Bernardo Stakes – (Grade lll)

Purse $100.00 – For Fillies And Mares Three Years Old And Upward

6½ Furlongs – Dirt

Del Mar – August 16, 2026

A three-year-old filly taking on older mares and cutting back in distance from two-turn races, Grecia Tieta answered both challenges with a well-timed rally from off the pace in the 24th Bernardo Stakes! This Waldo homebred secured the first graded stakes victory of her career in only her seventh career start. The daughter of Wii increased her bankroll to $173.40 with this being her third lifetime win, and did it at a whopping 54-1! The victory also gave both owner Waldo and jockey Joel Rosario their first Bernardo Stakes scores and added another milestone to Grecia Tieta’s young career. A ground-saving trip helped this filly cover the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.38, as she surged late to get up right at the wire. Connections will have plenty to think about from here as they decide whether to keep Grecia Tieta sprinting, return to two-turn competition, or run with straight three-year-olds again. Congratulations to Waldo on his first graded stakes victory of the year. Here’s to many more to come!

Winner: Grecia Tieta – (Waldo, J. Rosario) Breaking from the gate, this gray filly didn’t show a ton of speed as jockey Joel Rosario was focused on saving as much ground as possible. Grecia Tieta eventually found her rail to the rail as the field reached the quarter pole. She got into a comfortable rhythm and started to inch up on the leaders halfway around the far turn. There wasn’t a clear lane to run, so Joel Rosario bided his time behind a wall of horses. As the field entered the stretch, some room finally opened up and Grecia Tieta kicked home smartly down on the inside. She took the lead inside the final 1/16, scoring by a quarter of a length. Facing older mares was a big test and this homebred passed with flying colors. Well done!

Second Place: Brusilov Treat – (Iwin Enterprise, V. Espinoza) Connections were hoping for a bounce-back effort after finishing eighth last time out and Brusilov Treat delivered. She showed plenty of speed leaving the gate from post seven, clearing the field down the backside. The daughter of Brusilov held a half-length advantage entering the far turn, setting fractions of 22.56, 45.63, and 1:09.43. Jockey Victory Espinoza started asking his horse to go as they reached the quarter pole with many rivals launching their bids from behind. Brusilov Treat continued to dig in down the stretch, maintaining her lead, but was caught right at the wire to finish second. This was an especially noteworthy effort.

Third Place: Scottish Shortbread – (YME Stable, J J. Hernandez) Coming into this race, Scottish Shortbread had been perfect in her five prior sprint starts. This was her first time taking the jump into graded stakes company and she performed very well. This Florida-bred was unlucky leaving the gate and traveled five-wide down the backstretch. Jockey Juan Hernandez didn’t do anything to help the situation heading into the far turn, covering a lot of extra ground. She really started to move at the quarter pole with many rivals starting to rally down to the inside. Scottish Shortbread luckily had a clear running lane to close down the stretch, but was ultimately closed by the eventual winner. This filly probably wins with a better trip.

Fourth Place: Reflex Action – (The Sidley Stud, A. Fresu) The daughter of Action Man came into this race with tons of graded stakes experience, but it was only her second time at the distance. She broke well from the gate and was forwardly placed down the backside. Reflex Action eventually contested the early lead down on the rail with Brusilov Treat to the outside. Those two raced together around the far turn, putting about a one-length gap on the rest of the field. This mare continued to fight on from the top of the stretch to the wire, however rivals from the back of the pack surged past late. Reflex Action finished fourth in what was still a solid effort. Being a half-sister to four turf winners, it would be interesting to see what she can do on the grass.

– AJM

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES