DEL MAR, CA – Hronis Racing’s Yuvetsi gave a tremendous effort on Sunday to take her first graded score in the Grade 3, $100,000 Rancho Bernardo Handicap at Del Mar.
Breaking well from the inner-most post under Tyler Baze, Yuvetsi tracked along the inside of the 4/5 favorite Anonymity through an opening 1/4-mile in :22.08 before taking command herself in :44.93 for the opening the 1/2. Beginning to put distance between herself and her favored foe midway through the far turn, Yuvetsi cleared away at the top of the stretch. The John Sadler trainee drew off to win by 2 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:17.22 for the 6 1/2-furlong sprint.
“John said, ‘Just ride it as it comes up,’” Baze said. “And she came out of there so fast, I was right up front. Nobody seemed to really want to go to the front, so I just kept on going. I knew she wasn’t going to get tired; … I knew she was plenty fit. Then she just went on with it and ground them all down.”
Anonymity, though no match for the winner, was clearly much the best of the rest, taking second by 4 lengths over defending champion Skye Diamonds, who herself was 10 lengths past Deer Valley to complete the order of finish. Moonshine Memories and Turkish Tabby were scratched.
Yuvetsi’s win was her first in a graded event and her second stakes score following the Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita in June. The4-year-old daughter of Bodemeister improved her overall record to 13-4-3-2 with earnings of $239,930.
“She’s coming off a longer race and I knew she would battle all the way,” said Sadler, who won the race for the fifth time. “She’s a trier. I didn’t realize how many times I’d won this race and it kind of perked me up when I heard (simulcast host) John Lies talking about it in the paddock. It’s always been a good race for us, and now this filly has won a small stakes at Santa Anita and a graded stakes here, so we’re happy.”
Yuvetsi returned $20.40 to win and $4.40 to place, while Anonymity paid $2.10 to place. There was no show betting.
