Game Warrior © Benoit Photo
LONGSHOTS AND CLOSE FINISHES MARK OPENING DAY AT DEL MAR
Another Opening Day is in the books and it certainly lived up to its billing. It was a day full of close finishes and longshot winners mixed in with the beautiful weather, beautiful horses and beautiful people.
A “sell out” crowd limited to 21,209 showed up on the first day of the 2025 summer meet at Del Mar. They enjoyed the good food, tasty drinks and a 10-race card, most of them with full fields. The all-sources handle was $21,223,460. A bit short of last year’s $24,179,664, but that was a record handle for an Opening Day at Del Mar, it was also on a Saturday and there were 11 races.
Every race Friday provided patrons with a thrilling finish. The widest margin of victory came in Race 6 when Genius Jimmy wired the field and won by a length and a half. Otherwise, five of the remaining nine races were photo finishes and the other four races were decided by less than a length.
Ready To Pounce, a 7-year old bay gelding out of the John Sadler barn, took the opener. He was the favorite but it wasn’t until the sixth race that another favorite found the winners circle. In between there was a $30 winner (Left Hand Man in the Race 3) and a $20 winner (Tejon Pass in Race 4).
In Race 7, Lino’s Angel scored at 21-1 and paid $45.40 to win followed by Game Warrior, who won the traditional opening day feature, the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes in Race 8, and paid a whopping $40.60 on a $2 win ticket.
Not to be outdone, as the sun was beginning to set in the nearby Pacific Ocean, Ribbons, a 3-year-old bay filly out of the Leonard Powell barn, crashed the board at 28-1. She paid $59.40 as Italian rider, Mirco Demuro, scored his first victory at Del Mar, rewarding those who stuck around to the very end and went out on a limb and backed the longshot filly. Suffice to say, there will be a Pick 6 and a Super High 5 carryover into Saturday.
Abel Lezcano and Hector I. Berrios both won two races on the day to lead the jockeys, while trainer Peter Miller also made two trips to the winner’s circle on Opening Day.
Arguably the biggest winner of the day was Lili Martindale of San Diego, the Grand Prize winner of the 2025 Del Mar Opening Day Hats Contest.
So we’re underway on this the 86th summer season at Del Mar. Another 30 racing days lie ahead until September 7. Racing is every Thursday through Sunday, first post at 2 p.m. except Fridays when we start at 4 o’clock.
BAFFERT READY TO DEFEND TRAINERS’ TITLE AT DEL MAR
It was a couple days after closing day last September before trainer Bob Baffert learned that he had won last summer’s training title at Del Mar, his first outright title at the seaside oval since his run of seven straight ended in 2003. He shared the title with Philip D’Amato in 2022.
“I forgot about that,” Baffert remembers. “I’m never here because I had to go to the sale in Kentucky so I forgot all about it and had to read about it. It’s been a long time between drinks there for me.”
Baffert had left for the Keeneland Yearling Sale the day before closing day at Del Mar so he was busy scouting future prospects when Gaming won the Del Mar Futurity to seal the crown for Baffert.
“It’s exciting to be leading trainer,” Baffert says. “The people that work for me are very proud that we’re leading trainer. Can’t do it without them. I got a great team.”
It was Baffert’s ninth training title at Del Mar and judging by the number of quality horses he’s bringing this year, a repeat is not out of the question. Baffert won 23 races last summer, eight of them stakes. Add one more stakes win in the fall and Baffert has extended his all-time total at Del Mar to a leading 178, more than twice as much as runner-up John Sadler’s 86.
“This year we couldn’t wait to get down here,” Baffert contends. “It was hot up there (at Santa Anita) and the meet was long. We used to have that Hollywood break. This has always been our favorite summer meet. A working vacation. Can’t beat the weather and you got the ocean. I go out there once in a while, work on my tan.”
The Baffert crew began arriving at Del Mar on Tuesday. The 72-year old conditioner has once again brought a large string of talented horses. They fill at least one barn and many of them are young juveniles.
“It’s all about the young horses,” Baffert explains. “Getting them going, developing them. It’s neat to see them and hopefully they stay healthy. We run horses in the stakes and break maidens and we enjoy it. I like coming here. It’s a fun track.”
Baffert dominated the 2-year-old division at Del Mar last year winning the Sorrento and Best Pal Stakes in August and the Debutante and Futurity in September with several maiden victories in between. He doesn’t like to talk about his juveniles until they have a race under them, but believes he has another impressive group with him this year.
“We have some nice ones,” Baffert notes. “Desert Gate and Himika are two that just broke their maidens. They looked really good. They’ll run in the Best Pal. We got a lot of well-bred 2-year-olds. Most will be ready at the end of the meet. We’re always looking for that next superstar.”
One to keep an eye out for is Brant, a 2-year-old Gun Runner colt purchased by Zedan Racing for $3.1 million at the recent Ocala Breeders Sale. He’s unraced but has been on the worktab since the middle of May.
