You can add a second win for the home team at this year’s Breeders’ Cup. Ce Ce, a homebred for longtime California-based owner-breeder Bo Hirsch, swept past the field under Victor Espinoza to win the Grade 1, $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Ce Ce completed seven furlongs on a fast track in 1:21 flat following swift fractions of 22.31 and 44.92 seconds set by champion and last year’s winner Gamine. She paid $14.40 as the 6-1 third choice. The win was McCarthy’s second in a Breeders’ Cup race following City of Lights’ score in the 2018 Dirt Mile.
Gamine, the 2-5 favorite who had never lost sprinting in 10 lifetime starts, did as expected, and went straight to the lead under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. But it wasn’t easy. Lapped on her outside was 2-1 second choice Bella Sofia, while on the inside pressing also pressing Gamine was Edgeway. Meanwhile, Ce Ce and Espinoza were content to be 10 lengths back after the opening half mile.
Shortly after dismounting, Velazquez cited the pressured pace as Gamine’s undoing.
Ce Ce found her best stride at the quarter pole and rolled home a 2 1/2-length winner over Edgeway with another three-quarter lengths back to Gamine.
“It was the right race at the right time for this filly,” said Espinoza, who earned his fourth Breeders’ Cup win and first since guiding Triple Crown winner American Pharoah to victory in the 2015 Classic. “Michael McCarthy did an amazing job training her up to this race.”
As for Gamine, who was entering off a win in the Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 28, trainer Bob Baffert said, “I really can’t make any excuses.”
“She was out there, and she just got tired at the end,” said Baffert, who won Friday’s Juvenile with Southern California-based Corniche. “The winner ran a great race. I blame myself for the preparation. She had some time off and I think a race in between probably would have helped her. I think I made a mistake there.”
Ce Ce contested the Filly & Mare Sprint this year after trying the 1 1/8-miles Distaff last year and running fifth. The 5-year-old mare by Elusive Quality out of Grade 1 winner Miss Houdini, who was also bred by Hirsch, was reverted to mostly sprints this year with this race in mind. She won the seven-furlong Princess Rooney (G2) at Gulfstream Park in July and, after being third to Gamine by three lengths in the Ballerina, came back to romp in the Oct. 3 Chillingworth (G3) at Santa Anita.
