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.