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DEL MAR DERBY

2nd at 3

DEL MAR DERBY
(gr. IIT , 9f , to Madeo, defeating Tangled Tango, Nownownow, Kilderry, Tiz West, Sky Cape, Spinning Sound (IRE), Blue Chagall (FR), Captain Roy ).

DEL MAR DERBY Chart

DEL MAR DERBY (gr. IIT), DEL MAR, August 31, 2008, $350,000 guaranteed, value of race $350,000, 3-year-old 9f, 1:46.68 (track record, 1:19.88), course firm.

Madeo(b h), 122 lb) $210,000 Mizzen Mast—Passion Flower, by Deputy Minister B—Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss, KY.; O—Moss, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome S.; T—John A. Shirreffs Gio Ponti(b h), 122 lb) $70,000 Tale of the Cat—Chipeta Springs, by Alydar B—Kilboy Estate, Inc., KY.; O—Castleton Lyons; T—Christophe Clement Tangled Tango(ch h), 122 lb) $42,000 Petionville—Out of Step, by Affirmed B—Everest Stables Inc., KY.; O—Everest Stables, Inc.; T—Julio C. Canani

Margins: ½, ¾, neck. Others: Nownownow 122 ($21,000), Kilderry 122 ($7,000), Tiz West 122 Sky Cape 122 Spinning Sound (IRE) 122 Blue Chagall (FR) 122 Captain Roy 122 Winning Jockey, Mike E. Smith.

Recap

Madeo garnered his first stakes victory when he held off odds-on favorite Gio Ponti by a half-length in the Aug. 31 Del Mar Derby (gr. IIT) at Del Mar.

The 3-year-old Mizzen Mast colt entered the race off a fourth-place finish in the Aug. 9 La Jolla Handicap (gr. IIT). His best stakes performance prior to his graded score came when he finished second by a neck in the May 24 Alydar Stakes at Hollywood.

John Shirreffs trains the homebred colt for Jerry and Ann Moss. Madeo, who did not race as a 2-year-old, broke his maiden in his second start March 23.

ÒHeÕs matured a lot,Ó said Shirreffs. ÒHe was very immature early and was a problem when he shipped. But heÕs begun to settle down now.Ó

Other graded stakes winners to represent the Moss stable this year include undefeated Zenyatta, who is a multiple grade I winner, and Tiago, a homebred half-brother to Giacomo, winner of the 2005 Kentucky Derby (gr. I).

Madeo was bred in Kentucky out of the stakes-winning Deputy Minister mare Passion Flower. The chestnut mare, who was bred in Virginia by Keswick Stables, made all 31 starts for the Mosses and trainer Ron McAnally.

Passion Flower is out of the Blushing Groom mare LÕAmour Toujours, who was a stakes winner in France. The mare also produced grade II winner CÕEst LÕAmour and the steeplechase grade I-placed Banjo Man.

Madeo is the second foal out of Passion Flower, who has had a bit of a hard luck career as a broodmare. From 10 years of breeding, she has been barren six times and aborted once.

Passion Flower, who is kept at Mill Ridge Farm near Lexington, has a juvenile Empire Maker filly named Patrizi. The 15-year-old mare was barren to Empire Maker and MariaÕs Mon for 2007 and 2008, respectively, and is barren to Mizzen Mast for next year.

Mizzen Mast is the sire of 10 stakes winners including additional 2008 added-money winners Mast Track (gr. I), Stern Opinion, Armonk, and Barrier Reef. The 10-year-old son of Cozzene stood the 2008 season at Khalid AbdullahÕs Juddmonte Farms near Lexington for $20,000.ÑA.H.D

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