DEL MAR – As expected, Nevada Beach won the Native Diver Stakes on Saturday.
What wasn’t expected, however, was the battle the 3-year-old son of Omaha Beach found himself in with 16-1 long shot British Isles as the pair ran side-by-side down the stretch of the 1 1/8-mile Grade III test for older horses.
Jockey Diego Herrera had British Isles ahead by a half-length at the head of the stretch and gave ground grudgingly as Nevada Beach hit the wire a half-length in front in his first outing since running a distant seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Classic over the same dirt surface four weeks ago.
It was the fourth win in six career starts for Nevada Beach, who went off as the 1-9 favorite and paid $2.20 to win in the four-horse field. Nevada Beach was reunited with jockey Juan Hernandez Saturday after Mike Smith rode him to victory in the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27 then in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
And although Hernandez wasn’t aboard Nevada Beach for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he said it was almost like seeing two different horses.
“He went easy today,” Hernandez said of Nevada Beach. “But his last race, it’s almost like two different horses.
“He did break a step slow. I had to help him get into rhythm. Around the three-eighths pole, I had to start working on him because he was getting a little lazy on me.
“But (trainer) Bob Baffert knows this horse has talent. He’s a big horse. He’s a train. He got the job done. He may want to run a little more distance. He galloped out of the race very well.”
“I had no idea how this race was going to set up,” said Baffert’s assistant Jimmy Barnes. “He won. We got it done. I didn’t have many anxious moments.”
Del Mar’s revamped penultimate weekend continues Sunday with the $100,000 Grade III Red Carpet Stakes, the feature on the nine-race card that starts at 12:30 p.m.
Defending champion Mrs. Astor is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Red Carpet, 1 3/8-mile turf marathon for older fillies and mares. The race has drawn 10 entries.
Umberto Rispoli will be aboard Mrs. Astor, a 5-year-old daughter of Lookin At Lucky, for a fifth straight race this year. The pair have teamed for two wins, a second and a third (on Aug. 15 at Del Mar).
Due to Friday’s second rainout of the fall meeting, Del Mar will host a special program Monday. The opener of a nine-race card is scheduled to go off at 12:30 p.m.