Fatale Bere earns first Grade 1 success with narrow Del Mar Oaks victory

Fatale Bere had one filly to beat in the stretch to earn her first Grade 1 win and she found just enough to win the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks.

With Ollie's Candy ahead, Fatale Bere and jockey Kent Desormeaux accelerated in the final furlong and caught their rival to win by a neck.

The victory was also the first Grade 1 score for trainer Leonard Powell. Fatale Bere, who opened the year with a win in the Providencia Stakes, is owned by Benowitz Family Trust, Head of Plains Partners, Mark Mathiesen, and Mathilde Powell.

Powell said: "To win a Grade 1 is of great value. I scouted this filly a year ago in France and purchased privately for owners that have been very loyal to the stable."

The complexion of the 9f race changed as the field approached the final turn in the Oaks, as front-runner Animosity ducked in and hit the rail at about the three-furlong pole and dropped back through the field.

"I don't know what happened to her," said Animosity's jockey Tyler Gaffalione. "She was going along fine and all of the sudden she changed leads and shifted over and hit the fence. She lost her action. I had to get her back running again. I don't know what it was."

That put Ollie's Candy and Ms Bad Behavior, who were in a stalking position, into a duel to the wire. Ollie's Candy put away Ms Bad Behavior, who came in fourth, but just came up short at the finish.

"It was the trip," Desormeaux said. "Today I got the trip. They were playing ping pong by the three-eighths, but I avoided all of that and just got to run my race."

It was the second tough-to-take defeat for Ollie's Candy, who had finished second by a neck last time out in the San Clemente at Del Mar.

"She was on it today, ran a really good race " said jockey Tyler Baze, riding Ollie's Candy for the first time here. "She was push button."

Also on Saturday

Saratoga: Alabama Stakes | Grade 1 | dirt | 1m2f | 3yo fillies

Eskimo Kisses was last of all early on but full of running when it counted in the $600,000 Alabama Stakes.

The To Honor And Serve filly spotted pacesetter Talk Veuve To Me 15 and a half lengths up the backside, but picked up steam heading into the final turn under Jose Ortiz and shifted out to run down the leader.

Sent off at odds of 9-1 in a field of eight, Eskimo Kisses drew clear to win her first Graded stakes by six and a half lengths.

She's A Julie, who pressed the pace early, finished runner-up, with 6-5 favourite Midnight Bisou third.

"We were hoping they would ignore us a little bit, and they did," said winning trainer Kenny McPeek. "The pace of the race was going to be a big deal for her, even the set-up. She's had some races where it really didn't set up all that well for her."

Winning jockey Ortiz added: "I just followed instructions and did what Kenny told me to do: Take her back, let her take me to the half-mile pole, and then let her do the rest.

"I tried to stay inside as long as I could. She was there for me every time I asked her to move up and I'm just very happy with the way she ran today."

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