AFTER the east coast two-year-olds moved into Grade 1 action at Saratoga last weekend, it’s the turn of the west coast this week with two Grade 1 juvenile contests headlining the Del Mar card.
It’s also the second weekend of the big money meeting at Kentucky Downs and after British stables napped a share of the prize money last weekend, Frankie Dettori is back on board a few more challengers.
Kentucky Downs
Ed Bethell, who won the Sprint Cup Stakes with Regional two years ago, will have his first runner in the US when Point Lynas goes in the mile Grade 3 Mint Millions Invitational. He is part of a two-strong team for Britain alongside the Alice Haynes-trained Cairo (Ben Curtis), both of whom race for $1.5 million of the race’s $2.5 million purse.
Point Lynas finished last in a listed race at Pontefract in July on his most recent start, but had nearly pulled off a victory in Ascot’s Group 2 Summer Mile when he built up a huge lead before being run down late by recent Group 1 winner Never So Brave.
In the Grade 2 Music City Stakes for three-year-old fillies over a six and a half furlongs, Dettori teams up with Tabiti in the $2million prize fund contest.
Ralph Beckett’s Juddmonte filly dead-heated for the Group 3 HKJC World Pool Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood last time and could give this a good shot.
The Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson Stakes for three-year-olds over six and a half furlongs completes the card with another $2 million on offer.
Governor Sam and Spiced Up face a rematch in America’s only Grade 1 turf sprint restricted to three-year-olds.
Governor Sam was third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, but Spiced Up, on his stakes race debut, stole the spotlight last time in the Grade 3 Mahony Stakes at Saratoga.
Del Mar
Bob Baffert has a record 11 wins in the Del Mar Debutante and three two-year-old fillies in the seven-furlong race at Del Mar.
Del Mar’s leading rider, Juan Hernandez, has ridden all three of Baffert’s runners, Himika, Explora, and Bottle Of Rouge, and will be aboard Explora. In her only outing, the daughter of Blame dominated a maiden field by four and three quarter lengths. Himika is unbeaten in two starts, including a Grade 2 last time.
On Sunday, the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity is also a Baffert benefit with four form the barn taking on two from the Doug O’Nelll stable.
The strong favourite is Brant, the $3 million buy whose maiden victory in July produced a 101 Beyer speed figure, the best by a horse his age in 2025.
Balboa was third to Brant in that maiden while Desert Gate, is two for two after winning the Best Pal Stakes, and Litmus Test, an $875,000 yearling, won first time out.