Trainer Graham Motion ships in to stakes races on back-to-back days
Under a perfectly measured ride by Tyler Gaffalione, Spendarella stalked the leaders from third place the length of the backstretch before taking the lead coming out of the far turn and running away from the rest of the 13-filly field in the stretch to win the Grade I Del Mar Oaks by 41/2 lengths over San Clemente Stakes winner Bellabel on Saturday.
“I had a terrific trip,” said Gaffalione. “She broke alertly and we took up a good spot behind the speed horses. When we cleared the chute, she dropped the bit and relaxed.”As Cairo Memories chased Gracelund Gray for the lead down the backstretch, Spendarella appeared to be waiting for Gaffalione to turn her loose.
Spendarella was then off across the Atlantic, where she ran second in the Grade I Coronation Stakes on June 17. She had been training at a Motion base in Maryland before the trainer shipped her west earlier in the week.Saturday marked the second time that Motion sent a filly west to win the Oaks. He scored earlier with Summer Soiree in 2011.
A 6-to-5 favorite, Spendarella paid $4.40 to win. The $180,000 share of the winner’s purse raised her earnings to $596,459.Classical Cat scored one of the more notable upsets of the meeting in Saturday’s fifth race for maiden 2-year-olds.