Vagabond Shoes earns first U.S. win in Del Mar 'Cap

Vagabond Shoes paid $6, $3.20 and $2.40 for the win, which pushed his career

earnings to $425,449. Lucayan, the near 3-1 second choice, finished another

half-length in front of Huntsville, who had tracked in midpack throughout.

"He's a typical European

and (trainer) Neil (Drysdale) wanted him covered up (behind horses)," Garrett

Gomez explained his ride aboard Lucayan. "I rode

him that way. He quickened nicely, but Victor rode

a nice, patient race. We were going so slow, I thought I might get (Espinoza) to commit too soon on his horse, but he didn't."

"He ran a huge race.

He did everything right. He did it all, but win," jockey Corey Nakatani said of

third-placer Huntsville.

Old

Time Hockey followed in fourth while Fire With Fire and Mr T Bird completed the

order under the wire. Holding Glory was scratched.

Vagabond Shoes began his career in Spain before traveling back and forth

between that country and France during his two-, three- and four-year-old

campaigns. Along the way, the son of Beat Hollow picked up a win and a placing

in a pair of French Group 3 contests. In 2012, the chestnut's horizons were

expanded to include Dubai, as he was shipped to Meydan for a trio of races,

before traveling back to France for a score in the Group 3 Prix du Chemin de fer

du Nord, the same race he ran second in during 2011.

Vagabond Shoes raced overseas just twice more, wrapping up his five-year-old

season by filling out the third spot in the Group 2 Oettingen-Rennen in Germany.

Subsequently shipped stateside to Sadler's barn, the Irish-bred made his

six-year-old bow at Santa Anita Park in the February 2 Arcadia. A well-beaten

ninth on that occasion, he was unable to hit the board in his next two starts in

the Frank E. Kilroe Mile and Mervyn LeRoy Handicap.

It wasn't until May that Vagabond Shoes began to turn things around when

missing by just a nose to be second against optional claiming rivals at

Hollywood Park. He was given a couple months off and returned a new horse to put

in a nice rally for second in the July 20 Eddie Read last out. Earning a third

stakes victory in this spot, the gelding now boasts a 7-4-3 mark from 26 career

starts.

Bred in Ireland by Almagro de Actividades Comerciales S A, Vagabond Shoes was

a $201,765 RNA

at the Arqana Arc sale in 2011 before bringing $130,000 from his current

connections at the same auction one

year later.

"We bought him out

of the 'Arc sale last year. It's a very good racing age sale the day before the

Arc de Triomphe. (Bloodstock agent) Hubert Guy called and I green-lighted him,"

Sadler explained.

"The way he ran the other day in the mile and an eighth (Eddie Read) and finished

very well I thought he was ready to do it. As the season has gone on he has

acclimated (to the United States)."

As a "Win and You're In" qualifying race, the Del Mar 'Cap victory gave

Vagabond Shoes an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf, to which Sadler

added, "We'll definitely look at the Breeders' Cup."

Vagabond Shoes is out of the winning Singspiel mare Atiza and counts as his second dam

the *Star Appeal mare Isabena, who was honored as Spain's champion older mare in

1988. Two of Isabena's grandprogeny -- Casaca and Entre Copas -- were multiple

champions in Spain during their careers, with the latter named that country's

2011 Horse of the Year. This female family has also produced Irish co-champion

and Group 1 winner Flutter Away.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com