Thousand Words © Benoit Photo

Young talent will be in the Del Mar spotlight Saturday when six two-year-old colts, all of them winners in their brief careers, will match strides in the featured $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has sent out three of the five winners of the Bob Hope Stakes since the race’s inauguration in 2014, will saddle two runners – Thousand Words, with Flavien Prat, and High Velocity, to be ridden by Drayden Van Dyke.

Thousand Words, a son of Pioneerof the Nile, won his career debut stylishly in late October, while stablemate High Velocity, by Quality Road, also scored first time out in mid-October at Santa Anita. Both were favored, Thousand Words at 13-10, and High Velocity at odds-on, 7-10.

Seeking to thwart the Baffert twosome will be Rager, a maiden winner on grass who will have Martin Garcia aboard; Howbeit, a two-time winner to be piloted by Rafael Bejarano; Zimba Warrior, who broke his maiden at the Fresno Fair, with Jose Valdivia to ride, and Strongconstitution, runner-up in the Sunny Slope Stakes, beaten only a neck by Fore Left, with Abel Cedillo scheduled aboard. Strongconstitution won his debut on grass last summer at Del Mar.

Post time for the first of nine races will be 12:30 p.m.