Executiveprivilege wins Del Mar Debutante

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) – Executiveprivilege rallied in the stretch to beat pacesetter Beholder in the final stride and win the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante by a nose Saturday, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his 101st career stakes win at the seaside track.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Executiveprivilege ran seven furlongs on the synthetic surface in 1:23.43 and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10 as the 4-5 favorite in the Grade 1 race for 2-year-old fillies.

Beholder took the lead out of the gate and turned into the stretch with a clear advantage, but was unable to hold off the winner in a photo finish. Beholder returned $5.60 and $3.60, while Mechaya was another 4 1/2 lengths back in third and paid $2.60 to show.