Stay Hot rebounded from a 10th-place effort in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with a late-flying victory in the GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. at Del Mar Sunday. The bay ridgling taken in hand and angled over from his outside post to be three wide into the first turn and was near the back of the field through an opening quarter in :22.00. The field bunched up approaching the far turn as the half went up in :46.30 and Stay Hot was last on the bend before darting into contention and coming some eight wide into the stretch. He uncorked a powerful late kick to just get in front in the final strides.
“I thought he'd be a little more forwardly placed,” admitted winning trainer Peter Eurton. “As it turned out that nine hole was a little bit of a detriment, but it also helped him get outside, which is probably more comfortable.”
Of his charge's wide rally into the stretch, Eurton said, “That was hard to take, but he seemed like he had something left and it was a fight to the wire. I'm exhausted.”
Stay Hot opened his career with two six-furlong efforts over the main track at Del Mar, finishing third Aug. 5 and sixth Sept. 2. He moved to the lawn for a stylish maiden win over one mile at Santa Anita Oct. 7 and was thrown into the deep end when beaten 5 1/2 lengths a month ago on Breeders' Cup weekend in Arcadia.
Pedigree Notes:
Stay Hot is the fifth graded winner for Airdrie stallion Summer Front (War Front). His half-sister Prerequisite (Upstart) won this year's GII Wonder Again S. and was second in the GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational. Etsu has a yearling colt by Complexity who sold to Greg Foley for $95,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton October sale. The mare produced a colt by Upstart this year and was not bred back. The winner's third dam, Fly North, produced champion Farda Amiga (Broad Brush).
From the back of the pack. 🏇💨
Stay Hot charges down the turf course to claim the Grade III Cecil B DeMille Stakes under @Antonio1Fresu. pic.twitter.com/jAyQOZY7Zo
— Del Mar Racetrack (@DelMarRacing) December 3, 2023
Sunday, Del Mar
CECIL B. DEMILLE S.-GIII, $102,000, Del Mar, 12-3, 2yo, 1mT, 1:35.89, fm.
1–STAY HOT, 120, r, 2, by Summer Front
1st Dam: Etsu, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Forever Beautiful, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Fly North, by Pleasant Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Ylg '22 FTKJUL). O-Burns Racing LLC, Exline-Border Racing LLC,
SAF Racing, The Estate of Brereton C. Jones and William Dan
Hudock; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Peter Eurton; J-Antonio
Fresu. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-0-1, $116,940. *1/2 to
Prerequisite (Upstart), GSW & GISP, $271,000. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Rothschild, 120, c, 2, Uncle Mo–Still There, by Union Rags.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($700,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables
LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital
LLC, Catherine Donovan and Tom Ryan; B-PTK, LLC (KY); T-Tim
Yakteen. $20,000.
3–Miracle Mark, 120, c, 2, Constitution–Melody's Spirit, by Scat
Daddy. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Old
Bones Racing Stable, LLC and Slam Dunk Racing; B-Nick Cosato
(KY); T-Philip D'Amato. $12,000.
Margins: NK, HD, 1HF. Odds: 2.30, 23.30, 6.40.
Also Ran: Lord Bullingdon, Charge for Gold, Deadpan, Always On Cay, Invincible, Just a Guess.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
