Stevens wins stakes on Wishing Gate
He Be Fire N Ice won the $150,000 California Dreamin' Handicap by a head and Wishing Gate won the $150,000 San Clemente Handicap by 1-3/4 lengths at Del Mar on Sunday.
In the California Dreamin', He Be Fire N Ice ran 1-1/16 miles on the turf in 1:40.44 under Victor Espinoza and returned $10.80 on a $2 win bet.
Rock Me Baby finished second, and Starspangled Heat was another 1-3/4 lengths back in third.
In the San Clemente, Wishing Gate covered a mile on the turf in 1:33.58 under Hall of Famer Gary Stevens and paid $12. The winning time was just four one-hundredths of a second off the stakes record set by Storm Mesa in 2008.
''It sure is great to be winning at the highest level. That's why I came back,'' said Stevens, who began his comeback at 50 in January. ''To win one at Del Mar is special.''
Stevens won the San Clemente for the third time and first since 1990. It was his first stakes win at Del Mar since 2003 in the Fleet Treat.
Unusual Way ran second, and Iotapa was another 1-1/4 miles back in third.