Cambodia scores narrow victory in Yellow Ribbon
Winter Quarter Farm’s Cambodia, an invader from the East Coast, rallied in the stretch under jockey Drayden Van Dyke to score a narrow victory in the Grade II $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for older fillies and mares Saturday.
A strong second choice at 2-1 in the mile and one-sixteenth affair over the infield grass course, Cambodia tallied by three-quarters of a length over the fast-closing Pretty Girl, with longshot Amboseli another head back in third place. Fourth was Hillhouse High in the field of seven distaff runners.
Avenge, the 9-10 favorite who won the John C. Mabee Stakes last summer, was a disappointing sixth, her first defeat in three starts over the Del Mar grass.
Cambodia, a daughter of War Front who won the Gallorette at Pimlico last spring and more recently was third in in a stakes event at Parx racecourse in Pennsylvania, was timed in a fast 1:40.86 as she scored her fifth triumph in a dozen races. Tom Proctor trains the five-year-old mare who earned a prize of $120,000 to increase her career bankroll to $373,746.
Cambodia returned $6.60, $4.20 and $3.40. Pretty Girl paid $7 and $4.40, while Amboseli returned $5 to show. For Van Dyke, it was his second straight win in the Yellow Ribbon, having won the race last summer aboard She’s Not Here.
DRAYDEN VAN DYKE (Cambodia, winner) – “The key for her is to get her to relax. Today she did it beautifully. So different than when I worked her; she’s all keyed up. But she was just fine today. Could she run on? If she relaxes, I think she can do anything. A very good race for her today.”
MIKE SMITH (Pretty Girl, second) – “I rode her like I wanted to win. I took all the chances I could. But she didn’t win. Maybe I should have done something different. But she ran well.”
VICTOR ESPINOZA (Amboseli, third) – “She really came running. We were last and she came on very well. It’s a while since she ran, so this will probably help her. And the farther the better for her.”
FLAVIEN PRAT (Avenge, sixth) – “She was right there, then she just flattened out.”
DON ROBINSON (owner of Cambodia, winner) – “I’ve had this filly’s entire family, it’s the ultimate breeder’s reward. I’ve never had a horse of my own of this quality. Thank you Tom Proctor; he’s the horseman’s horseman and this is just a thrill. This is the biggest thrill of my life. I came here in 1966 and walked hots for Charlie Whittingham. I came back when Zenyatta won the Clement Hirsch. This is only my third visit and it’s an amazing thrill to come here and win this race.”
FRACTIONS: :23.53 :47.61 1:11.45 1:34.97 1:40.86
This is the first stakes win of the meet for rider Van Dyke, but his second in the Yellow Ribbon (he won last year’s with She’s Not Here). He now has eight stakes wins at Del Mar.
The stakes win was the first of the meet for trainer Proctor and his first in the Yellow Ribbon. He now has 14 stakes wins at Del Mar.
Cambodia is owned by Winter Quarter Farm of Don Robinson.
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club