DEL MAR — For three-quarters of a mile Saturday afternoon, the Solana Beach Stakes seemed like a match race between two-time race champion and 3-5 favorite Grand Slam Smile and Can’t Sleep.
The pair of 5-year-old mares swapped the lead at least eight times.
But as the field turned for home, 17-1 longshot Fibonaccis Ride made a move to the outside of the dueling pair, overtaking them as well as 13-1 longshot Quick Kate to grab the lead in the stretch and win the $150,00 feature for older Cal-bred fillies and mares by 1 1/4 lengths.
Quick Kate finished second with Wink and a Grin third. Grand Slam Smile was fourth and Can’t Sleep fifth in a field that was reduced from 12 to seven starters by late scratches.
Fibonaccis Ride led only one starter for the first half of the race, was fifth at the three-quarter pole and still fourth at the top of the stretch. This was the 4-year-old filly’s fourth race under 54-year-old veteran Victor Espinoza. She had a pair of runner-up finishes at Santa Anita before scoring a July 25 win at Del Mar.
“She’s a little tough to get along with,” said Espinoza, who scored his 110th Del Mar stakes win, which ranks second on the seaside oval’s all-time list. It was his second win of the meeting, but his first Del Mar stakes win since 2023. His only previous Solana Beach win came in 2000.
“She has a mind of her own,” Espinoza continued. “But I think I’ve got her figured out now and we get along just fine.”
“Victor’s gotten along pretty good with her,” said trainer Antonio Garcia. “He’s gotten her to where she can relax and make one run. I was a little worried about her being on the inside. Victor stayed calm and timed it good. Once he saw that gap and got her through it, she was able to keep going.”
Fibonaccis Ride paid $36.80 to win.
SATURDAY SPECIALS
Inshallah, a 2-year-old son of 2022 Pacific Classic and Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Flightline, won his debut at Del Mar in a 5 1/2-furlong special weight race for maidens. A $2.1 million purchase last May by KAS Stables, Inshallah has a double pedigree. Mom is Bar of Gold, who won the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
“He’s an exciting prospect,” trainer John Sadler said of Inshallah. “We’ve been bringing him along slowly. He was doing good and was ready to go.”
Inshallah, who came to Sadler directly after the May sale, had nine official timed workouts prior to his first race.
Favored Vronti charged between horses in the stretch to win the 1 3/8-mile CTT and TOC Stakes on the turf. Vronti, shipped in from Saratoga by trainer H. Graham Motion for the $100,000 race for older fillies and mares Vronti was sixth after a mile and still third in the stretch.
But jockey Umberto Rispoli moved the 4-year-old between runnerup The Mizen Queen and fading Lubie’s Music into the lead and won by a length.
The favorite in the fifth race — the first race of the Pick Six — Miss Hellfire, was scratched as the horses were stepping onto the track. She was without rider Kazushi Kimura after an incident in the paddock. The race was won by Llamp (Kyle Frey. $14.60).
Sweet victory?
Sweet Azteca goes for a third straight win in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Stakes this afternoon.
The 6-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca has won eight of 10 career starts and three straight dating back to July 5, 2025. She has won two Grade 2 Great Lady M stakes at Los Alamitos as bookends to her 2025 victory in the Rancho Bernardo – a 6 1/2-furlong sprint on the main track.
Only four other older fillies and mares will challenge Sweet Azteca in today’s feature.
“If she’s right, she doesn’t lose,” said Sweet Azteca trainer Richard Baltas. She’s a lot fresher. She’s had only one race this year. She had a lot of time off and is doing well. That’s why I gave her four months off this year,”
Baltas will also have Juan Hernandez aboard the 4-5 morning-line favorite.
The second pick at 6-5 is Thermal (Joel Rosario). The 5-year-old daughter of Nyquist has won three of her last four starts, although she finished fourth in her one graded stakes start in the Grade III Las Flores at Santa Anita last Jan. 11. One of two entries trained by John Sadler, Thermal is coming off a 8 1/4-length win in the Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star Park.
“She ran a fantastic race in Texas,” said Sadler. “She had a high Beyer (speed figure). She’s training great here. It looks pretty much like a two-horse race.”
NOTABLE
Joel Rosario rode three winners Saturday — Harmonique ($15.80 in the first), Inshallah and Steak Fries ($5.40 in the 10th) to pull within two of jockey leader Hernandez’s 24 wins. Kazushi Kimura had two wins. Trainer leader Doug O’Neill picked up his 17th win of the meeting with Dang Son ($29.20 in the second).