The daughter of Unusual Heat outgamed a tenacious rival, 13-1 longshot Young Joe, to score by a half-length, with 8-5 favored Dancing in Silks third and Waafi fourth.
Lethal Heat, owned by the partnership of trainer Barry Abrams, Madeline Auerbach and Ron McCauley, earned $65,340 with her sixth win in eight starts and now has total earnings of $384,528. As second choice in the wagering, she returned $6.20, $3.80 and $2.60.
Runner-up Young Joe paid $9.20 and 44.60, while Dancing in Silks returned $2.40 to show.
After the race, trainer Abrams said the next start for Lethal Heat will be the $350,000 Del Mar Oaks at nine furlongs on the grass Saturday, August 16.
Gomez, 2007 Eclipse Award winner as America's champion rider, booted in three winners Friday. In addition to his success aboard Lethal Heat, Gomez also won the second race on Dilemma and the ninth astride Let'spickupthepace.
Real Good Deal Stakes
GARRETT GOMEZ (Lethal Heat) – "She warmed up fine and she broke good for me. I dropped her over and covered her up. She's a tactical filly; she'll go where you want her to. I was following horses until we made the lane, then I split a pair and thought she was going to go right on by. But I had to work a little harder than I thought. When I squeezed it, she gave it to me. She was a runner."
JOSEPH TALAMO (Young Joe) – "I had a perfect trip. He kicked it in. We just got outrun late. That's racing."
JOEL ROSARIO (Dancing in Silks) – "He ran very good. That filly – she's a little too tough."
BARRY ABRAMS (Lethal Heat) -- "Now we'll get her ready for the Oaks [Del Mar Oaks, Saturday, August 16]. She needed the work and we just figured we could go 1:22 and make $60,000 instead of working 7 furlongs and get nothing. In the paddock, she's really not a bad girl, she's just eager; she wants to run. I asked Garrett not to push her too hard, just let her do it on her own. He had to push her a little hard at the end to get to win. But if she comes out of the race tired, we'll just wait for the Rancho Bernardo [Sunday, August 24]. We'll see how she is in the morning."
FRACTIONS: :22.76 :45.41 1:09.47 1:21.95
The final time is a (Polytrack) track record. It eclipses the record of 1:22.46 Lethal Heat established in winning the Fleet Treat Stakes (also for California-breds) at seven eighths on 7-20-08. She is the first filly to win the Real Good Deal (this is its 21st running) and the first horse to sweep the two Cal-bred sprint stakes at the meet.
The stakes win is the fourth of the meet for Garrett Gomez (to this point no rider has more) and his 21st overall. This is his first victory in the Real Good Deal.
The stakes win is the second of the meet for Barry Abrams -- both with Lethal Heat. He has now won 10 stakes at Del Mar with this being his first tally in the Real Good Deal.
Lethal Heat is owned by Barry Abrams, Madeline Auerbach and Ron McCauley. She was bred by Madeline Auerbach, Tom Roberts and Barry Abrams' brother, David.