Photo:

Santa Anita / Benoit Photo

After twice finishing behind Stay Hot in stakes at Del Mar
this summer, Atitlan successfully turned the tables on his rival in Saturday’s
Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby for 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita.

Enjoying a ground-saving trip under jockey Héctor Berrios, Atitlan burst
through a seam at the top of the stretch and gamely held off a late charge from
6-5 favorite Stay Hot to earn his first stakes win for trainer John Shirreffs.

Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.

In their two previous matchups, Atitlan was 2 3/4 lengths in
back of winner Stay Hot when third in the La Jolla Stakes in August at Del Mar.
Then he was beaten by 1 1/4 lengths by Stay Hot when that pair finished second
and third in that order in the Del Mar Derby (G2) on Sept. 1.

On Saturday, Atitlan (6-1) won by 1 1/2 lengths over Stay Hot. It was another
neck back to Cathal (8-1) in third.

“He was more comfortable today,” Berrios said. “The pace was
slow, but he was going so easy. I asked him to wait, wait. When I had a little
hole in the stretch, I moved on him, and he responded.”

Curlin’s Kaos (8-1) was the pacesetter, going 24.22, 49.52 and 1:14.15 for six
furlongs before fading to fourth. Stay Hot, who was last early under Antonio
Fresu, rallied widest of all to get second.

Atitlan’s winning time on the firm turf was 1:49.12.

Shirreffs noted Atitlan was “a little bit unlucky” in his two stakes tries this
summer. In the Del Mar Derby, Atitlan lacked racing room in upper stretch
before making a belated rally.

“I think he’s gotten more comfortable with racing,” Shirreffs said. “Things had
been building towards a big race.”

This was just the fifth start for Atitlan, a colt by The Factor. He graduated
when he was switched to turf for his second start at Del Mar in July. He is 5:
2-0-2 with $213,500 in earnings for owner John O’Connor.

Atitlan paid $14.60, $5.00 and $3.40. Stay Hot, trained by Peter Eurton,
returned $3.20 and $2.40. Cathal, ridden by Juan Hernández for trainer John
Sadler, paid $3.20.