Cordiality Wires Osunitas

DEL MAR, CA – Donnie Crevier’s Cordiality added a fourth stakes score to her resume with a scintillating gate-to wire victory in Sunday’s $65,000 Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar.

Exiting post 6 under Umberto Rispoli at 8/1 odds, Cordiality went straight to the front and set a measured pace while running unpressured for much of the early going.

Don’t Blame Judy made a bid in the far turn, but Cordiality repelled her foe and recreated her advantage at the top of the stretch.

The 6/5 favorite Super Patriot made a valiant effort to rally from last, but she ran out of time and could only muster second.

The Tim Yakteen-trained Cordiality crossed 1 length clear in a final time of 1:33.61 for the firm mile-long turf route.

“I had simple instructions – take her out early and slow it down as much as you can until the 3/8 pole, then go for it,” said Rispoli, who sits atop the jockey standings after the summer meet’s three-day opening weekend. “I was lucky that nobody annoyed me up front; we were doing it on our own. The course is fast and it played well for her. When it came time, she went. I’m a lucky guy right now. This track suits my abilities, and most of all, I’m getting to ride good horses trained by good horsemen. That’s what it’s all about.”

Don’t Blame Judy weakened in the late stages to finish 3/4 of a length behind Super Patriot. Sedamar was a 1/2-length further back in fourth.

Meal Ticket, Desert Oasis, and Ziarah completed the order of finish.

The Osunitas is open to fillies and mares ages 3 and up who, since September 1, are non-winners of a stakes (other than state-bred) worth $50,000 to the winner that is a distance of 1 mile or longer.

Cordiality’s win was her first of the year and improved her overall record to 31-11-7-3 with $557,635 earned. The California-bred 7-year-old Papa Clem mare won the 2019 Fran’s Valentine Stakes at Santa Anita Park (her second straight in that event), then was off until the 2020 edition last month, where she finished fifth.

“Cordiality was much fitter today, and she loves Del Mar,” Yakteen said. “She’s always been a super-honest horse and I loved her even before we claimed her (for $62,500 in February 2019). Her start date this year was delayed almost 60 days by the COVID situation when racing was shut down. I intended to get a prep race before the Fran’s Valentine but had to go straight into that instead.”

Cordiality returned $18.40 to win, $6.60 to place, and $4.40 to show. Super Patriot brought back $3.20 to place and $2.40 to show, while Don’t Blame Judy paid $3.60 to show.