Observed Wins Del Mar Juvenile Turf

Observed, an Eastern-based 2-year-old trained by Jonathan Thomas, won the Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf by three-quarters of a length over 7-5 favorite Shadow Nation. Ridden by Juan Hernandez, the Mandaloun colt rallied from near the back of the field to complete the mile on Del Mar’s Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 1:36.40 and pay $15.40. The victory gave Observed a perfect 2-for-2 record after his debut win at Horseshoe Indianapolis and marked freshman sire Mandaloun’s first graded-stakes winner. Shadow Nation finished second in his first start around two turns, while Off in the Corner was third. The win was Thomas’ sixth stakes victory at Del Mar and Hernandez’s 10th stakes win of the meet.