Fun to Dream digs in to win Betty Grable at Del Mar

1-5 favorite Fun to Dream found herself in a serious horse race inside the eighth pole Sunday at Del Mar in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes as rival Taming the Tiger growled and dug deep. But Fun to Dream was up to the task and dug in even deeper to edge past her foe late and score by a head.

The two leaders brushed in the stretch but the stewards saw no reason to put up the inquiry sign.

Fun to Dream, owned and bred by Natalie Baffert and Connie Pageler, earned a first prize of $57,000 for her hard work in the California-bred race for fillies and mares aged 3 and up to push her bankroll to $246,590 with her fourth victory in her fifth start.

She was ridden by Del Mar’s leading rider, Juan Hernandez, who was completing a sweep of the track’s trio of stakes over its three-day opening weekend. She is trainer by Bob Baffert, who was winning his record 153rd Del Mar stakes.

"She didn’t want to get beat," said jockey Juan Hernandez after the race. "There was some bumping in the stretch and after my filly got bumped, she got tougher. She tried harder. At the quarter pole she switched leads and we got to running. Then they came together some and my filly showed some fight. I like it. The other filly (Taming the Tigress) ran hard, but my filly did, too."

The game Taming the Tiger is owned by Mia Familia Racing Stable and trained by Librado Barocio. Finishing third, almost six lengths behind Taming the Tiger, was Harris Farms’ All Dialed In.

Fun to Dream is a daughter of the late champion Arrogate, who was also trained by Bob Baffert. This past summer she won the seven-furlong, Cal-bred Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar by almost 10 lengths. She covered today’s seven furlongs in 1:22.14.

Fun to Dream paid $2.40, $2.10 and $2.10 across the board. Taming the Tigress returned $4.00 and $2.60, while All Dialed In paid $3.20 to show.