Private Affair Caps Big Day for Cardenas

Peruvian-bred Private Affair, making her United States debut and piloted by champion Chilean jockey Hector Berrios, rallied through the stretch to win Friday’s featured $90,290 CTT-TOC Handicap for older fillies and mares.

Private Affair, a four-year-old filly who arrived in America five months ago after competing at San Isidro racetrack  in Argentina, closed along the rail under deft handling by Berrios to win authoritatively by 2 ½ lengths as a 9-1 outsider.

Another longshot, 26-1 Suzettes Friend, closed well to be second, 1 ¼ lengths ahead of 5-2 favored Mututally Benefit. First Settler was fourth in the field of eight distaff runners. Fashion Trend was withdrawn from the original line-up.

Private Affair, owned by the Green Grass Stable of Nathaniel (Nick) Green of Manhattan Beach, California, accomplished the marathon distance of a mile and three-eighths over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 2:13.52. Earning a prize of  $54,174 with her third win in nine starts, the daughter of Privately Held returned $20, $9 and $5.

Suzettes Friend paid $24.20 and $8, while third-place Mutually Benefit returned $3.60 to show.

Private Affair is conditioned by Ruben Cardenas, who combined with the 24-year-old Berrios to record an upset in the day’s fourth race with another South American import, the 22-1 Chilean-bred Al Instante, also owned by the Green Grass Stable. Al Insante paid $46.40.

Berrios, who had been riding in Florida, was scoring his first victories at Del Mar.

On an afternoon when upsets were the norm, there were no perfect tickets in the Pick Six. Thus, there will be a carryover of $110,856 for Saturday’s Pick Six which will be conducted on races four through nine. Post time for the first race is 2 p.m.