Del Mar 2024: Iscreamuscream rolls in Del Mar Oaks

Del Mar, Calif.

The unbeaten 3-year-old filly Iscreamuscream showed the savvy of an old-timer on Saturday, capturing a tactically interesting running of the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks over the turf course where the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf will be contested in November.

Trained by Phil D’Amato and given a heady ride by jockey Hector Berrios, the daughter of Twirling Candy broke alertly from the rail in the 1 1/8-mile race and immediately went to the front, shadowed by 6-5 favorite Whiskey Decision.

Iscreamuscream held her position through fractions of 24.20 and 48.10 seconds around the clubhouse turn before jockey Umberto Rispoli, apparently feeling the pace was too slow, made an early move on Whiskey Decision on the upper backstretch and assumed control.

Rather than asking his filly to fight back, Berrios let Whiskey Decision bolt on by and open a 1 1/2-length lead while getting Iscreamuscream to relax nicely behind the new frontrunner as the pace quickened to a six-furlong time of 1:11.56.

“When I felt Rispoli behind me I thought, ‘OK, let him go to the lead while I pick up second,” Berrios said afterward. “She went very comfortably in second and when I asked her to move, she responded.”

That move came exiting the far turn and Iscreamuscream soon put Whiskey Decision away and gunned for the wire.

Medoro and Zona Verde gave chase, but there was no catching Iscreamuscream, who kept finding more through the stretch before stopping the clock in 1:48.06. She finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of runner-up Medoro, who finished 1 1/4 length ahead of Zona Verde, also trained by D’Amato.

Whiskey Decision, trained by Arnaud Delacour, faded in the stretch to finish sixth.

D’Amato, who collected his second Oaks victory following Going Global’s triumph in 2021, praised Berrios’ patience.

“Hector didn’t push the button early,” D'Amato said. “He stayed patient and circled around that other filly and re-engaged. I thought at the quarter pole, when he got head and head with the favorite he still looked like he had a lot of horse left. I was just hoping she’d draw off and she did.

"It’s a testament to Hector. He gets along with this filly very well and keeps her energy level up at all times and she’s able to finish the way she does. That’ll win you a lot of races.”

In winning for the fourth time in four starts, Iscreamuscream pushed her earnings to $369,600 for owners Agave Racing Stable, Little Red Feather Racing, John Hundley Jr, Marsha Naify and John and Stacey Snider.

Though sophomore Iscreamuscream is Breeders’ Cup nominated,  D’Amato was not yet ready to commit to a tilt in the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf on Nov. 2 also at Del Mar.