Nysos © Benoit Photo

A delicious doubleheader is on the agenda for Saturday at Del Mar with the 80th edition of the Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes topping the bill, backed nicely by the 84th running of the Grade II San Diego Handicap.

And just to put some nice icing on the cake, Del Mar’s racing office also scheduled the Daisycutter Handicap, too, an overnight stakes at five furlongs on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course for fillies and mares.

The Crosby, Del Mar’s premier sprint offering named for the track’s founder, goes at six furlongs and carries a purse of $400,000. The San Diego, which serves as the key prep race for the track’s foremost offering – the $1-million, Grade I Pacific Classic on Saturday, August 30 – is contested over a mile and one-sixteenth with a $300,000 purse attached. Both are on the main track.

The Crosby has lured three fast out-of-towners wanting a shot at its Grade I status and handsome purse. And one of them – WinStar Farm or BBN Racing’s World Record has been made the 3-1 morning line favorite in the dash and regular rider Flavien Prat has shipped in from the east to join him. The Gun Runner 4-year-old has banked $444,690 so far and seeks his biggest score yet Saturday against eight fast foes.

In the San Diego, the favorite is a most-pronounced one – Baoma Corp.’s Nysos. The 4-year-old by Nyquist, a three-time stakes winner already, is listed as a stout 3/5 in the morning line against six rivals.  Once again Prat, the Eclipse Award winner for his stellar 2024 season, has the call.

The horse to beat in the $100,000 Daisycutter is Repole Stable’s Pushiness, a 4-year-old daughter of Kantharos who has finished in the top three in nine of her 10 lifetime starts.

She gets top rider Juan Hernandez and breaks from the outside in the 10-horse field.

The San Diego goes as Race 8 with a likely post at 5:30 p.m. The Daisycutter comes next with a post at 6 p.m. Then the Bing Crosby follows as Race 10 starting at 6:30 p.m.

First race of the day on the 11-race card Saturday goes at 2 p.m.