DEL MAR LEADERS
Through Sunday
Jockeys / Wins
Hector Berrios / 6
Antonio Fresu / 6
Kazushi Kimura / 5
Tiago Pereira / 4
Juan Hernandez / 4
Umberto Rispoli / 4
Trainers / Wins
Mark Glatt / 5
George Papaprodromou / 4
Peter Miller / 4
Doug O’Neill / 4
Steve Miyadi / 3
Phil D’Amato / 3
WEEKEND STAKES
Del Mar
Saturday
$100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs
Sunday
$100,000, Grade III Bob Hope Stakes, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs
Los Alamitos
Saturday
$75,000 Las Damas Handicap, quarterhorse fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 400 yards
Sunday
$20,000 Z Wayne Griffin Directors Trials, quarterhorse 3-year-olds and up, 400 yards
DOWN THE STRETCH
Bob Baffert looks likely to extend his winning streak in Del Mar 2-year-old stakes when he runs four of the five fillies entered in Saturday’s Desi Arnaz Stakes. The trainer’s unbeaten Anoakia Stakes winner Silent Law (Juan Hernandez riding) is a 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field that includes Del Mar Debutante winner Tenma (Hector Berrios) at 3-1. The lone non-Baffert horse is Tim Yakteen’s Practical Dream (Antonio Fresu) at 5-1. Baffert has Kalea Bay (Hernandez) and debuting Madaket Road (Fresu) in Sunday’s Bob Hope, featuring Yakteen’s McKinzie Street (Kazushi Kimura). Baffert has won the past seven non-Breeders’ Cup, non-California-bred stakes for 2-year-olds on the Del Mar main track – with seven different horses – plus the recent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Citizen Bull.
Tamara (Mike Smith) is 4-5 on the morning line for her first start in more than a year in today’s seventh race, an allowance-level sprint. The Richard Mandella-trained filly’s romp in the 2023 Del Mar Debutante was the last non-Baffert win in an open race for 2-year-olds on dirt at the San Diego County track. She was sidelined after a disappointing seventh in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
In quarterhorse racing, Bp Cartel Policy and jockey Armando Cervantes won by a neck as even-money favorites in the $763,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Sunday to earn a spot in the $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Al on Dec. 14. Ab Seis Corazones (Jesus Rios Ayala riding) and Lets Leave (Sergio Becerra) completed a 1-2-3 finish for trainer Monty Arrossa in the 400-yard race.
Saturday at Los Al, local stakes-winning mares Nymphette (Ayala), Frivolous (Henry Lopez) and Jessica Cruz (Rodrigo Aceves) lead a field of 10 for Saturday’s Las Damas Handicap. Aged-mares division leader Patty’s Saint is waiting for the Champion of Champions.
Santa Anita’s infield is playing host to equestrian competitions this week and next. The Los Angeles National runs through Sunday, and a top-tier event called the Santa Anita CSI5*-W is Nov. 20-24. Stars include Karl Cook, Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, members of the silver-medal U.S. team at the Paris Olympics.
— Kevin Modesti