Baffert © Benoit Photo
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert is back for another season at Del Mar. He missed opening weekend for the first time in years while tending to business back in Kentucky. That’s not to say he didn’t run horses at Del Mar. He had a winner in Holmby, a promising 2-year-old filly by first year sire Corniche, who handily took down a maiden special weight on July 18.
“It’s good to be here,” Baffert says. “We’ve got some nice horses here.”
Baffert is defending back-to-back training titles at Del Mar’s summer meet. He won in 2024 with 23 wins and then topped his nearest competitor by six wins with 24 victories in 2025. He’s won 10 Del Mar training titles in all, seven in a row between 1997 and 2003. Baffert continues to set the pace for most wins by a trainer all-time at Del Mar with 688 and for the most stakes wins with 190. Many of his victories over the past two years have been by his 2-year-olds and he believes he has another strong crop this year.
“We always bring 2-year-olds out here to get ready,” Baffert contends. “A few are in Kentucky but a majority of them are here. Hopefully by the end of the meet we’ll get some races into them. Those I can’t get in, I’ll ship back to Kentucky.”
Two of his juveniles were on display last Saturday (7-25). Domus and Nayar ran one-two in a maiden special weight. Baffert has such a large number of 2-year-olds in his stable it’s not uncommon for him to run them against each other.
“We’re on an island here,” Baffert explains referring to California racing. “It’s getting tougher to find races for dirt horses here in California. Everybody is leaning toward turf. It’s not the fault of the racing management it’s just the way it is. The owners like turf racing and the Cal-bred program and I don’t have any Cal-breds.”
The ultimate goal is to get his top juveniles to the Breeders’ Cup and a major steppingstone to reaching that goal is the G1 Del Mar Debutante on September 5 or the G1 Del Mar Futurity on September 6. Baffert seems to have the winning touch in both races. He’s won the Debutante 12 times and the Futurity 19 times.
One of the big news stories of opening week was provided by Baffert when he announced Nysos was pointing to next month's Pacific Classic. The son of Nyquist and last out winner of the G1 Met Mile arrived on the grounds a week and a half ago and worked a scintillating four furlongs in :47.60 last Saturday (7-25) in his first work at the seaside oval.
“He looks great,” Baffert says. “It was always my plan (to run in the Pacific Classic). The timing is good and I want to support Del Mar. He’s training well and if all goes well, we’ll see.”
The Grade I $1 million Pacific Classic will be run on August 22.
Baffert also has Nevada Beach at Del Mar this summer. The winner of the G3 Native Diver at Del Mar last fall has put in three works at the seaside oval, the latest on Friday when he breezed five furlongs in 1:00.60 (17/38).
Imagination and Desert Gate arrived at Del Mar a week ago. Imagination was runner-up to Bentornato in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year at Del Mar and Desert Gate won the 2025 G3 Best Pal before running second in the Futurity.