Things played out just as trainer Mark Glatt hoped they would for Mi Hermano Ramon in the $203,500 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) Nov. 30 at Del Mar.
The 4-year-old Creative Cause gelding, making his third start after a 14-month layoff, sat back through the early stages of the 1 1/16 miles of firm turf, split rivals to challenge for the lead turning into the lane and held on for a half-length victory.
East Coast invader Redistricting, the 3-2 favorite, made a late run from last in the 12-horse field but just missed. Astronomer and Easter filled out the superfecta slots, a neck and a nose farther in arrears.
Mi Hermano Ramon finished in 1:41.07 under Hector Berrios and Glatt said the effort fit the pattern he laid out for the rider.
"He's gonna run his race," the trainer said. "He's gonna fall back. I just told him (Berrios) that he's not a horse that can quicken real quickly so just try and keep him in the clear. Don't lose any momentum.
"If you can, get a trip where you keep him in the clear, because once he gets going, he comes pretty good. But he can't sit in a pocket and then kick like a lot of really good turf horses can."
Mi Hermano Ramon returned from the bench with a fifth-place finish in a Del Mar allowance optional claimer Aug. 29, then finished second to Sumter in the Lure Stakes Oct. 19, beaten just a neck. Sumter showed the way in the Seabiscuit under Mike Smith but faded to beat just one of his 11 rivals.
"I think third race off the bench is usually the horse's best," Glatt said. "The owners are terrific ... They don't hesitate when I tell them these horses need a break. It's a credit to them to give the horse the time that he needed.
"He ran a little flat first time back. Maybe he just needed the race. Thought we had him ready and he was a little flat that day. Fired real big in the Lure. A little cleaner trip and he might have won. So we were super confident going into today. Just with his style, to get the right trip and Hector put a great ride on him.
"So he got a great trip and a great ride and we got the W."
Mi Hermano Ramon was bred by Red Baron's Barn and races for Red Baron and Rancho Temescal. Out of the Suances mare Sassy Suances, he is the ninth graded winner for sire Creative Cause. Creative Cause will stand the 2025 season for $6,000 at Marjorie Farms in Texas.
The close second for Redistricting was a massive improvement over the last California trip undertaken by the Kingman gelding. In that, the Chad Brown trainee was racing in the middle of the field in the 2023 Hollywood Derby (G1T) when he lugged out and was pulled up by jockey Joel Rosario at the top of the stretch.
He walked off the track but then was out of action for nearly 10 months, returning to finish second with a traffic-troubled trip in the Knickerbocker Stakes (G3T) at Aqueduct Racetrack Oct. 13.
Astronomer, who also came from off the pace, has yet to win a graded race and finished fifth in the 2023 Seabiscuit.
