Gambling news from http://www.delawareonline.com/
STANTON -- Trainer Todd Pletcher warmed up for the $1 million Delaware Handicap by saddling the winners of the two biggest stake races Saturday at rainy Delaware Park.
The Pletcher-trained Adieu came flying in the stretch to overtake Amandatude and jockey Jeremy Rose to win the $500,900 Delaware Oaks by more than two lengths. Adieu, with John Velazquez, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.72.
Two races earlier, Velazquez rallied Pletcher's powerful Honey Ryder to beat Olaya (Ramon Dominguez) by a head and win the $295,100 Robert Dick Memorial Breeders Cup turf stakes for the second straight year.
Amandatude and the J. Larry Jones-trained Gasia, who rallied to finish third in the Oaks with Mario Pino aboard, are stabled at DelPark.
Late this afternoon, Pletcher has the top two mares entered in the Grade II Delaware Handicap.
"She [Adieu] got a good trip, the way we hoped it would go," said Pletcher, who had 17 horses racing at six different tracks on Saturday. "She was able to stalk the pace, and except for John saying he got fanned out once there, things went well."
Rose moved the Tim Ritchey-trained Amandatude up along the inside to take the lead from pacesetter Hystericalady (Pat Valenzuela) entering the stretch. However, Velazquez had Adieu on the move and she wore down the leader to grab the win. She paid $7.00, 4.00 and $3.40 and boosted her career earnings to $989,934.
"She ran as hard as she could for as long as she could and had nothing left," Rose said of Amandatude. "I thought I had a good shot when we took the lead, but I knew Adieu would be coming. My filly was so game, but she [Adieu] ran her down."
California-based Hystericalady, the 4-5 favorite, had the lead along the inside rail for six furlongs before fading and finishing fifth.
"I thought going down the backside I had a lot of horse, but she didn't seem to like the track," Valenzuela said. "It was cuppy and not like the tracks she is used to running on in California. She usually bounces over the surface, but really had a struggle."
Adieu ran a credible fourth in the Grade I Acorn Stakes on June 10 at Belmont with Garrett Gomez up.
Velazquez said he was content to bide his time running third and even fourth at the three-quarter pole as Hystericalady set the fractions. Velazquez was able to get around a tiring Peak Maria's Way (Joe Rocco), then turned Adieu loose on the outside for her winning run.
"I knew she [Hystericalady] was the horse to beat," said Velazquez, who rides first call for the Pletcher stable. "I was close enough to the leader and able to give her a little break. The one horse was getting out little by little, and that's why I had to get out like that. I feel she gave me a great ride."
Pletcher said he liked the way Adieu handled the longer distance. In the one-mile Acorn last month, she finished strongly. Saturday's victory might mean a change in her race schedule this summer.
"I was thinking of the Test [at Saratoga], but now we might string her out longer [distance race]," Pletcher said.
Velazquez agreed.
"The way she ran [Saturday], I think she should be able to handle that," Velazquez said.
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