Bob Baffert © Zoe Metz Photo
BAFFERT TO SHOWCASE TOP JUVENILE FILLIES IN G1 DEBUTANTE
It’s time to start crowning some summer meet Champions and anointments begin Saturday with the 75th running of the G1 Del Mar Debutante. Generally the winner of the Debutante is recognized as the Champion 2-year-old filly of the meet. Last year it was Tenma and the year before that it was Tamara.
Trainer Bob Baffert appears to have an inside track to a repeat in both the boy’s and the girl’s juvenile divisions this year. His talented group of 2-year-olds will be on full display this weekend at Del Mar beginning with Saturday’s Debutante, a seven furlong test.
Himika, a daughter of Curlin, is undefeated after two starts, both by open lengths. She won her maiden first out by six lengths, then took the G3 Sorrento last month by 4 ¼ lengths. She fired a bullet work on Sunday (5f, :58.60).
“She’s doing very well,” Baffert says. “She’s training well, came out of the race well. I don’t like them next to each other in the starting gate. They’re both fast and you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
He’s referring to Himika and Explora being side-by-side in the gate. Explora is in the one hole, Himika in the two. Explora is entering the Debutante off a debut maiden win at Del Mar where she scored by 4 ¾ lengths.
“Her first race was impressive,” Baffert adds. “She came back and worked well. I don’t see her regressing any at all.”
Baffert’s third entry in the Debutante is Bottle of Rouge, a daughter of Vino Rosso. It took her two tries to break her maiden but when she did, at Del Mar last month, she won by 6 ¾ lengths.
“Of all of them, hers was more workmanlike,” Baffert contends. “Those other fillies are probably quicker than her but I think distance is her friend. As we go farther, I think she will be better. She’s bred to go a mile and an eighth.”
The Baffert trio could have their hands full with a couple of contenders. La Wally won first time out on opening weekend at Del Mar, albeit by just a nose, getting up for the win on the wire.
“Luckily she had enough ground to work with,” trainer Mark Glatt notes of the five furlong race. “I think she’ll only improve with more added distance.”
Bourbon and Ginger also won at first asking, defeating another Debutante contender, Grandma Mary.
“She’s very smart and can run,” trainer Richard Mandella says. “We’ll find out if she’s as good as those monsters that Baffert has but she’s doing great.”
Mandella put a bullet work into the daughter of Bolt d’Oro on Tuesday (4f, :47.60) in preparation for Saturday’s race.
The G1 Del Mar Debutante has a long list of distinguished winners such as Landaluce, Chilukki, Bellafina and Songbird. Many went on to Breeders’ Cup fame. Brave Raj, Halfbridled, Sweet Catomine and Songbird all won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after winning the Debutante earlier in the year.
It’s Race 6 on the 11-race card. Probable post time is 4 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Explora (Juan Hernandez, 8/5); Himika (Kazushi Kimura, 2-1); Fourlynnes (Hector I. Berrios, 20-1); Grandma Mary (Ricky Gonzalez, 8-1); Bottle of Rouge (Mike Smith, 5-1); La Wally (Antonio Fresu, 10-1), and Bourbon and Ginger (Mirco Demuro, 8-1).
HANG THE MOON BACK TO DEFEND HER CROWN IN G2 JOHN C. MABEE
Trainer Phil D’Amato is getting pretty good at defending titles of races he won the year before. Last weekend Gold Phoenix won the G2 Del Mar Handicap for a fourth straight year and his Motorious won the G3 Green Flash for a third straight year. So when he brings a horse back to defend its crown, people take notice.
The defending champion and another talented invader from the Graham Motion barn highlight this Saturday’s 68th running of the G2 John C. Mabee. Nine fillies and mares will give-it-a-go in the mile and an eighth turf test, the last of the Graded stakes for older horses at Del Mar this summer.
D’Amato has brought his usual tour de force with four horses entered including Hang the Moon, last year’s winner of the Mabee. She went on to win the G2 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita earning her a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar.
She finished last in that race and after another poor showing in the G3 Robert J. Frankel in December, D’Amato gave the daughter of Uncle Mo some time off. She returned in the G2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar last month and ran fourth.
