Del Mar Report #7: The Awards

Horse of the Meet: Game On Dude – He was without question the star of the show at Del Mar.  His Pacific Classic win was devastating as he left little doubt who that he is the best older male in the country.

Older Male of the Meet: Game On Dude – He won the horse of the meet, so obviously he’ll win this award as well.  What a treasure he is to horse racing; we hope he never retires! 

Older Female of the Meet: Lady of Fifty – She hadn’t accomplished much before heading to Del Mar, but Lady of Fifty became a Grade 1 winner when she won the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes.  Although she’s not the flashiest of award winners, she did win the tracks biggest race for older females

3 Year Old Male of the Meet: Gabriel Charles – A second place effort in the Oceanside Stakes, and a win in the Del Mar Derby make him the logical choice for this award.  Del Mar is all about turf when it comes to the three-year olds, and Gabriel Charles loved it in his only two starts.

3 Year Old Female of the Meet: Beholder – Ok so maybe she didn’t win the most prestigious of races, but can anyone really question that she would have?  Beholder came back in style when winning the Torrey Pines Stakes, and showed the world that she is back and ready to dominate in a big way.

2 Year Old Male of the Meet: Tamarando – From the maiden special weight ranks to winning a Grade 1, it’s safe to say it was a great meet for Tamarando.  After finishing second in his Del Mar debut, Tamarando came back to break his maiden on August 18th, and returned on short rest to take the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity next time out.  An incredible feat considering the California bred was running against open company for the first time.

2 Year Old Female of the Meet: She’s A Tiger – A second in the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes and a win in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante easily gives her this award.  She’s A Tiger is probably the best two-year old filly in training in the state of California right now.

Sprinter of the Meet: Reneesgotzip – She launched her 2013 campaign in a tough allowance field to start the meet, and then came back to win the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap exactly four weeks later.  This is the number one contender to win the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare Sprint as we head into the Fall.

Owner of the Meet: Hronis Racing LLC – There was not a stand out owner this year at Del Mar, but Hronis Racing LLC tied for the most victories and had the most in earnings.

Trainer of the Meet: John Sadler – In a mild upset, Sadler was able to beat both Bob Baffert and Doug O’Neill and win the trainers title.  He’s always been steady in California, but this meet was extra special for him.

Jockey of the Meet: Rafael Bejarano – Another dominating title for Bejarano, who is undoubtedly the king of California jockeys.  He beat his closest competition by double digits.

Race of the Meet: The Pacific Classic – The race drew a great international field, and had plenty of hype, but it was Game On Dude who stole the show.  His flashy win in the Pacific Classic will go down as one of the best looking wins in the race’s history.