2023 Del Mar Futurity Replay & Analysis | Prince Of Monaco Defeats Mirahmadi In Baffert Exacta

Prince of Monaco won the 2023 Del Mar Futurity (G1) over fellow Bob Baffert trainee Mirahmadi, giving Baffert his record 17th victory in the race.

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Watch the official race replay here:

The press release:

The undefeated colt Prince of Monaco walked his beat smartly in the Grade I Runhappy Del Mar Futurity as the 84th Del Mar summer season came to a positive close Sunday at the shore.

With Flavien Prat at the controls and the odds board saying the son of champion Speightstown was no more than .05-cents to the dollar, Prince of Monaco always looked like a winner in the $300,500 seven-furlong headliner and in the end his three-quarter length triumph proved plenty enough to his backers.

The victory gave Del Mar’s leading trainer Bob Baffert his 17th score in the championship race and his 165 victory overall at Del Mar.

The racy dark bay or brown youngster, who fetched $950,000 at a yearling sale, is owned by a multiple partnership headed by SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. His victory was worth $180,000, pushing his bankroll to $327,000. In his prior start he captured the Grade III Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar on August 13.

Finishing second in the stakes was the same ownership group’s Mirahmadi. He wound up three and three-quarter lengths better than Don’t Tell My Wife Stables’ Next Level.

Prince of Monaco ran the seven furlongs in 1:22.65 and paid $2.10 for $2.

Quotes:

FLAVIEN PRAT (Prince of Monaco, winner) – “He broke well and I thought I was going to go to the lead. But other horses went for it, so we waited. On the turn, he made his move and we made the lead. His teammate (stablemate Mirahmadi) was trying hard. But I think my horse was just waiting for something to come up to him. That didn’t happen. Can he run on? We won’t know until it happens, but he’s done everything right so far.”

JIMMY BARNES (Assistant to Bob Baffert) (Prince of Monaco, winner) – “It was the right kind of trip we were looking for. We weren’t sure about Mirahmadi, where he was going to be placed in the race, but he left there running. (Flavien) Prat just got comfortable on the inside and when he needed to get to the outside he did and he accelerated. He’s pretty push button, pretty straight forward. I’m very proud of both of them.”