Tres Borrachos returns to winner's circle in San Diego

The last time TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park) crossed the finish line

first came in May of 2009. On Saturday, the bay gelding finally got back

to his winning ways when flying down the center of the stretch to take

the $200,000

San Diego

H. (G2) at Del Mar. The veteran performer easily ran down

longtime leader Kevlar Kid (Rock Hard Ten) nearing the wire, passing

that rival to be 1 1/4 lengths clear on the line under jockey Rafael

Bejarano.

Making just his second start for new connections in owner George

Hicker and trainer Marty Jones, Tres Borrachos improved on his

eighth-place run in last year's San Diego, which took place just three

races back for the six-year-old. He concluded 2010 with a well-beaten

ninth in the Ralph M. Hinds Pomona H. and opened this season with a nice

third against allowance rivals at Hollywood Park. Tres Borrachos' win in

the San Diego was his first outside of Hollywood and pushed his career

earnings to $760,257. He paid $18.80, $8.20 and $5 as the 8-1 sixth

choice when stopping the clock in 1:42 3/5.

Kevlar Kid was the favorite in Saturday's San Diego and appeared

ready to wire the 1 1/16-mile Polytrack test. Craving out fractions of

:23 2/5, :47 1/5, 1:12 1/5 and 1:36 3/5, the 3-1 pick was going for his

third straight win while making his stakes bow in this spot. Alas, he

couldn't withstand the rush of Tres Borrachos and barely held second by

a head as Spurrier (Dixieland Band) came spurting through on the inside.

Tres Borrachos began his racing career under the tutelage of trainer

and former co-owner Beau Greely, breaking his maiden at Hollywood Park

in 2007 and putting himself squarely in the next year's Triple Crown

picture with placings in the Arkansas Derby (G2) and El Camino Real

Derby (G3). He round up ninth in the 2008 Preakness S. (G1) prior to a

runner-up effort in the Affirmed H. (G3), then earned his first stakes

score while taking just the second win of his career in the Swaps S.

(G2), once again at Hollywood.

Tres Borrachos hit a dry spell in his next six races, not finishing

in the money, until finally returning to the winner's circle at

Hollywood against optional claiming rivals in May 2009. A nice second in

the Hollywood Gold Cup H. (G1) followed that effort, but he once again

posted unplaced runs in 10 of his next 11 races. Tres Borrachos has

shown new life in his two starts this season and now boasts a 31-4-2-5

career mark.

Bred in Kentucky by Robert Shapiro, John J. Greely IV and Phil

Houchens, Tres Borrachos was a $37,000 Keeneland September yearling RNA

before finally selling for $7,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall

yearling. He is out of Grade 3-placed stakes winner Pete's Fancy

(Peteski) and counts as half-siblings this year's James W. Murphy S.

victor Chinglish (War Front) as well as a yearling colt and 2011 colt,

both by Henrythenavigator.