“I think she needed the race,” D’Amato notes. “She was kind of up close and she can be pace compromised if she doesn’t get it to come with her late kick. Second off the bench she’s a tighter filly and ready to go at the mile and an eighth.”
Hang the Moon will have some company when she heads over from the D’Amato barn. Stablemate Public Assembly was runner up in the Yellow Ribbon.
“We were very happy with her performance in there,” D’Amato states. “There was no pace at all and she came running. Hopefully there’s a little more pace for her to run at this time.”
Mission of Joy and Kentucky Gal also will represent D’Amato in the Mabee.
Graham Motion ships in Gimme a Nother, a South African-bred mare who has run second in three-of-her-four starts since arriving at Motion’s barn late last year. She ran second in the G2 Hillsborough at Tampa Bay Downs in her U.S. debut in March followed by a second to She Feels Pretty in the G3 Modesty at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Oaks Day.
She was last in a field of seven in the G1 New York at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day, but rebounded nicely missing by a head in the G2 Canadian at Woodbine last out.
“She ran such a huge race that day at Woodbine,” Alice Clapham, assistant trainer for Motion says. “It’s such a shame she got beat on the wire.”
Gimme a Nother shipped into Del Mar from Motion’s stable at Fair Hill in Maryland.
“Having come in from South Africa this is a small trip for her,” Clapham notes. “She seems to be good. Bright and happy. This is a good spot for her.”
Motion is one-for-one at Del Mar this summer, shipping in and winning the Yellow Ribbon with Heredia last month.
Trainer Peter Eurton is expecting big things from Medoro, winner of the $100,000 Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar in July. It was her 2025 debut after a successful 3-year-old campaign in which she kept Graded stakes company in all but one of her six starts.
“She has a lot of heart,” Eurton says. “She’s missed a few dances here and there but we gave her a freshening at the beginning of this year, which I think you need to do with 3-year-olds before taking the next step against older. She came back better and she’s shown a lot more athleticism this year because she’s fresh.”
Eurton says if they win the Mabee on Saturday they would consider the Breeders’ Cup noting that the Filly and Mare Turf is “always very difficult.” Medoro has never finished out of the money in nine lifetime starts and was second to Iscreamuscream in last year’s G1 Del Mar Oaks.
The John C. Mabee is named after one of the founders of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the owner of the once popular Golden Eagle Farm in Ramona and breeder of Best Pal. It goes off as Race 9 on the 11-race Saturday card at Del Mar. Probable post is 5:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Mahina (Drayden Van Dyke, 12-1); Public Assembly (Antonio Fresu, 6-1); Mission of Joy (Hector I. Berrios, 12-1); Medoro (Umberto Rispoli, 5/2); Hopeful (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1); Kentucky Gal (Edwin Maldonado, 12-1); Gimme a Nother (Juan Hernandez, 3-1); Baltic Fire (Serafin Carmona, 12-1), and Hang the Moon (Kazushi Kimura, 5-1).
SAMMY DAVIS, O’NEILL TRIO HIGHLIGHT FRIDAY’S I’M SMOKIN STAKES
Two-year-olds grab the spotlight on this final weekend of racing at Del Mar, beginning with the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes Friday. Eight Cal-bred juveniles will line up in the 5 ½ furlong sprint led by the Graduation Stakes winner Sammy Davis.
The son of Sir Prancealot has yet to be beaten in two lifetime starts. He broke his maiden at first asking on opening weekend at Del Mar and then followed up with an even better effort in the Graduation last month.
“He improved on his maiden win,” trainer John Sadler notes. “He appears to be a very honest, hard-trying 2-year-old.”
Sadler wasn’t too pleased with the draw.
“The only downside is we drew the one,” Sadler says, “which is a little bit of a bummer but nothing we can do about that.”
Trainer Doug O’Neill brings a trio of horses into the I’m Smokin in a quest to finish the meet strong. Saul Elliott is back in Southern California after traveling to Kentucky for his last race, a distant sixth-place finish in the Bashford Manor at Churchill Downs.
“It’s was really hot and muggy,” O’Neill explains. “He just didn’t fire that day and he bled a little bit. We got him cleaned up. He’s back training good, scoping good and we’re excited to see if he can’t run like he did in his debut.”
