Game Winner © Benoit Photo Gary and Mary West’s Game Winner provided trainer Bob Baffert with an amazing fourteenth success in the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity Monday with a length and one-half triumph...

Summering © Benoit Photo DRAYDEN VAN DYKE (Summering, winner) – “This is sweet; to win a stakes in these silks (Glen Hill Farm, where he got his start riding for trainer Tom Proctor) makes this...

DAY 36 MILLER, DEL MAR SET TO WRAP UP AN EXCEPTIONAL SEASON The question, frequently asked of horsemen and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club personnel at this time of year, was put to trainer Peter Miller....

Ride a Comet © Benoit Eastern invader Ride a Comet, third in the Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga a month ago, made an auspicious West Coast debut Sunday with an impressive come-from-behind victory in...

King of Speed © Benoit Photo GARY STEVENS (King of Speed, winner) – “My 100th stakes win at Del Mar. Wow. I hope I can get number 101 a little later (he rides Majestic Eagle...

Bob Baffert © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 35 BAFFERT NEEDS FUTURITY FOR A ‘MISSION ACCOMPLISHED’ SEASON Entering Sunday’s penultimate program of the summer meeting, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had 12 wins from...

Roadster © Benoit Photo Another highly-successful Del Mar summer Thoroughbred racing season concludes Labor Day Monday in a traditional manner, with presentation of the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity as the centerpiece of a...

Vasilika © Benoit Photo Claimed for $40,000 last winter at Santa Anita, Vasilika climaxed her rise from obscurity with an upset of 4-5 favored Cambodia in the featured Grade II $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes...

Bellafina © Benoit Photo Clinching the two-year-old filly championship of the 2018 Del Mar summer racing season, Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina drew away in the stretch to win the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante in...

Roadster © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 34 ROADSTER TABBED 6-5 FAVORITE FOR CLOSING DAY FUTURITY Roadster drew the No. 3 post in a field of seven and was established as the 6-5 favorite on...

Listing © Benoit Photo Winning a stakes in his career debut, Listing scored a one and one-quarter length upset victory in the $100,690 I’m Smokin Stakes for California bred two-year-olds on Friday at Del Mar....

Roadster © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 33 SEVEN TO ROLL, BUT NO INSTAGRAND, IN THE FUTURITY A field of seven was entered Friday for the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity, the traditional closing-day...

River Boyne © Benoit Photo Irish-bred River Boyne, who has emerged as the top three-year-old in the West competing on grass after winning five of his last six starts, including Del Mar’s La Jolla Handicap,...

Brill © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 32 BRILL NARROWLY FAVORED ON DEBUTANTE MORNING LINE Brill drew the No. 2 post position in a field of five and was established as the 8-5 favorite over...

Bellafina © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Del Mar kicks off its Labor Day holiday weekend of Thoroughbred racing Saturday by presenting a quality-laden eleven-race program, featuring the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante for two-year-old...

Creative Instinct © Benoit Photo Sent postward the 2-5 favorite under jockey Tyler Baze, Creative Instinct didn’t disappoint as she drew off in the stretch to win the featured $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes for California-bred...

Bob Baffert DAY 31 ONE TOUGH DEBUTANTE? BAFFERT SAYS SO AND HE OUGHT TO KNOW Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has had representatives in the Del Mar Debutante, and race winners, for more than...

Oliver © Benoit Photo Eight two-year-olds bred in California will match strides Friday in the 29th running of the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes at six furlongs. From the rail out, entrants are Listing, making his...

True Royalty © Benoit Photo Providing leading rider Drayden Van Dyke with his third victory of the afternoon, True Royalty scored a decisive three and and one-half length victory in Sunday’s featured Grade III $100,000...

DAY 30 SADLER, MULLINS SAVOR BIG WINS WHILE WORKING TOWARDS MORE In the winner’s circle after Saturday’s victory in the Pat O’Brien Stakes, John Sadler was asked how special it was to have two horses...