In a desperate photo finish, Daddy Nose Best got his nose home first in the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby (gr. III) in the gamest of performances.
Under a brilliant ride from Julien Leparoux, Daddy Nose Best settled into the fourth position along the rail early on as Handsome Mike and All Squared Away set a good pace of :23.31 and :47.57. Lady of Fifty was racing on the outside in third, while Senor Rain was back in fifth. Lucky Chappy and Russian Greek, two of the favorites, were racing toward the rear of the field.
Rounding the far turn the field began to bunch up, with the gap between Handsome Mike, All Squared Away, and the rest of the field diminishing rapidly. It looked as though Daddy Nose Best was in danger of getting trapped along the fence, but Leparoux was able to guide him to the outside and move up to take the lead.
However, Lucky Chappy was also coming strongly on the far outside, and the two stretch runners engaged in a thrilling stretch duel that saw them separated by little more than a nose throughout the length of the stretch. They hit the wire together in what could have been a dead-heat, but the photo finish camera revealed Daddy Nose Best as the winner by the smallest of margins. The final time was 1:50.46.
Handsome Mike held of well to finish third, with Unveiled Heat completing the superfecta. Russian Greek, Lady of Fifty, All Squared Away, Rockinarz Recruit, Senor Rain, and Cahill Chrome completed the order of finish.
The winner is trained by Steve Asmussen and owned by Bob and Cathy Zollars.
-Keelerman
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