Sprouts wins CTBA Stakes at Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) — Sprouts won the $100,000 C.T.B.A. Stakes for California-bred 2-year-old fillies by 114 lengths Friday at Del Mar.

Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Sprouts ran 512 furlongs on the synthetic surface in 1:05.01 and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10 as the 2-5 favorite.

Eddies Curl, who like the winner is owned by J. Paul Reddam and trained by Edward Freeman, returned $7.60 and $4.40. Say’s Who was another 334 lengths back in third and paid $3.20 to show.

It was the first stakes win at Del Mar for both Gutierrez and Freeman.

Eddies Curl swerved inward after the starting gate opened, bothering two other horses and triggering a stewards’ inquiry. But they ruled the incident didn’t warrant a disqualification.

The victory, worth $57,000, increased Sprouts’ career earnings to $149,240, with three wins in four starts.

Rafael Bejarano rode three winners on the card after winning four races a day earlier. Martin Garcia also rode three winners, while Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert saddled three winners.