Winning Prize Impressive in U.S. Debut

Winning Prize, a winner of five of eight starts including three Group I victories in his native Argentina, appeared to be everything he was touted to be and more Thursday as he made an impressive American debut with a wire-to-wire triumph in the featured $85,000 Del Mar Rotary Club Purse.

Taking command shortly after the start under jockey Rafael Bejarano, Winning Prize set a fast pace and kept going in the stretch to win by four lengths in 1:32.96 for the mile over Del Mar’s infield grass course. The course standard is 1:32.10 set by star turf miler Obviously last summer.

Winning Prize, a four-year-old son of Pure Prize owned by David Heerensperger and Jose Nelson and trained by Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, went postward the second choice at 3-1 to even-money favored Chips All In, who finished second, a length in front of longshot Rauschenberg. Venomous was fourth in the field of seven horses.

Winning Prize returned $8, $4 and $3, Chips All In returned $2.80 and $2.20 and Rauschenberg paid $7.60 to show.

Thursday’s attendance was 10,152.