Areyoutalkintome takes Pirate's Bounty; C.E.R.F.'s up for Vikki's Honor

Areyoutalkintome takes Pirate's Bounty; C.E.R.F.'s up for

Vikki's Honor

Ron Manzani and Russell Sarno's AREYOUTALKINTOME (Smokester) gamely wore down

heavy favorite Captain Squire (Flying Chevron) in deep stretch to win

Wednesday's $109,920

Pirate's Bounty H. by a half-length. The first of two

listed stakes on Del Mar's closing day program, the six-furlong event featured a

fast early pace as Grade 1 winner Captain Squire led the way through splits of

:21 3/5, :44 2/5 and :56 3/5. Areyoutalkintome stalked in midpack, always within

striking range of the pacesetter, and launched his rally three wide turning for

home. The five-year-old gelding earned his fourth stakes victory when stopping

the timer in 1:09 3/5 on the fast dirt.

Trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by Victor Espinoza, Areyoutalkintome

returned mutuels of $7.60, $3 and $2.40 as the near 3-1 second choice in the

field of seven. Captain Squire easily held the place, 1 1/2 lengths clear of 4-1

third choice Jet West (Western Fame), who was trailed under the wire by Old Man

River (Event of the Year), Bushwacker (Outflanker), Proud Cardenal (Proud Irish)

and Brooker (Mr. Procrastinator). Pure American (Quiet American) and Strawberry

Lake (Arg) (Salt Lake) were both scratched.

Bred in California by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, Areyoutalkintome is

the first registered foal out of the unraced Andrea Gail (Storm Bird), who is a half-sister

to Grade 2 winner Elaborate (Gilded Time) and also the dam of the unraced

juvenile colt Housepitality (Free House) and a yearling colt by Roar. A $10,000

purchase at the 2002 Barretts October Yearling Sale, Areyoutalkintome won the

2005 El Conejo H. (G3) as well as the California Cup Sprint H. and Real Good

Deal S. the year before. He's placed in 11 black-type events, including a third

in the Pat O'Brien Breeders' Cup H. (G2) in his previous outing. With

Wednesday's payday, the dark bay has earned $792,235 from a 37-9-11-8 line.

In the $110,590

C.E.R.F. H.,

FMJ Patriot Stable, K.M. Stable & Sebold Racing's VIKKI'S HONOR (Bartok [Ire])

rallied from just off the pace to add a first stakes win to her record. The Adam

Kitchingman-trained four-year-old raced in the second flight of runners as

Victory Spy (Victory Gallop), Hello Lucky (Lucky Lionel) and Yodeladytoo (Swiss

Yodeler) lined-up to fight it out through a :21 3/5 quarter and a :44 1/5

half-mile. Rounding the turn for home, jockey Martin Pedroza swung Vikki's Honor

to circle those three, powering past to record the length victory while

finishing six furlongs in 1:09 3/5.

Sent off the 4-1 third choice, Vikki's Honor paid $10.60, $4 and $3.60 after overtaking Yodeladytoo in midstretch. Favored Hello Lucky was another head back

in third while Nossa Cancao (Brz) (Fast Gold) rounded out the top four. Mazella

(Mazel Trick), Four Legged Taxi (Count the Time), Short Route (Mud Route) and

Victory Spy completed the order under the wire after Lucky for Me (Arg) (Lucky

Roberto), True and True (Is It True) and Vino Tinto (Boundary) were all

withdrawn.

Vikki's Honor, bred in California by Larry Konecne, finished third in the B.

Thoughtful S. in April as well as last year's C.T.B.A. Marian S. The dark bay

miss moved her mark to 13-6-0-2 and increased her earnings to $291,440 The first

registered foal out of the winning Bigger Prize (Prized), who has also produced

an unraced juvenile filly named Bigger Reward (Surachai), the four-year-old

winner brought $32,000 as a Barretts June two-year-old.