Velocity Gets Perfect Trip To Upset Del Mar Oaks Under Ricardo Gonzalez originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Benefitting from a ground-saving ride by jockey Ricardo Gonzalez, the filly Velocity stormed through the stretch at Del Mar Saturday to take down honors in the 69th edition of the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on a sun-splashed afternoon by the shore north of San Diego, Calif.
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The lightly raced daughter of Nyquist paid a whopping $72 for $2 after running the mile and one eighth on the turf in 1:48.45 and proving a half length best at the wire.
“To be honest I thought she was going to be better on the dirt. But I had a wonderful trip,” said Gonzalez. “I was following Antonio (Fresu on Edge of Mali) all the way around. Just waiting for a little seam, and once I saw it, she went right through it. This is such a fun race to win, especially here in Del Mar.”
Trainer Michael McCarthy saddled the bay for the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners overseen by local owner Aron Wellman. Those are the same folks behind the sparkling 3-year-old colt Journalism.
“That’s as good of a ride as you’ll ever see,” said McCarthy. “I thought she got the perfect trip there. A seam opened up on the fence. It was good. She’s had a wonderful couple of weeks down here. She was on her toes in a great way walking around the paddock, coming out through the tunnel. I liked everything I saw today.”
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Velocity, who was making only her fifth lifetime start and scoring her third win and first stakes victory, picked up a check for $180,000 from the $303,000 Oaks purse pushing her earnings to $274,800.
Finishing second with a big late run was Medallion Racing, Weston or Shanahan and partner’s Lush Lips, who had three-quarters of a length on Thought Process, the 11-10 betting favorite who is owned by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones, Little Feather Racing or Madaket Stables’
Gonzalez, who was winning the second Grade 1 race of his career, hugged the rail throughout the nine furlongs and saw a split between horses ahead as they turned for home. He asked his mount for speed there and she responded, then he quickly steered her back inside again to the rail and gave chase to the leaders for the last eighth of a mile. She made the front inside the sixteenth pole, then had just enough in the tank to hold off the fast-closing Lush Lips and favored Thought Process.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for rider Gonzalez and his first in the Del Mar Oaks. He now has three stakes wins at Del Mar.
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The stakes win was the second of the meet for trainer McCarthy and his first in the Del Mar Oaks. He now has 16 stakes wins at Del Mar.
Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred PartnersBenoit photo
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.