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Pair Of Graded Grass Stakes Headline Saturday Card At Del Mar

Two graded grass stakes – both at a mile and one-eighth out of the track's unique angled infield chute — will highlight an 11-race card scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Del Mar – the Grade 2, $250,000 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby and the Grade 2, $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes.

The Saturday program will have a first post a half hour earlier than normal – 1:30 instead of 2 p.m. – and that will be the case also with Sunday's and Monday's cards during the Labor Day weekend. The Mabee, which is Race 9 on the Saturday card, will go off at approximately 5:30 and the Derby will be the day's nitecap and run at approximately 6:30.

The Derby has drawn 14 runners and is, of course, for 3-year-olds as the culminating event in the track's turf triple for sophomores, having been preceded by the Runhappy Oceanside Stakes and the Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes.

The first three finishers in both of those “prep” races are back to give it a go in this 77th edition of the Derby, which makes for a delicious mix. And the fact that Del Mar's morning line maker, Jon White, has made his favorite a very tepid 9/2 tells you that the race looms wide open with a thrilling finish likely to decide the winner.

The Mabee has drawn nine fillies and mares for its 64th running and it, too, appears to be the kind of race where contention runs deep. LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag has been made a slight 3-1 favorite over Slam Dunk Racing, Stable Currency and Branham's Maxim Rate at 7/2.

Here are the fields for the two features from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby

Double L Racing or Baffert's Hudson Ridge (Flavien Prat, 9/2)
Holly and David Wilson's Barraza (Kent Desormeaux, 12-1)
Reddam Racing's Hockey Dad (Mario Gutierrez, 8-1)
Downstream Racing's None Above the Law (Joe Bravo, 12-1)
Sayjay Racing's No Foolery Here (Giovanni Franco, 8-1)
STD Racing Stable, Kenly or Miller, et al's Optimistic Valor (Edwin Maldonado, 30-1)
Perry or Ramona Bass' Petruchio (Mike Smith, 20-1)
Sterling Stables, Nentwig or CYBT's Cathkin Peak (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 12-1)
Red Barons Barn or Rancho Temescal's Zoffarelli (Drayden Van Dyke, 6-1)
Bruno, Gezon or Jones' Jimmy Blue Jeans (Kyle Grey, 12-1)
Rockingham Ranch or Supreme Racing's Lincoln Hawk (Tiago Pereira, 20-1)
Hronis Racing's Crew Dragon (Juan Hernandez, 8-1)
Yuesheng Zhang's Sword Zorro (Umberto Rispoli, 5-1)
Wachtel Stable, Barber or Drion, et al's Flashiest (Abel Cedillo, 6-1)

John C. Mabee Stakes

Maxim Rate (Hernandez)
Clarke Cooper Family Trust, Lawless, Kruljac, et al's Quiet Secretary (Cedillo, 15-1)
Dogtag (Rispoli);
LNJ Foxwood's Nasty (Ricky Gonzalez, 20-1)
Deborah McAnally Trust's She's Our Charm (Franco, 10-1)
Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta (Desormeaux, 6-1)
LNJ Foxwoods' Tapwater (Bravo, 6-1)
Abdondanza Racing and Medallion Racing's Going to Vegas (Prat, 4-1)
Aoshiba Corporation's Fast Jet Court (Van Dyke, 6-1)

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Del Mar: Juveniles Clash In Best Pal; Quality Runs Deep In Yellow Ribbon Field

A stakes doubleheader – featuring the Grade 2, $200,000 Best Pal Stakes and the Grade 2, $200,000 Yellow Ribbon Handicap – will provide some extra spice to an enticing Saturday racing card at Del Mar that kicks off at 2 p.m. in Del Mar, Calif.

Seven juveniles will lock horns in this 51st edition of the Best Pal over six furlong that goes as the ninth race on an 11-race program. Then 10 older fillies and mares will go 1 1/16 miles on the lawn in the 69th running of the Yellow Ribbon, which goes as race 10.

The likely favorite in the juvenile race is the eastern shipper Pappacap, a Gun Runner colt owned by Rustlewood Farm and trained by newly minted Hall of Famer Mark Casse. The bay homebred was a smart winner of his lone start on May 14 at Gulfstream Park in Florida and has been in steady training since then. Newcomer Joe Bravo gets the call.

Another promising runner in the lineup is Gary Barber's Bet On Mookie, a son of the Lion Heart stallion Uncaptured who has been to the post twice and shows a win and a second for his efforts. His tally came at Santa Anita on June 11 when he simply outran his field in a straight maiden affair to score by five and a quarter lengths. Trainer Peter Miller has given the assignment of Bet On Mookie to Abel Cedillo.

In the Yellow Ribbon the competition runs deep. Among the distaffers who rate more than a casual look in the turfer are Slam Dunk Racing Stable and Currency's Maxim Rate, LNJ Foxwoods' Dogtag, Agave Racing Stable and Medallion Racing's Charmaine's Mia. Also in the mix is last year's Yellow Ribbon winner – Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta.

In fact, all 10 runners in the lineup are stakes winners.

