Fast Track fifth in first race on Del Mar's expanded turf course

Following the conclusion of the 2013 Del Mar Thoroughbred Club meet, the racing organization which leases the track from the 22nd District Agricultural Association began work to widen Del Mar’s turf course from between 52 feet and 63 feet to 80 feet throughout. The primary desired result came to fruition earlier this year when the Breeders’ Cup was awarded to Del Mar for 2017.

The first actual race on the new turf course was the fifth race July 17, which was the first day of Del Mar’s 2014 summer meet. The horses included Fast Track, a 7-year-old gelding who is stabled at the San Luis Rey Training Center and trained by Molly Pearson.

Fast Track and jockey Tiago Pereira finished fifth in the 1 1/16-mile race for horses three years old and up. “He handled it just fine,” Pearson said.

“I just think the course is a very firm course,” Pearson said. “My horse handled it very well, so I was very happy.”

Fast Track had the second post position and broke seventh among the nine horses. He was seventh after a quarter of a mile, sixth after half a mile, and fifth at three-quarters of a mile.

Fast Track entered the stretch in fourth place; he was four lengths in back of leader and eventual winner Super Ability, a head behind third-place Little Jerry, and a head in front of fifth-place Den’s Legacy.

“He didn’t have the best of racing luck down the stretch,” Pearson said.

Kokaltash went from seventh to third during the stretch to finish a head in front of Little Jerry, who beat Fast Track by a nose. Fast Track finished two lengths behind Super Ability and 1 3/4 lengths in front of sixth-place Stoney Fleece.

“The horse was in a very tough race, so I think he ran very, very well,” Pearson said.

The race had an $80,000 purse along with $24,000 of incentives for California-bred horses, for which the Kentucky-foaled Fast Track did not qualify. The $1,600 fifth-place share of the total purse increased Fast Track’s career earnings to $117,172 including $37,152 during 2014 when he has been trained by Pearson. Three of Fast Track’s five career wins have occurred during 2014, all at the Turf Paradise track in Phoenix. The Del Mar race was the 34th for Fast Track, who was foaled on April 26, 2007.

Pearson, who began her training career in 1983 when she was in Arizona, had trained out of Hollywood Park during the summers.

“We love San Luis Rey,” Pearson said.

“It’s an awesome place to train,” Pearson said. “The horses do very well there.”

What had been the San Luis Rey Downs Thoroughbred Training Center closed in June 2013 for renovations before re-opening in January 2014 as the San Luis Rey Training Center. Hollywood Park closed in December, and Pearson moved her stables to San Luis Rey. “I think that is just a great place to train,” she said.

“It’s got a nice swimming pool for horses, too,” she said. “I like the pool, too.”