Del Mar 2024: Sweet Azteca (1-9) cruises in Rancho Bernardo
Odds-on favorite Sweet Azteca left no doubt about the outcome Sunday, racing to an early lead and handily winning the Grade 3, $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap against five outclassed fillies and mares at Del Mar.
A Pamela Ziebarth homebred who is trained by Michael McCarthy, the 4-year-old Sharp Azteca filly coming off a 50-day break needed only a few strides out of the gate to assume a lead that never was threatened in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint on the fast main track.
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With Flavien Prat along for the ride, Sweet Azteca (1-9) carved fractions of 22.08, 45.06 and 1:09.32 en route to a seven-length victory and a winning time of 1:15.60.
“She was just cruising,” Prat said. “No special instructions for me. Just ride her.”
Finishing a nose apart, second-place Chismosa (6-1) and third-place Anywho (10-1) bumped one another in the homestretch. That led to a stewards’ inquiry that resulted in no change. Irish Wahine (35-1) came in fourth. Tom’s Regret (16-1) and Vitalera (34-1) completed the finish in that order. Ascendancy was scratched.
Sweet Azteca paid $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10; Chismosa $3.20 and $2.10; and Anywho $2.10. The winner carried 126 pounds, 5-10 more than anyone else in the field.
It was the fourth consecutive win for Sweet Azteca, who won the Beholder Mile (G1) by three-quarters of a length over Adare Manor on March 9 at Santa Anita. She came back from a four-month break to win by five lengths in the Great Lady M (G2) on July 6 at Los Alamitos.
“I wasn’t sure if someone was going to go ahead and try to get in front of her,” McCarthy said. “She was awfully aggressive today. She bounced out of there, and Flavien was wonderful just getting her to settle up the backside.”
McCarthy had a chance to ship his stellar filly east to take on better rivals for more money, but chose to stay home and run at Del Mar, anticipating the coming of the Breeders’ Cup to the Southern California track and her likely entrance in the Filly & Mare Sprint on Nov. 2.
Sunday’s race was part of a Breeders’ Cup program that uses bonuses to lower fees for top-three finishers. Likely more important, it got her the highly desired race over the track, a factor that could play well come Breeders’ Cup time.