Sunday, August 31, 2008

VACARE WINS PALOMAR ‘CAP

Jon and Sarah Kelly's talented Vacare, one of the top female runners on grass in America the past couple of seasons, asserted her class in the final sixteenth to win the featured $200,000 Palomar Handicap Saturday.

With jockey Corey Nakatani in the saddle, Vacare, the 8-5 favorite in a field of ten older fillies and mares, rallied in company with Gotta Have Her on the far outside turning into the stretch and edged away nearing the wire to win by a half-length.


Gotta Have Her, with Richard Migliore up, deadheated with Kris' Sis and jockey Rafael Bejarano for runner-up honors, with Ainamaa another 1 1/4 lengths back in fourth in the field of ten older fillies and mares.

Vacare, a five-year-old daughter of Lear Fan trained by East Coast-based trainer Christophe Clement, raced the mile and one-sixteenth over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:40.64 and returned $5.20, $3 and $2.80. The Palomar Handicap marked her seventh win in eleven career starts and her fifth success in an added money event. Her earnings, with $120,000 Saturday, now total $990,456.

Kris' Sis paid $2.60 and $3.40, while Gotta Have Her returned $3.40 and $4.40 to place and show after the deadheat for second.

Vacare provided Nakatani with his 94th career stakes victory at Del Mar, tying him with Bill Shoemaker and Eddie Delahoussaye for third on the all-time list. Laffit Pincay, Jr. is second with 96 Del Mar stakes triumphs, with Chris McCarron leading at 134.

There were four winning tickets in the Pick Six Saturday and each was worth $183,633.

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