Miss Sunset, Terra's Angel collect closing day stakes wins at Del Mar

In the first of two supporting features on the closing-day program, well-supported Miss Sunset and jockey Mike Smith won the $99,485 C.E.R.F. Stakes by a length and three-quarters over Bad Ju Ju, with even-money favored Classy Tune a disappointing third in the six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares.

Miss Sunset, a three-year-old daughter of Into Mischief owned by Klein and Lebherz and trained by Jeff Bonde, was timed in 1:09.82 and paid $8.40, $4 and $2.60 in scoring her sixth win in ten starts. Bad Ju Ju returned $4.80 and $2.80, while Classy Tune paid $2.20 to show.

Terra’s Angel, a 19-1 longshot, provided jockey Sasha Risenhoover with her first Del Mar victory as she won the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf by a half-length over One Fast Broad, a stablemate of Bolt d’Oro owned/trained by Ruis and ridden by Nakatani at odds of 45-1. Multiplayer was third, a half-length behind the second horse and a head in front of Klosters in the field of 14 fillies.

Terra’s Angel, a daughter of Drosselmeyer trained by Dallas Keen, accomplished the one-mile over the grass in 1:37.57 and returned $40, $20.80 and $13.20 while earning first money of $60,000. She finished third a month ago in the Sorrento Stakes on the main track. One Fast Broad paid $31.60 and $14.40, while Multiplayer returned $7.40 to show. Terra’s Angel is owned by Texans Johnny Evans and Terry Eoff.

SASHA RISENHOOVER (Terra’s Angel, winner) – “This is so special. Words can’t begin to tell. This is the most special race I’ve ever been involved in in my life. My first win in California; $100,000; I just don’t know what to say. I’ve believed in this filly since day one. Knowing the story behind her (named for a mother of three in Texas who had brain cancer; she got to see this filly break her maiden and then died a few days later), it just put a fire in me. I wanted to win on her so much. She is so special. And so is this.”

COREY NAKATANI (One Fast Broad, second) – “We only wanted to make one run with her. She’s only had the one race (winning a maiden sprint here on August 4), so we didn’t want to do too much with her. But we switched her over to grass today and she did fine.”

TYLER BAZE (Multiplayer, third) – “Good race for her. She ran great.”

DALLAS KEEN (Terra’s Angel, winner) – “Sasha (Risenhoover) told me she wanted to be laying there close and this has been her filly from day one. The filly runs good for her and it’s a good matchup. We were having kind of a rough meet other than the third in the Sorrento (with Terra’s Angel). This is a nice one to wind up with. We had a good meet.”

FRACTIONS: :22.78 :47.60 1:12.21 1:24.61 1:37.57

The stakes win was the first win of any kind at Del Mar for rider Risenhoover.

The stakes win was the first at Del Mar for trainer (Keen). It was also his first victory of the 2017 meeting.

The winning owners are Johnny Evans and Terry Eoff of Texas.