Rider from South Florida finding a home at seaside oval with second stakes victory
Hector Berrios pushed Blue Stripe past fading defending champion and favorite Shedaresthedevil down the stretch Saturday to win the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar. With the victory in the $400,000, 11/16-mile test for older fillies and mares comes a guaranteed berth in November’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff for the Argentine-bred Blue Streak.
“The race went exactly as we planned it,” an excited Berrios said after Blue Stripe scored her second win since coming to the United States in 2021. “We wanted to sit behind the speed horses, then go get them late. “When we went past the half-mile pole, we picked it up. She was running all the way and running well. And I think she wants to run farther.”Juan Hernandez had Private Mission ahead by 1½ lengths over 4-5 favorite Shedaresthedevil after a half mile before fading on the far turn. Shedaresthedevil then led before Berrios turned Blue Stripe loose. Blue Stripe won by 1¾ lengths over 3-year-old Desert Dawn . Shedaresthedevil faded to third with Private Mission finishing last in a field shrunk to five horses with the late scratches of Lisette and Samurai Charm. “We talked about where we wanted Blue Stripe to be because they scratched two horses and we had to change a little it,” said trainer Marcelo Polanco. “we had her a little closer than we had planned. Luckily, everything worked. You know where we’re going … Keeneland.”The 35-year-old Berrios, who scored his second stakes win of the meeting Saturday. Earlier in the season, Berrios won the Wickerr Stakes aboard Irideo. Berrios came to the United States in 2011 from his native Chile and spent his first summer in the country at Del Mar. But he’s spent most of his North American career riding in Florida, before returning to Del Mar this summer. He has five wins in 16 starts, including two Saturday .In Saturday’s second feature, favorite Carmelita’s Man rallied from fifth in the stretch under Juan Hernandez to win the $150,000 California Dreamin Stakes — a 11/16-mile turf test for older, California-bred horses. Carmelita’s Man was eighth in the field of 11 at the half-mile pole and was still fifth at the stretch before catching 11-1 long shot Bang for Your Buck in the final strides. “I know this horse,” said Hernandez. “I trust him a lot. I knew I had the horse and I was just waiting for some room to come through. They opened, we went through and won. He’s a real professional horse. He’s the kind of horse you can do whatever you want with him.”“Until they put the numbers up, I was hoping for the best,” said Dean Pederson, the trainer of Carmelita’s Man.The win was the second stakes win of Pederson’s career at Del Mar. The Hirsch was the second of the meeting for Polanco.There are only six horses entered in today’s feature, but the Grade III La Jolla Handicap could be an interesting race between two notable 3-year-old horses and Hall of Fame trainers. Morning-line favorite Sumter comes into the 11/16-mile turf race with three straight wins for trainer Richard Mandella. Armagnac, meanwhile, will be debuting on the turf in his first outing since finishing seventh in the Preakness. Florent Geroux will be aboard the Bob Baffert-trained son of Quality Road. Sumter’s only two starts this year produced wins in a pair of $100,000 stakes races at Santa Anita. Mike Smith will be aboard the son of War Front.
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