DEL MAR — Saturday, November 7, 2026 — Race #1

Moonshine Empire delivered a determined victory in the $100.000 The Chosen Stakes, prevailing by a neck under Berrios H I for owner/trainer La Canada Racehorses. Sent off at 8-1, the three-year-old bay gelding tracked the early pace, advanced into contention approaching the final call, and completed the seven furlongs over a fast dirt track in 1:21.41.

Race Recap

The Chosen Stakes brought together nine California-bred runners aged three and older, with two additional entrants scratched before the race. The seven-furlong contest produced a closely fought finish, with Moonshine Empire ultimately separating himself from a dead heat for second between Bowser and Mystic Freak Party.

Sinissippi Chicken established the early lead, with Time To Begin immediately alongside. Moonshine Empire settled third through the first two calls, maintaining a favorable position while the leaders contested the pace.

The race changed substantially approaching the third call. Time To Begin moved into the lead, Moonshine Empire advanced from third to first, and Mystic Freak Party improved from fifth to third. Sinissippi Chicken, meanwhile, surrendered his early advantage and began losing ground.

The final stages brought the most dramatic positional changes. Moonshine Empire maintained his advantage to win by a neck, while Bowser rallied from sixth at the third call to share second with Mystic Freak Party, who continued his steady advance from the rear of the field.

Time To Begin remained competitive but settled for fourth, followed by Heavy Current, Hearts And Spades, Le Freak, Awakening World, and Sinissippi Chicken.

Flow & Calls

First Call — Sinissippi Chicken Sets the Pace

Sinissippi Chicken held a narrow lead over Time To Begin, with Moonshine Empire third. Heavy Current occupied fourth, followed by Awakening World and Le Freak.

Mystic Freak Party was seventh, Hearts And Spades eighth, and Bowser trailed the nine-horse field.

Second Call — Time To Begin Takes Over

Time To Begin moved ahead by one length, while Sinissippi Chicken slipped to second. Moonshine Empire remained third, with Heavy Current fourth.

Mystic Freak Party improved two positions into fifth. Awakening World dropped to sixth, Le Freak to seventh, and Bowser advanced to eighth ahead of Hearts And Spades.

Third Call — Moonshine Empire Makes His Move

Moonshine Empire advanced from third to take the lead by a nose over Time To Begin.

Mystic Freak Party continued forward into third, followed by Heavy Current and Sinissippi Chicken. Bowser improved to sixth, with Awakening World seventh, Hearts And Spades eighth, and Le Freak ninth.

Final Call — Moonshine Empire Holds Off Two Challengers

Moonshine Empire retained the lead and won by a neck.

Bowser surged from sixth to finish in a dead heat for second with Mystic Freak Party, who advanced from third.

Time To Begin dropped from second to fourth, Heavy Current finished fifth, and Hearts And Spades improved to sixth. Le Freak finished seventh, Awakening World eighth, and Sinissippi Chicken faded to ninth.

Each Runner Mentioned

Moonshine Empire — 1st

Tracked the early leaders from third before taking command at the third call. Maintained his advantage through a closely contested finish, earning a neck victory in a strong performance.

Bowser — Dead Heat for 2nd

Rallied impressively after racing last at the first call. Improved steadily through the field and advanced from sixth at the third call to share second, narrowly missing the victory.

Mystic Freak Party — Dead Heat for 2nd

Made consistent progress from seventh at the first call to third approaching the finish. Continued his advance to share second with Bowser, finishing just a neck behind the winner.

Time To Begin — 4th

Contested the early pace, took command at the second call, and remained second at the third. Could not sustain that position through the finish but remained competitive in fourth.

Heavy Current — 5th

Maintained fourth through the first three calls before losing one position in the closing stages. Finished fifth without mounting a decisive challenge for the lead.

Hearts And Spades — 6th

Raced near the rear throughout the early stages, dropping to ninth at the second call. Recovered two positions from the third call to finish sixth.

Le Freak — 7th

Occupied a midfield position early but lost ground as the race progressed. Dropped to ninth at the third call before recovering to seventh at the finish.

Awakening World — 8th

Raced fifth early but gradually lost position, falling to seventh at the third call and eighth at the finish.

Sinissippi Chicken — 9th

Established the early lead but surrendered it at the second call. Continued to weaken, falling to fifth at the third call and ultimately finishing last.

Winner’s Connections, Pedigree, and Career Record

Moonshine Empire is a three-year-old bay gelding by Boardwalk Empire out of Rum Dummy, bred in California by Mb Stables.

Owned and trained by La Canada Racehorses, he was ridden to victory by Berrios H I.

With this victory, Moonshine Empire’s lifetime record stands at 12 starts, 3 wins, 2 seconds, and 1 third, with career earnings of $148.720.

His 2026 record includes three victories from nine starts, demonstrating substantial improvement during his three-year-old campaign. His previous victory came over seven furlongs at Churchill Downs in June, and his more recent performances included competitive efforts in California-bred company.

Final Assessment

Moonshine Empire’s victory was built on tactical consistency and a well-timed advance. Rather than contesting the early lead, he maintained third position before moving forward at the third call and holding his advantage through the finish.

Bowser produced the most substantial late positional improvement, advancing from the rear to share second with Mystic Freak Party. Time To Begin’s fourth-place finish demonstrated how difficult it proved for the early leaders to maintain their positions.

The result gave Moonshine Empire his first stakes victory and reinforced his effectiveness at seven furlongs.

Track: Fast
Time: :22⁴  :46  1:09³  1:21²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 115.10, 1 – 8 Paid 30.20
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 8 Paid 405.50, 1 – 8 – 4 Paid 405.50

Scratched: Sitting On A Dream(L), Soul Code Party(L)

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded