It’s time to begin separating the men from the boys at Del Mar. After three weeks of preliminaries consisting of 2-year-old maiden races and a couple of Cal-bred stakes races, the first of five Graded stakes for juveniles takes place Saturday.

Baffert is defending back-to-back training titles at Del Mar’s summer meet.

Finger, a Japanese-bred horse, reportedly skipped the last leg of the Japan Triple Crown so he could run in the Classic. A big deal because he had won the first two legs of the series, the Haneda Hai and the Tokyo Derby.

Every once in a while, a horse from a small-time barn comes along and captures the hearts of race fans.

A talented group of Cal-breds are set to square off in the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes, the Friday feature at Del Mar.

Formidable Man will put his stellar Del Mar record on the line against Gold Phoenix, winner of the G2 Del Mar Handicap an unprecedented four times.

Six days after his courageous win in the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar, Journalism has been retired from racing.

For the first time in over 30 years, John Shirreffs will not be wandering the Del Mar backside this summer, tending to the horses in his barn or taking the short walk out to the viewer stand near the half mile pole to observe one of his horses out on the track.

Jockey Juan Hernandez has spent a lot of time atop the jockey standings at Del Mar. He’s won the summer meet four years running and until Umberto Rispoli wrestled away last fall’s Bing Crosby title Hernandez had won five riding titles in a row dating back to the summer of 2023.

The final stakes race of opening weekend is a contentious affair that pits older horses in a one-mile test on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.