Awesome Return wins Let It Ride Stakes at Del Mar

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) Awesome Return won the $93,100 Let It Ride Stakes for 3-year-olds by 1 1/4 lengths Saturday, giving Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith his second stakes win in two days.

Awesome Return ran a mile on the turf in 1:34.55 and paid $5.40, $4 and $3.20 as the 8-5 favorite.

Number Five returned $9.40 and $5.60, while Cabral was another head back in third and paid $6.20 to show.

The victory, worth $60,660, increased Awesome Return's career earnings to $330,780, with four wins in nine races.

Smith won the $84,350 Kathryn Crosby Stakes for older fillies and mares with Queen of the Sand on Friday, opening day of Del Mar's 15-day fall meet.

''We've got another one tomorrow,'' he said. ''I might as well just go ahead and finish it off.''

Smith used the same come-from-behind tactics with Awesome Return that he used to win Friday.

''He got to playing a little bit in the stretch but the horse does that every time,'' trainer Mike Puype said. ''He's never going to pull away and win by tons, but he still has a little bit left. He runs to his competition and, as always, you don't see Mike Smith make any mistakes.''

Martin Pedroza rode three winners on the card, all long shots.