Thought Process © Benoit Photo
It seems like just yesterday horses were lining up for the Oceanside Stakes on opening day at Del Mar, kicking off the start of the $7.7 million stakes schedule for the summer meet. Monday, 32 race days later, the G2 John C. Mabee will put a wrap on the stakes menu for another year.
Ten fillies and mares are entered in the mile and an eighth test on the grass. Thought Process from the Philip D’Amato barn is the morning line favorite. She’s won four of her last five races dating back to June of 2025, including last year’s G2 San Clemente at Del Mar.
She has 10 lifetime races and has won seven of them, five of those graded stakes. Her last outing was on Memorial Day up at Santa Anita when she won the G1 Gamely.
“She’s been very impressive training down here,” D’Amato claims. ”Her last couple of breezes had (jockey) Hector Berrios shaking his head. I think we’re in a good place with her right now and hopefully this will put us on the right path to the Breeders’ Cup.”
One of those looking for the upset in the Mabee is Whiskey Decision, who ran sixth in the G2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar last month. It was her first race for trainer Michael McCarthy and turned out to be a real head scratcher for her new conditioner.
“I thought she was training very well for the Yellow Ribbon,” McCarthy says. “When the running started she just never really engaged. She’s come back and trained well again, worked well on the turf here.”
McCarthy is referring to a bullet work last Sunday of four furlongs in :47.80 (1/5).
Medoro is back in town. The runner-up in the 2024 Del Mar Oaks and winner of the 2025 Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar has been on the road for all of this year, winning at Fair Grounds in New Orleans then running the Kentucky circuit of Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Ellis Park. She’s back at Del Mar where she ran second in last year’s John C. Mabee.
Fibonaccis Ride is hoping to parlay her win in the $150,000 Solana Beach last month at Del Mar into a graded stakes victory. The Cal-bred daughter of Clubhouse Ride has raced 13 times in her career but only once in open company.
“It’s a tough race but I think she’s in good form to give a good effort,” trainer Antonio Garcia states. “She’s always had the talent but she’s had temperament issues. It took her a while to mellow down and control her temper.”
Garcia wouldn’t mind seeing a re-run of the Solana Beach.
“She was really impressive that day,” Garcia says. “She made a big run and overcame a couple issues like being stuck on the rail. That showed a lot of upside to her. Victor (Espinoza) has done a great job with her and we’re just looking for a good effort and then we can look for something at Santa Anita at her Cal-bred level.”
Osunitas winner Baltic Fire is also stepping up into the John C. Mabee. The daughter of Flameway ran in this race last year and finished seventh of eight horses. But she’s very much improved in 2026, having finished in the money in her last four races, winning the last two.
Trainer Jose D’Angelo brings two to the dance. Vincey Girl was last seen running fifth in the Yellow Ribbon and Bojaca Blessing notched an allowance victory at Del Mar last out.
The 69th running of the G2 John C. Mabee, named after the owner of the once popular Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona and breeder of Best Pal, goes off as Race 9 on the 11-race Monday card. Probable post is 5:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Whiskey Decision (Antonio Fresu, 6-1); Pura Vida Princesa (Joe Bravo, 12-1); Bojaca Blessing (Mike Smith, 8-1); Thought Process (Hector I. Berrios, 8/5); Canto Della Terra (Ricky Gonzalez, 12-1); Baltic Fire (Kyle Frey, 8-1); Medoro (Juan Hernandez, 7/2); Fibonaccis Ride (Victor Espinoza, 20-1); Firenze Fire (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1), and Vincey Girl (Kazushi Kimura, 20-1).