DEL MAR, Calif. (Aug. 27, 2014) –Fanticola and Scardino’s Long Hot Summer responded to the brisk urging of jockey Joe Talamo to prove best in a three-horse stretch battle in the featured $150,000 Generous Portion Stakes for Golden State Series eligible two-year-old fillies Wednesday at Del Mar.
Rallying on the far outside in the stretch, Long Hot Summer wore down 5/2 My Fiona and 2-1 favored Lost Bus to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:10.94 for the six furlongs on the main track.
My Fiona, winner of the C.T.B.A. Stakes this season over Lost Bus, again prevailed over her rival, this time by a nose for runner-up honors. Easter Fever was a distant fourth in the field of eight fillies. Scratched from the race were Desert Steel and Do The Danse.
Long Hot Summer, a daughter of Street Boss purchased for $260,000 at the Barretts sale last May, is now two-for-two in her brief career, having broken her maiden at first asking August 9 at Del Mar. She is trained by Phil D’Amato, is by Street Boss, out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Hotlantic and was bred by Harris Farms & Donald Valpredo.
“This filly acts like an older horse,” said D’Amato. “She’s got a great mind. You can put her inside or outside of horses, whatever. Joe (Talamo) had to use her, start and stop a couple of times, and it didn’t seem to bother her. Once she got in the clear, she just took off and she wasn’t blowing afterwards. The longer the better with her. It does a little (soothe the pain of Obviously’s loss in Sunday’s Del Mar Mile). I still think he’ll make amends Breeders’ Cup time.”
Sent postward at 5-1, Long Hot Summer returned $12.40, $6 and $3.40 while earning $85,500 to increase her money won to $130,500. My Fiona, who was piloted by Fernando Perez, paid $4.40 and $2.80, while Lost Bus returned $2.20 to show.
Rafael Bejarano, Del Mar’s two-time defending riding champion, booted in three winners to expand his lead in the standings, 29-25 over Kent Desormeaux and Mike Smith. Bejarano’s winners were Silk in Silver in the second, Wedding Blush in the sixth and Maxx the Giant in the seventh.
For Long Hot Summer’s pedigree, click http://www.pedigreequery.com/long+hot+summer4.