DEL MAR — Adare Manor is a machine.
Stuck in traffic for most of the race, the 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo blew past Scylla in the stretch Saturday to win the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for a second straight year.
The victory in the 11/16-mile race for older fillies and mares on the main track guaranteed Adare Manor a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar in November. Adare Manor finished seventh in the $2 million Distaff last year at Santa Anita.
Saturday’s win was the third straight stakes win for Adare Manor and seventh in nine Grade I or II stakes races since April 2023.
But it was far from a romp.
The Bob Baffert-trained Adare Manor was fourth at the three-quarter pole and pinned behind 50-1 long shot Olivia Twist. She was still second in the stretch and trailing Scylla by 11/2 lengths when she rallied under Juan Hernandez to win by 23/4 lengths in 1:43.29.
“Today was a little panic, but she was never panicked,” said Hernandez of Adare Manor, who went off as the 3-5 favorite in the field of eight. Scylla (Mike Smith) finished second by two lengths over Flying Connection (Joseph Talamo).
“We made our way through that little bit of trouble and she was off and running,” continued Hernandez. “This wasn’t a perfect trip for her, but it was fine. She wasn’t bothered. She ran with a lot of confidence. She’s one of the best fillies I’ve ever ridden.”
’Whim is Dreamin’
Jockey Abel Cedillo rallied On the Whim ($22) past pacesetter Proof He Rides half-way down the stretch to win the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes a 11/16-mile test for older Cal-bred horses on the turf.
Kyle Frey had Proof He Rides ahead out of the gate and leading by open ground for most of the race before giving away to finish second in the 11-horse field.
“He didn’t break well,” Cedillo said of On the Whim. “But we got a good spot and I got him to relax. I just left him alone and he had it when it came time.”
“He was tracking a horse (Proof He Rides) coming out of sprint races so you weren’t going to try to go head-to-head with him,” said trainer Dean Pederson. “The only chance was to run him down in the last eighth if you have enough horse and it worked to our advantage.
None Above the Law finished third in four-way photo with favorite Old Pal finishing sixth.
Fatal breakdown
Del Mar suffered its first racing fatality of the 2024 summer meeting and the first on the turf course since 2021 when 3-year-old gelding Handsome Red broke down on the backstretch of the one-mile third race and was euthanized on the track.
Trained by Craig Lewis, Handsome Red was eased by jockey Kazushi Kimura after suffering a right leg injury. The horse was making its fourth start and had won one race.
The third race was chaotic. Favorite Known Idea broke through the gate before the start and ran halfway up the front straight in front of the grandstands before being brought under control. Known Idea was then scratched.
Del Mar suffered two fatalities last month during training.
Boss is one to beat
Del Mar concludes its third weekend Sunday with a pair of ungraded $100,000 stakes — the La Jolla Handicap 11/16 miles on the turf for 3-year-olds and the California Thoroughbred Association Stakes (a 51/2-furlong sprint on the dirt for 2-year-old Cal-bred fillies).
The most notable entry in the La Jolla is Final Boss. The John Sadler-trained son of American Pharoah is coming off back-to-back, wire-to-wire 11/8-mile turf wins at Santa Anita. Hernandez will be up. Two other contenders in the five-horse field — King of Gosford (Umberto Rispoli) and Stay Hot (Antonio Fresu) — are both coming off bad losses that snapped three-race winningstreaks.
Eight fillies eligible for the Cal-bred Golden State series will run in the CTBA Stakes. Two daughters of Stay Thirsty — Thirsty in Vegas (Antonio Fresu) and Thirsty Mama (Frey) — are the morning-line favorites.
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