorrento Stakes Saturday at Del Mar, then surged past her at the sixteenth pole and went on to a length and a quarter upset in the Grade II juvenile filly headliner.
The Kentucky-bred daughter of Good Magic ran the distance in 1:11.46 under Abel Cedillo and earned a first prize of $120,000 from the total purse of $200,500. The win – her third in three tries – pushed her bankroll to $205,200.
Doug O’Neill trains Vegas Magic for the three-way partnership of Omar Aldabbagh, Todd Cady and Ty Leatherman.
“I expected the outside; this filly is so gutty. We were expecting her to give us a good race, she was my choice. Del Mar isn’t the perfect place for some horses. It is like Saratoga: you might bring a nice horse to Saratoga and still might not win,” commented Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neil
Finishing second in the sprint was Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners’ Procrastination, who had cut out all the fractions at :22.43, :45.43 and :58.29 as the race’s 7-10 favorite. Finishing third in the six-horse field was Rick or Sharon Waller’s Dazzlingdominika.
“I got a perfect trip. Soon as I broke with her, she took me there and when I got to the stretch, when she switched leads, she just kept going. In the last eighth I’m like: ‘Oh, I’m going to get that.’ I would love to see her at one-mile next time; she’d be tough,” Cedillo remarked.
His first in the Sorrento, the win gave Cedillo his second of the meet. O’Neill has won the Sorrento three time and garnered his first win of the meet. The conditioner has 43 Del Mar stakes on his resume.
Vegas Magic returned $31.40, $6.60 and $4.20. Procrastination paid $2.80 and $2.40, while Dazzlingdominika returned $4.60 to show.
The track’s Pick Six Single Ticket Jackpot wager for the fourth day in a row wasn’t solvable meaning there will be a carryover into the pool for Sunday of $237,758.
First post Sunday at the seaside oval is 2 p.m.
DMTC Press Release
Photo by Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire
