BOB HOPE STAKES

Toews On Ice had already showed his talent in two runaway stakes wins earlier this fall, but he showed his heart Nov. 14 at Del Mar.

Challenged every step of the way by Mac Daddy Mac in the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes (gr. III), the 2-year-old Archarcharch   colt owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman lost the lead to his dueling rival exiting the turn in the seven-furlong dirt test, but rallied back on the rail to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Watch Video

The pair sped to fractions of :22.84 and :45.85 through a half-mile before William Dean Reeves' Mac Daddy Mac put a head in front at the top of the stretch, but Toews On Ice re-rallied under urging from jockey Martin Garcia to hit the wire in 1:22.27.

"(It was a) tougher race for him today, but he responded," Garcia said. "That other horse got in front of him in the stretch for a little bit, but he dug in and went and got him."

The Bob Baffert trainee went off at 4-5 odds and paid $3.80, $2.80, and $2.20, across the board. Mac Daddy Mac brought $3.80 and $3, while I'malreadythere delivered $4.80 to show for his third-place finish, 3 1/4 lengths back.

"You're always worried when a horse gets headed like he did," said Jimmy Barnes, Baffert's assistant. "But it looked like Martin was just cruising and he responded when he had to... You want to see a horse come back like he did. It was gratifying."

A 4 1/2-length debut winner for trainer Jack Carava going 5 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Park Oct. 24, Mac Daddy Mac, a Florida-bred son of Put It Back, was privately purchased by Reeves after the victory and moved to the barn of Kathy Ritvo.

"Good effort from the colt—big race for him," said Mac Daddy Mac's jockey, Gary Stevens. "He only had one start and he gets stretched out from 5 1/2 (furlongs) to seven. He responded well. He's talented and he's game."

The Bob Hope gave Toews On Ice his first graded win in his graded debut, which was his third straight stakes score after victories in the Barretts Juvenile at Los Alamitos Race Course Sept. 20 and the Speakeasy Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 18. He now has a 3-0-2 record from five starts, with earnings of $175,200.