Jeranimo Continues to Astonish Pender
The celebration was controlled following Jeranimo’s victory in Saturday’s Grade I $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes.
“We just sat in the box for an hour or so, talking and soaking it all in,” trainer Mike Pender said Sunday by phone from Hollywood Park. “Then we went our separate ways.”
Pender headed north on the I-5. Jeranimo and Tasty Treat, a 4-year-old filly who won the opening race on Thursday’s card, followed in a horse van early Sunday morning. Jeranimo showed no ill effects from the Read, where a last-to-first burst in the final five furlongs produced a 1 ½-length victory.
It was the first Del Mar stakes victory for Pender, the 10th win in 35 career starts for Jeranimo. The $180,000 winners’ share of the purse boosted earnings for the 7-year-old son of Congaree to more than $1.4 million. Jeranimo is owned by B.J. Wright of Pasadena and Robert LaPenta of Westport, Conn.
“It’s amazing when you think about how long a career this horse has had, the resilience he shows and we’ve come to expect,” Pender said. “If they ranked horses for soundness, I guarantee he’d be No.1 in the country. He’s an absolute throwback to horses of years ago.”
Jeranimo, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, covered the 1 1/8 miles on turf of the Eddie Read in 1:45.80. It was the second-fastest time for the event behind only Aragorn’s course record 1:44.79 in 2006.
Pender said a conference call involving himself and owners Wright and LaPenta in the next few days would determine the next assignment for Jeranimo.
Trainer John Sadler was enthusiastic about the runner-up effort of Vagabond Shoes in the Read, but engaged in some second guessing regarding Barocci.
“We were thrilled with Vagabond Shoes, we thought he ran a great race and we’ll probably bring him back in the Del Mar Handicap ($200,000 Grade II, Saturday, August 24),” Sadler said. “Barocci, I probably ran him back a little too quick . He’ll be rested until the fall meeting at Santa Anita.”
Barocci , who finished fifth, beaten 3 ½ lengths, was running 16 days after an allowance victory at Hollywood Park.