DEL MAR – The connections of the no-surprise victory by Zenyatta on the opening weekend of the month closed August with a surprise win by Madeo in yesterday's $350,000, Grade II Del Mar Derby.

Jockey Mike Smith negotiated a rail-skimming ride for trainer John Shirreffs and owners Ann and Jerry Moss, and Madeo ($23.60) held off 4½-5 favorite Gio Ponti by a half-length in the race that determines the 3-year-old male champion of the meeting.

Tangled Tango, a nearly 14-1 shot who led for most of the 1 1/8 miles on turf, covered by Madeo in 1:46.68, finished third, three-quarters of a length behind Gio Ponti.

Smith, Shirreffs and the Mosses have, of course, pulled off upsets in bigger races than yesterday's. Giacomo at 50-1 in the 2005 Kentucky Derby. Tiago at 30-1 in the 2007 Santa Anita Derby.

And the win by a colt making only his second grass start, after finishing fourth, beaten 3½ lengths, in the Derby-prep La Jolla Handicap three weeks earlier, over the top-rated 3-year-old grass horse in the country was explainable.

The Trakus company, which uses computer chips in saddle cloths and GPS technology to compile its data, showed that Gio Ponti's journey was 61 feet farther than that of Madeo.

“The horse broke well and Mike was able to get him in good position (fourth of 10),” Shirreffs said. “Then he stuck to the rail like a magnet and had plenty left for the big finish.”

For Gio Ponti, shipping in from the east with a record of four wins in five starts, all on grass and the last two in graded stakes, the rail was always a ways to the left, on the fringe of peripheral vision.

“I'm a little disappointed in him,” jockey Garrett Gomez said. “A bunch of little things went wrong during the race and he should have handled them. But he didn't.

“I used him some to get position, then we lost that position. Then, don't ask me how, but I wound up six wide coming for home. He just couldn't get it done. He's a better colt than this. You didn't see his best race today.”

Madeo's third win in six career starts was worth $210,000 and boosted the career earnings of the Moss homebred son of Mizzen Mast-Passion Flower to $317,915.

Giacomo and Tiago were both named for the sons of famous musicians whose recordings Jerry Moss, co-founder of A&M records, produced. Madeo is named after a Los Angeles restaurant.

“Our favorite restaurant in L.A.,” Shirreffs said. “The place we always go to celebrate.”

Torrey Pines Stakes

Dawn Before Dawn led six rivals wire to wire in posting a one-length victory in the $108,800 Torrey Pines Stakes.

With Gomez aboard, the 3-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of High Yield-Lady Quatorze scored her first stakes victory and second win in six starts for trainer John Sadler. Both victories were recorded leading all the way.

Dawn Before Dawn ($17.80) went unchallenged and opened up a 2-3 length lead through fractions of :22.75 and :46.92 for the first half-mile and finished in 1:37.10 for the mile on Polytrack. Miss Singhsix was second and Distant Victory third.

Closers

A field of 11 has been set for Wednesday's meeting-ending $250,000 Del Mar Futurity. Kelly Leak, who crossed under the wire first in the Best Pal Stakes but was disqualified to fourth, drew post position five. The only stakes winner in the field is Southern Exchange, who took the Colin at Woodbine in Canada on July 19 to extend his career record to 3-0. . . . Jockey Martin Garcia, who rode Black Magic Mama in Saturday's second race, was assessed a three-day suspension for causing interference in the stretch and a disqualification.