DEL MAR, Calif. – There was an old-fashioned shootout a little before sundown on Friday at Del Mar, with Twilight Gleaming and Leggs Galore going at it right from the start of the Daisycutter Handicap, and Twilight Gleaming emerging the best of the two at the end of the five-furlong turf race. The two female sprinters were clearly the speed of the $104,100 race, and they hooked up right from the start. Twilight Gleaming led narrowly into the turn, started to edge away from Leggs Galore in upper stretch, and successfully staved off the remaining four runners in an impressive display of raw speed. Twilight Gleaming was timed in 56.90 seconds on the firm course following splits of 21.90 seconds for the quarter and 44.91 seconds for the half. She was favored for most of the betting, but the last round of money was more pronounced on Leggs Galore, so Twilight Gleaming went off the second choice. She paid $4.80. :: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more “She broke a step slow, but her second and third jump were really quick,” said Juan Hernandez, the meet’s leading rider, who was aboard for the win. Hernandez said he purposely kept Twilight Gleaming a bit away from Leggs Galore in the run to the turn to try and avoid going too fast “I dropped in on the turn,” Hernandez said. “When I got to the quarter pole she picked it up. She loves this track.” Twilight Gleaming was returning to the scene of her greatest victory. She won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint here last fall. This was her first race against older runners. She has now won five times in eight starts, and has been second in her three losses. Xmas Surprise, at 29-1 the longest shot in the field, rallied from last to be second, a half-length behind Twilight Gleaming and a neck in front of Leggs Galore. Havana Love, She’s So Nice, and Sadie Bluegrass completed the finish, in that order. Royal Address was scratched. :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Wesley Ward trains Twilight Gleaming, an Irish-bred daughter of National Defense out of the Dansili mare Thames Pageant. She is owned by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables. Twilight Gleaming was scheduled to race earlier this month in Saratoga, but she was scratched and re-routed here by Ward. He said Twilight Gleaming experienced discomfort from being cinched too tight during a workout, and he took her out of the Saratoga race out of an abundance of caution. She earned $60,000 on Friday to bring her bankroll to $781,867. Fast money.