Stay Hot rebounded from a 10th-place finish in last month's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) to land the $102,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) in late-running fashion Dec. 3 at Del Mar.
Trained by Peter Eurton for the ownership group of Burns Racing, Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, The Estate of Brereton C. Jones, and William Hudock, Stay Hot had impressed onlookers with his 2 1/2-length maiden score Oct.7 before the Breeders' Cup.
Eurton told FanDuel TV in a pre-race interview that he felt the Summer Front ridgling was forced to use himself too much too soon during the Juvenile Turf, which led to his flat finish.
Things would be different in the Cecil B. DeMille, where jockey Antonio Fresu allowed Stay Hot to stay as far back as he wanted behind sizzling early fractions of :22, :46.30, and 1:12.16. Widest of all into the lane, Stay Hot had plenty left in the tank this time, storming home to the wire a neck winner over a game Rothschild.
Co-favored at 2-1, Stay Hot ($6.60) clocked the mile on a firm turf course in 1:35.89.
Rothschild, a $700,0000 son of Uncle Mo, performed admirably in his first try on the turf to get second.
Miracle Mark was another head back in third.
Stay Hot, bred by Bereton Jones and out of the Smart Strike mare Etsu, is a half-sibling to this year's Wonder Again Stakes (G2T) victress Prerequisite, by Upstart .
