Dewey’s Special, Valdivia go California Dreamin’ in Del Mar feature win

Dewey’s Special wins Del Mar’s California Dreamin’

DEL MAR, Calif. — Dewey’s Special beat Nitro Active by 1¾ lengths to win the California Dreamin’ Handicap at Del Mar on Sunday.

Ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr., Dewey’s Special sat second for most of the race and took the lead coming out of the final turn, covering 1 1-16 miles on turf in 1:40.85.

Dewey’s Special paid $8.60, $5.40 and $4.40. Nitro Active paid $12.20 and $8.20. The longest shot in the field Bert’s Law was a nose back in third and paid $13.80 to show.

The favorite, Bold Chieftain, was never a factor and finished sixth in the field of eight.

It was the fourth win in 10 starts for Dewey’s Special, a 4-year-old California-bred gelding trained by Ron Ellis. The colt earned $60,000 to push his lifetime earnings to $223,280.

Earlier Sunday, Meydan Princess and jockey David Flores won the $94,870 Osunitas Handicap for fillies and mares, scoring a 1¼-length victory over Restless Soul.