That debut was his maiden win at Santa Anita in May.
Thirsty Rebel is another O’Neill entry in the I’m Smokin. He won at first asking at Del Mar on opening weekend.
“He’s an extremely fast colt,” O’Neill states. “We were expecting a good run but he even exceeded our expectations. After that effort we circled the I’m Smokin and here we are. He’s probably the fastest of the three out of the gate.”
Which brings us to Pavlovian, runner-up to Desert Gate in the G3 Best Pal last out.
“He’s a cool horse,” O’Neill claims. “He’s a lot like his sire (Pavel), a tough-minded horse. He’s got a great stride. Just all racehorse. It’s a tough race for Cal-breds but we feel like we have three good chances.”
The 36th running of the I’m Smokin is Race 7 on the eight-race Friday card named after a talented Cal-bred that ran in the late 70s and early 80s. Probable post is 6 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds. Sammy Davis (Hector I. Berrios, 5/2); Desert Dawg (Kyle Frey, 15-1); Saul Elliot (Antonio Fresu, 4-1); Another Bulleit (Mirco Demuro, 12-1); Thirsty Rebel (Abel Lezcano, 3-1); Max Ciao (Armando Ayuso, 5-1); Fionello (Ruben Silvera, 15-1), and Pavlovian (Umberto Rispoli, 6-1).
THE OLD GLOBE THEATER PRESENTING RACETRACK TALE “SMALL”
San Diego’s most famed theater – The Old Globe – will present a unique racing- oriented show entitled “Small” starting on September 27 and going forward to October 19.
It is a play written and acted by former jockey turned Broadway dancer Robert Montano, telling the story of his life from childhood through to current day. The Wall Street Journal called “Small” “a gripping and vividly acted one-man show.”
Montano, bullied in his youth because of his size, wins respect on the racetrack as a successful jockey. But when his body begins to grow, his dreams begin to slip away and he must decide how far he’ll go to hold on to his glory. From riding horses at Belmont Park to dancing on Broadway stages, Montano brings his own breathtaking career to life onstage under the direction of Jessi D. Hill.
Montano will talk about his story and his show this Sunday on FanDuel TV between 4 and 5 p.m. (Pacific). The network’s Joaquin Jaime will lead the interview.
All racetrackers are being offered a 25% discount by The Old Globe to see this exceptional offering. Fans can call their ticket office (619-234-5623) and use the promo code RACING. Or the discount is available by using this link.
PAIR OF HANDICAPPING SEMINARS ON TAP THIS WEEKEND
Racing fans can sit in on a pair of free handicapping seminars this weekend held in the Plaza de Mexico. Each day the seminars start at 12:30 p.m. and run for about 30 minutes.
The seminars feature guest experts with solid opinions on the afternoons’ races. On Saturday, host Frank Scatoni will feature horseplayer Shane O’Neill. Sunday will see host Dan Smith working with clocker Toby Turrell.
COOLING OUT: Full Serrano came out of his 2025 debut Monday in good order, according to trainer John Sadler. The runner up in last year’s Pacific Classic and winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile easily handled three rivals in a second-level allowance race. When asked about Full Serrano’s next start Sadler stated “You’ll see him again here in the fall.” That victory by Full Serrano snapped an uncharacteristic 0-for-24 at this summer’s meet for owner Hronis Stables…Sunday, Mr. A P raced for the first time since being claimed for a Del Mar record $150,000 last month. He finished second in a maiden special weight…Trainer Bob Baffert has a meet leading 20 wins this summer at Del Mar and jockey Juan Hernandez has ridden 17 of them…Veteran trainer Sam Scolamieri is now two-for-two at the summer meet after Too Sassy upset the Generous Portion Stakes Monday. It was Scolamieri’s second stakes win at Del Mar in a career that dates back to 1981…Notable works this week: Tuesday – Big City Lights (3f, :38.40) and Kopion (4f, :48.60). Thursday – Velocity (4f, :50.40). Friday – Barnes (4f, :49.00); Baeza (6f, 1:13.80); Goal Oriented (7f, 1:24.20), and Nevada Beach (7f, 1:24.20) - the last two worked in company for Baffert.