DEL MAR, Calif. - Full Serrano was purchased by his North American connections with the idea of running a distance of ground and the possibility of participating in this year’ Breeders’ Cup Classic. But an illness incurred after he returned to Santa Anita following a successful Del Mar summer, forced Full Serrano to miss the Grade 1 California Crown, prompting his trainer, John Sadler, to focus on a different Breeders’ Cup race this year. Saturday, in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, Full Serrano got an ideal stalking trip under Joel Rosario, took over from the pacesetting T O Saint Denis turning for home and edged away for a relatively comfortable 1 1/2-length victory in the last of nine Breeders’ Cup races run Saturday at Del Mar. Post Time, last of 13 down the backside under Sheldon Russell, picked his way through the field to finish second by 2 1/4 lengths over favored Domestic Product. The win was the sixth from 17 starts for Full Serrano, but second from three starts since being purchased earlier this year by Kosta and Stephanie Hronis and turned over to Sadler. Full Serrano, a 5-year-old Argentine bred son of Full Mast, showed his ability this summer when he won a one-mile allowance race on Aug. 3 and then finished a strong second in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, run at 1 1/4 miles, on Aug. 31. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Saturday, in a field of 13 after the scratch of Pipeline, Sadler wanted Joel Rosario to get Full Serrano involved early in the race. Rosario sent Full Serrano toward the front, but T O Saint Denis, under Ryusei Sakai, was quicker, getting to the lead in a quarter run in 22.30 seconds. “We had to get out of the gate - [13] horses at a mile at Del Mar - I said be brave, run into the turn see where you re at and then he just laid second,” Sadler said. “It was hard to know the Japanese horse was going to show that much speed.” Rosario had Full Serrano within 1 1/2 lengths of the lead through a half-mile in 45.47 seconds. Approaching the top of the stretch, with Tumbarumba to his outside, Full Serrano took over from T O Saint Denis and ran away from the rest while Post Time came with his belated bid. “John told me to get a good spot going into the first turn see where I am and ride him from there,” Rosario said. “After that, I followed the horse that went to the lead, the horse relaxed beautifully. He did an amazing job.” Full Serrano covered the mile in 1:35.48 and returned $28.80 to win. He earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. Full Serrano was purchased earlier this spring not long after Sadler had watched another Argentine-bred horse Subsanador, leave his barn after a private sale following a narrow defeat in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March. “He was the right age, he had run a distance of ground, he’d been running a mile and a quarter in Argentina, I liked that,” Sadler said. “He was reasonably priced, I liked that. Everything came together.” Post Time, who was second in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap and third in the Grade 1 Whitney, again ran his race, finishing a solid second. The Maryland-bred son of Frosted now has nine wins, two seconds, and three thirds from 14 career starts. “I’m always a little anxious watching a horse like this run because he had to pick his way through horses a bit but hey, we’re delighted, he ran huge, that was a great race,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “He’s as honest as they come. You don’t find many horses like this.” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. While Full Serrano and Post Time are expected to race again in 2025, the 3-year-old Domestic Product made the final start of his career with a third-place finish in the Dirt Mile. Domestic Product was coming off two victories going one-turn, including a victory in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens going seven furlongs last out. “No excuse, he was third best today,” Brown said. “Maybe at this level, Breeders’ Cup, Grade 1 level, he may not want to run quite this far, but I was very proud of him.” Domestic Product is going to stand at stud at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. Following Domestic Product in the order of finish were Tumbarumba, Katonah, Skippylongstocking, Muth, Seize the Grey, T O Saint Denis, Cagliostro, Mufasa, Three Technique, and Saudi Crown. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.