Thoroughbred Daily News – 7/19/25
Some nice fillies have won the GII San Clemente Handicap over the years, including Flawlessly, Hollywood Wildcat, and Jewel Princess in the 1990s, but few have won it as easily as Thought Process (f, 3, Collected–Creative Thinking, by Creative Cause) Saturday at Del Mar.
Pounded into 2-5 favoritism and away in good order, Thought Process was third and tucked away at the fence early, but appeared to get aggressive beneath Hector Berrios when a rank Amorita (Liam’s Map) rolled up outside her around the first turn, and she tugged her rider up into second turning up the backstretch. Traveling strongly under a tight hold, the blaze-faced chestnut was allowed to stride into the lead approaching the quarter pole and when popped the question in earnest in upper stretch, displayed a nice turn of foot to win clear. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Casalu (Caracaro)–second behind Thought Process in two stakes last year and herself coming off a five-month layoff after two black-type wins–sat a midfield trip and closed well for second, while course graded winner Will Then (War of Will) picked up the show in the final strides. The winner is owned by the Estate of Brereton C. Jones, Little Red Feather Racing, and Madaket Stables LLC.
It was trainer Phil D’Amato’s second win in the San Clemente following Bellabel (Ire) (Belardo {Ire})’s 2022 victory.
Thought Process has thrived over a turf mile, with Saturday’s win making it five of six for her at the distance. After breaking her maiden last August at second asking at Del Mar, she followed up with victory in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes, as well as in Santa Anita’s GIII Surfer Girl Stakes. Thought Process tired after setting the pace in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Fillies and went to the bench until last month, when she reappeared with a runaway 5 3/4-length allowance score at Santa Anita.
Pedigree Notes:
Airdrie stallion Collected is the sire of Thought Process and 16 other black-type winners, including other Del Mar stars Conclude (a graded winner at Del Mar in both 2023 and 2024) and Iron Man Cal (a Santa Anita graded winner who served as runner-up in the 2024 GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar). Collected himself won the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 2017 and finished second in that year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at the San Diego-area track. With his fourth crop of 2-year-olds hitting the track now, Collected has sired seven graded winners to date.
Creative Thinking, winner of the 2018 Keertana Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs and dam of Thought Process, has a yearling colt by Win Win Win, did not produce a foal this year, and has been bred back to Collected for 2026. She is a granddaughter of French MGSW & G1SP Maiden Tower (GB) (Groom Dancer), who was also second in the 2003 GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at Keeneland.
Saturday, Del Mar
SAN CLEMENTE H.-GII, $202,000, Del Mar, 7-19, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.24, fm.
1–THOUGHT PROCESS, 123, f, 3, by Collected
1st Dam: Creative Thinking (SW-USA, SP-Can,
$132,592), by Creative Cause
2nd Dam: Hat Box, by Street Cry (Ire)
3rd Dam: Maiden Tower (GB), by Groom Dancer
($120,000 RNA Ylg ’23 KEESEP; $57,000 RNA Ylg ’23
FTKOCT). O-Estate of Brereton C. Jones, Little Red Feather
Racing and Madaket Stables LLC; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY);
T-Philip D’Amato; J-Hector Isaac Berrios. $120,000. Lifetime
Record: 7-5-0-1, $344,200. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free
Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Casalu, 121, f, 3, Caracaro–Key d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro.
($775,000 2yo ’24 OBSAPR). O-Michael E. Pegram, Karl
Watson, and Paul Weitman; B-LLP Performance Horses, LLC
(KY); T-Bob Baffert. $40,000. ‘TDN Rising Star‘
3–Will Then, 122, f, 3, War of Will–Remember Then, by
Pulpit. O-Augustin Stables; B-George Strawbridge (KY); T-Jonathan Thomas. $24,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 15.90, 5.50.
Also Ran: Firenze Flavor, Jungle Peace (Ire), As Catch Can, Miso Phansy, Silent Law, Amorita.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
