US Graded win for Bated Breath's Tezzaray

Tezzaray (Bated Breath), who was making her blacktype debut at Del Mar on Saturday, made a tenacious drive to the line to secure the Gr.3 Jimmy Durante Stakes by a nose.

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 28th November 2021:

Tezzaray turned an eventful trip into a nose win in Del Mar's Gr.3 Jimmy Durante Stakes, staying undefeated in two US starts since moving Stateside this autumn. Promptly bumped leaving the gate, the tidy chestnut was undeterred, angling over to the rail to sit midpack. Comfortable stalking in fourth through the early part of the race, she was third going into the turn before suddenly checking off the heels of Awake At Midnyte. Tezzaray took back, angled out and around that rival, then split horses and commenced a drive to the wire, wearing down Awake At Midnyte to win the bob by a scant nose.

"I had a good trip," said winning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. He continued: "I was in a little tight at the three-eighths pole, but that wasn't anything big. She's a very European filly; she likes to run covered up. When it came time to run -boom - she went."

Trainer Peter Miller, who was taking his first Jimmy Durante Stakes, said: "I had confidence in her. She's one of those fillies that are very classy and does everything right. I thought we won, then I thought we didn't, but luckily we got the head bob."

Tezzaray debuted with a pair of thirds in maiden races in her native England for Karl Burke in August before shipping Stateside to Miller's barn.

She is Bated Breath's 20th Stakes winner and 14th Group/Graded winner.