My Racehorse and Peter Leidel’s Seismic Beauty, a 4-year-old filly with a good turn of foot, went to the lead out of the gate, saved every inch of ground in a mile and one-sixteenth run on Del Mar’s main track and came away a length and a half winner in the Grade I, $400,500 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on Saturday.
The race was the focal point of Oak Tree Racing Day at Del Mar and was presented by the Oak Tree Racing Association.
The bay daughter of Uncle Mo had Juan Hernandez in the boot for her second straight stakes victory and her first in Grade I company. She picked up a check for $240,000 and pushed her earnings to $476,840 after running the distance in 1:42.33.
Seismic Beauty is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who was capturing the race for the third year in a row and fourth time overall.
The Hirsch is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” race, providing the winner with an automatic starting position into the $2 million, Grade I Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, which will be run this year on Saturday, November 1 at Del Mar. Today’s victory means Seismic Beauty’s $60,000 entry fee for the big race has been waived.
Finishing second in the Hirsch was Spendthrift Farm’s Kopion, who had three and a half lengths on Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stud Vendaval’s Richi, also trained by Baffert.
Seismic Beauty went off as the 11/10 favorite and returned $4.20 for a $2 wager. She now has four victories, two seconds and a third in seven trips to the post.
Earlier on the card Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, Ellwood Johnston Trust and Kenneth Tevelde’s Kings River Knight did what he does best – outrunning nine rivals in the mile and one-sixteenth of the California Dreamin’ Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds and up.
The winner, a 7-year-old gelding by Acclamation, was capturing the 13 race of his 20-race career and earned a first prize of $85,500 to push his bankroll to $855,830. He was ridden by Juan Hernandez, who followed up this victory with a tally in the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch. The rider has now won purses of $1,293,480 after 10 days of racing at the seaside oval to lead all jockeys.
Kings River Knight, the 7/10 betting favorite, returned $3.40 to his backers in the Saturday crowd. He is trained by John Sadler. Final time for the race was 1:41.28.
Racing goes again Sunday with a first post at 2 p.m.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Seismic Beauty, winner) – “Bob’s team, he brings this filly really into good shape today. I think she won the race out of the gate today. She broke really, really sharp. She loves to be on the lead. She was really comfortable. You know, she was just galloping; she was in a really good rhythm, that’s what Bob (Baffert) told me to do. You know, that’s what she did on her own. I was just waiting for the quarter pole to make her run. Once we hit it, I asked her, she picked it up, she switched leads, and that was it. You know, this filly she is getting better every race.”
BOB BAFFERT (Seismic Beauty, winner) – “That wasn’t an easy lead, they were rolling. She’s a big filly. She looks like she’s going easy but they were going fast. She’s just getting better and better. She’s still maturing but I think she’ll improve off of that.”
FRACTIONS: :22.85 :46.63 1:10.32 1:35.52 1:42.33
The stakes win was the third of the meet for rider Hernandez and his third straight victory in the Hirsch. He now has 55 stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer Baffert and his fourth in the Hirsch, including the previous two. He now has 180 stakes wins at Del Mar, the most by any trainer at the shore.
The winning owners are the MyRacehorse group and Peter Leidel.