Malibu Beauty cruises in Peach Blossom

Trainer Gary Capuano couldn’t have found a better spot for Z W P Stable and Non Stop Stable’s Malibu Beauty than Wednesday’s $50,000 Peach Blossom Stakes for Deraware certified fillies and mares at Delaware Park.

With the Peach Blossom taken off the turf and lengthened to one mile, Malibu Beauty used her sprinter’s speed to best effect, racing to the early lead and widening at every call en route to a 5 ¼-length victory. Running time for one mile on a fast main track was 1:38.29.

Originally slated for 7 ½ furlongs on the turf, the Peach Blossom was switched to the main track after overnight rains. That scratched the field down to five and left it at the mercy of Malibu Beauty, who went off at 8-5.

With Mychel Sanchez in the irons, Malibu Beauty was quickly clear, setting a soft opening tempo of 25.19 seconds for the quarter and 49.12 for the half-mile. By that time the four-year-old Buffum filly was two lengths clear, and she wasn’t stopping.

In fact, she went slightly faster in the second half of the race than the first while opening a yawning gap between herself and the rest of the field. Quiet Imagination, with Jorge Ruiz up, rallied into second, well clear of show horse Murph.

Cashing Big Checks, a near-miss second in the Lewes for sophomore fillies two weeks ago, faded to fourth. Texas Reward rounded out the field.

Malibu Beauty paid $5.20 to win and topped an exacta that returned $9.30 on a one-dollar wager.

The Peach Blossom was the second stakes win of Malibu Beauty’s career. A homebred, she has six wins and $280,584 in earnings from 19 career starts overall.

Malibu Beauty with trainer Gary Capuano and rider Mychel Sanchez. Photo by Mike Valiante.

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