By DRF.com DEL MAR, Calif. – The officiating crew at Del Mar has been kind to trainer Luis Mendez in the Graduation Stakes, a sprint for Golden State Series-eligible 2-year-olds. Exactly one year after Mendez won the first stakes of his career with Graduation runner-up Big Returns, placed first via disqualification, Mendez won the stakes race again Sunday with Positivity, and once again track stewards were instrumental in the victory. Bred by Allen Farm, Positivity ($13.20) rallied from third to collar pacesetter Good With People in deep stretch, but the $100,500 Graduation did not become official for at least five minutes while stewards deliberated whether or not to disqualify Positivity for interference on the backstretch. Positivity and jockey Drayden Van Dyke drifted inward after the start, intimidating even-money favorite Touchdown Brown, who got shuffled to last and did not pick up his feet thereafter. He finished last of seven, after which jockey Evin Roman lodged a claim of foul against the winner. Stewards already were reviewing the backstretch run. In... ...
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