Gabriel Charles gets jump on Gervinho in first Del Mar Derby division

Gabriel Charles gets jump on Gervinho in first Del Mar

Derby division

In a tale of two trips, Sam Britt and Michael House's Gabriel Charles swept

to the fore as Gervinho had to wait and alter course, and that was the key to

victory in Sunday's first division of the Grade 2, $251,250

Del Mar Derby.

The pair were coming off big efforts in different divisions of the July 17

Oceanside. Gervinho got up in time in the first division, propelling him into

3-1 morning-line favoritism here. Gabriel Charles was a fast-finishing second to

Rising Legend in the second division, where he just missed by a head in his

belated sophomore debut. Although Gabriel Charles was listed at 7-2 on the

morning line, the Jeff Mullins trainee was bet down to 9-5 favoritism, and the

market got it right.

With Hall of Famer Mike Smith back aboard, Gabriel Charles was nestled near

the rear of the field in the early stages, duplicating the patient tactics that

had clearly agreed with him last time. Up front, Redwood Kitten established

splits of :23 4/5, :48 1/5 and 1:12 1/5. Chief Havoc stalked in second, covering

up the rail-skimming Gervinho, who was racing in the front runner's slipstream.

Smith gave Gabriel Charles his cue approaching the far turn, and the Street

Hero colt accelerated. Splitting rivals rounding the bend, Gabriel Charles

rolled to the outside entering the stretch and quickly overwhelmed Redwood

Kitten and Chief Havoc.

Meanwhile, Gervinho was trapped on the fence at the crucial juncture. Jockey

Rafael Bejarano had to steer Gervinho around Redwood Kitten, and by the time he

had clear sailing, Gabriel Charles was gone beyond recall. Gervinho reduced the

deficit to 1 1/4 lengths at the wire, but Gabriel Charles was firmly in command

as he completed 1 1/8 firm-turf miles in 1:46 4/5.

"I wore this tie so that if we didn't win I could hang myself," Mullins

joked. "Mike (Smith) made about two or three moves in there, but he said he was

doing it comfortably and that made his job easy. It's gratifying to know he'll

go two turns, which has always been kind of a question mark with this horse. I

don't know if it was by design the way Mike rode him last time, but he figured

out something about him and it sure worked."

Smith credited the Mullins barn.

"Jeff and his crew have done a wonderful job turning this colt around," Smith

said. "They took the blinkers off and got him to settle. He's always had a nice

turn of foot, but he used to fire it early. Now they've got him waiting and

firing at the end.

"I had a good trip today and it all worked out right. When we came through

the lane, I just waved the stick at him. The other day when I hit him, the first

time he responded. But then the next time he just got mad. So I let him do his

own thing today."

Bejarano was pleased with Gervinho, but regretful that he couldn't get out

sooner.

"No real excuses -- he ran well," Bejarano said. "I just wish I would have

gotten first jump. The winner did. But the No. 9 horse (Redwood Kitten) got in

my way and I had to wait. But he ran well."

Redwood Kitten reported home another head back in third, and Procurement

closed from last to garner fourth. Next came Outside Nashville; Pure Loyalty;

Chief Havoc; Say Ow; Rising Legend, whose saddle slipped; and the eased Si Sage.

Tom's Tribute and Layton Register, the also-eligibles, stayed in the barn.

Layton Register is entered in Monday's 11TH race.

Gabriel Charles paid $5.80 to win for his first graded score, and his resume

now reads 7-3-2-0, $289,800. The bay colt made a splash at Del Mar last summer

by capturing his debut on Polytrack, edging Den's Legacy in a photo. Gabriel

Charles didn't build on that promising beginning when sixth in the Del Mar

Futurity and a remote eighth in the FrontRunner at Santa Anita.

But a surface switch worked wonders for Gabriel Charles next time out in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview on Santa Anita's downhill turf,

resulting in a 3 1/2-length romp over Den's Legacy. Gabriel Charles was forced

back onto dirt when the December 29 Eddie Logan was rained off the turf, and he

finished a well-beaten second on the wet-fast track. He was not seen again until

the Oceanside on opening day, and showed a new dimension by coming from the

clouds in his first start with Smith, and without blinkers. The formula worked

even better here.

Bred by Doris E. Tummillo in Kentucky, Gabriel Charles was a $19,000

Keeneland September yearling who went to House for $160,000 as a two-year-old at

OBS April. His dam, the stakes-placed Atticus mare Star of Atticus, is a

half-sister to two stakes performers -- Grade 1-placed Nan, a close second in

the 2009 Del Mar Oaks, and multiple stakes-placed Limoncella.

This is the family of multiple Chilean Group 1-placed stakes victress Tao

Mina; Grade 1-placed stakes heroine Key Hunter, the dam of Grade 3 winner Liquor

Cabinet; and multiple Grade 2 star Pants on Fire, most recently successful in

the July 28 Monmouth Cup.

Further back in the maternal line, one finds 2005 Horse of the Year Saint

Liam; Rolling Fog, hero of last year's Del Mar Futurity; and Irish champion and

noted broodmare Minstrella, among others. Gabriel Charles' sixth dam is Hall of

Famer Gallorette.

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