As for older horses, Baffert has brought an impressive collection to Del Mar beginning with Nysos, a nice looking Nyquist colt who’s expected to run in the G2 San Diego next weekend. Baffert’s Derby horse, Citizen Bull, also is here though he’s getting a bit of a break right now.
“He had a pretty rough campaign there,” Baffert says, “but he’s doing well. He’s healthy. Maybe he’ll run at the end (of meet).”
There’s also his Del Mar Debutante and Santa Anita Oaks winner Tenma, who was one of several horses Baffert took back east for his return to Churchill Downs. She finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks.
“I was going to put her on the turf,” Baffert confides, “but I changed my mind. I might run her at the end of the meet.”
We may see Speed Boat Beach. He’s another one Baffert hopes to get cranked up and back to the races by September. The 2023 G1 Malibu winner finished last in his comeback race in April in Kentucky, with an excuse.
“He bled so we turned him out,“ Baffert explains. “He’s back now and so far he’s been really good.”
There’s also Gaming, winner of the Del Mar Futurity last year and Hope Road winner of the G3 Torrey Pines and the G3 Bayakoa Stakes both at Del Mar in 2024.
Baffert can expect some stiff competition for the trainers crown this summer. Philip D’Amato is back, fresh off his title at Santa Anita’s Hollywood meet; Mark Glatt was the leading trainer of the Bing Crosby meet last fall; Michael McCarthy has more than Journalism in his barn, John Sadler seems well stocked to make a run and Peter Miller got an early jump with two victories on Opening Day.
MEDORO MAKES 2025 DEBUT IN $100,000 OSUNITAS AT DEL MAR SUNDAY
Nobody ever said playing the stakes races at Del Mar was going to be easy. For the second day in a row there’s an overnight stakes filled with horses dropping in from graded stakes company.
It’s the 70th running of the $100,000 Osunitas Stakes, a one mile turf event for fillies and mares.
There’s the lukewarm morning line favorite Medoro, who will be making her 2025 debut in the Osunitas. She was last seen running against She Feels Pretty in the G1 American Oaks on opening day at Santa Anita.
“She couldn’t be training any better,” trainer Peter Eurton notes. “We freshened her up, gave her some time off after a long, pretty good campaign as a 3-year-old. Never did anything wrong.”
Medoro finished in the money in all six of her 2024 races, five of them graded.
Alpha Bella, a 5-year-old daughter of Justify, has raced against graded stakes company in her last eight races. She faced Cavalieri, Richi, Hope Road, War Like Goddess and McKulick, to name a few. She’s been second in half of those races, but hasn’t won since January of 2024 when she was down in Florida.
“We’re switching her back to grass,” trainer John Sadler says. “She really didn’t run her race last time on dirt but she’s a stakes winner on turf. We just want to get her a little class relief. She’s been in against all the nuts, so hopefully we got an easier spot.”
Nadette, a 6-year-old French-bred, spent most of 2024 butting heads with the likes of Moira, Gina Romantica and Anisette. She ran 10 times and won twice and has been off since the middle of January. Trainer Neil Drysdale has decided to resume her 2025 campaign with a slight class drop.
Queen Maxima has won five straight races including last out in the G3 Unbridled Sidney at Churchill Downs. She’ll be stretching out after running eight of her nine lifetime starts in turf sprints. In her only two-turn race she finished 10th. She’s been first or second in all of her other races.
The Osunitas is Race 9 on the 11-race card Sunday. Probable post is 6 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and morning line odds: Nadette (Mike Smith, 6-1); Queen Maxima (Juan Hernandez, 7/2); Venganza (Mirco Demuro, 20-1); Omnipontat (Antonio Fresu, 15-1); Sun Of Hill (Tiago Pereira, 20-1); Grand Slam Smile (William Antongeorgi, 12-1); Raw Ability (Vince Cheminaud, 12-1); Alpha Bella (Armando Ayuso, 10-1); Medoro (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1); Sunset Glory (Kazushi Kimura, 6-1); Quatro Y Vinte (Asa Espinoza, 20-1), and Lunar Impact (Hector I. Berrios, 8-1).
COOLING OUT: Game Warrior came out of his victory in the Oceanside Stakes Friday in good order according to trainer Peter Miller and will be pointed to the La Jolla Handicap at Del Mar August 3….Trainer Dan Blacker has decided to push back Straight No Chaser’s next race. Instead of running in the G1 Bing Crosby next weekend, he’ll point his Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion to the G2 Pat O’Brien August 23…Notable works for Saturday on the dirt: Hejazi (3f, :35.40); Roll On Big Joe (3f, :37.20); Tamara (3f, :37.80); Dr. Venkman (4f, :49.80); First Peace (4f, :48.00); Nothing Like You (4f, :48.20); Stay Hot (4f, :52.40); Sugar Fish (4f, :50.80); Two River Over (4f, :48.40); Hope Road (5f, :59.80) and Mirahmadi (5f, :58.20). A total of 251 horses put in official works at Del Mar Saturday.