Here are the fields for the two stakes from the rail out with riders and morning line odds:

Best Pal — Bet On Mookie (5/2); Chapman or Tsumimoto's Our Empire (Tyler Baze, 20-1); Pappacap (8/5); Lovingier, Fasihuddin or Navarro's Finneus (Umberto Rispoli, 3-1); Lovingier, Beckerle or Carrillo's Thirsty Always (apprentice Cesar Ortega, 7/2); Peter Redekop's Aquitania Arrival (Juan Hernandez, 4-1), and Opas or Sinatra's Olympic Legend (Jose Valdivia, Jr., 10-1).

Yellow Ribbon – Bodhicitta (Trevor McCarthy, 6-1); Little Red Feather Racing or Sterling's Raymundos Secret (Tiago Pereira, 6-1); Charmaine's Mia (Joe Bravo, 4-1); Dogtag (Rispoli, 4-1); El Tata Stables' Brooke (Kyle Frey, 12-1); Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Keeper Ofthe Stars (Cedillo, 12-1); George and Martha Schwary Racing's Ippodamia's Girl (Geovanni Franco, 12-1); Susan and John Moore's Princess Grace (Kent Desormeaux, 8-1); Maxim Rate (Hernandez, 7/2), and Gary Barber's Laura's Light (Valdivia, Jr., 15-1).

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Upcoming Del Mar Stakes Feature Two-Year-Olds, Rock Your World

Four stakes that spotlight promising 2-year-olds, the second leg of the series for 3-year-olds, and the 69th running of the Yellow Ribbon for older fillies and mares on turf comprise a six-pack of added-money events for the fourth week of the meeting starting Thursday at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The $100,000 California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Stakes, at 5 ½ furlongs for California-bred 2-year-old fillies initiates things on Thursday. From a list of 12 nominations, a field of nine was entered Saturday with Jorge Periban-trained At the Spa significantly coming in off a victory in a $100,000 stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., in June.

The post position draw was to be held later in the day. The field in alphabetical order with jockeys in parenthesis: At the Spa (Tyler Baze); Carmen Miranda (Giovanni Franco); Drizella (Juan Hernandez); Gianna's Wild Cat (Jessica Pyfer); Irish Wahine (Abel Cedillo); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Ko Olina (Edwin Maldonado); Lion's Lair (Tiago Pereira) and Madiha (Umberto Rispoli).

Friday's feature is the $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, often a stepping stone to the $300,000 Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante near the end of the meeting. Bob Baffert, a seven-time Sorrento-winning trainer, has three of the 22 nominees.

Saturday card features the $200,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon and the $200,000 Best Pal. The Yellow Ribbon, at 1 1/16 miles on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, drew a dozen nominees topped by Simon Callaghan-trained Maxim Rate, winner of the Grade I Gamely at Santa Anita in May.

The Best Pal, often an identifier of potential for the $300,000 Grade 1 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity on closing day of the meeting, has 16 nominations, six of whom have been training outside California.

The week concludes Sunday with the $150,000 Grade 3 La Jolla, the second leg of the series for 3-year-olds, and the $100,000 Graduation Stakes for California-bred 2-year-olds.

John Sadler-trained Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World is among 15 nominations for the La Jolla, a return to turf racing for the son of Candy Ride after unsuccessful Triple Crown trail runs in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Fourteen were nominated to the Graduation, among them Luis Mendez-trained Big City Lights, a winner of two starts by a combined 19 ¾ lengths.

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Juan J. Hernandez Voted Jockey Of The Week After Graded Stakes Triple

Juan J. Hernandez won the second Grade 1 of his career and two Grade 2 races to garner Jockey of the Week honors for May 24 through May 31. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Trainer David Hofmans gave Hernandez the mount on Award Winner in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes on Saturday. Breaking from the rail in the field of four, longshot Award Winner overhauled the pacesetter Acclimate to register a huge upset in the mile and one quarter race on the Camino Real Turf Course in 1:59.27.

“This was a really big win for us,” said Hernandez. “I knew that horse (Acclimate) had a lot of speed, so I let him go and my horse relaxed. I waited until the quarter pole and asked him one time and he really picked it up and made a huge move in the stretch.”

Hernandez then won his second graded stakes of the day on Magic On Tap for trainer Bob Baffert in the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes. Riding Magic On Tap for the first time, Hernandez settled the 5-year-old in third behind Eight Rings and Lambeau. He gained the advantage in mid-stretch to win the seven-furlong contest in 1:23.54.

“My horse, he helped me a lot, he broke really sharp and I was behind the speed all the race then when I hit the quarter pole, I asked him to go and he responded really well,” said Hernandez. “It feels great to win a big race like today.”

On Monday, trainer Simon Callaghan gave a leg up to Hernandez on longshot Maxim Rate for the first time in the Grade 1 Gamely. Off at 13-1 in a field of seven fillies and mares three and up, Maxim Rate stalked the pace while fourth early. Hernandez took advantage of favorite Charmaine's Mia fading a sixteenth of a mile from home as well as holding off a late run from La Signare to win by a half-length in 1:46.61 for the mile and one eighth turf contest. The win gave Hernandez the second Grade 1 win of his career and his seventh graded stakes of the year.

“She broke out of there, really clean break, she relaxed really well for me,” said Hernandez. “She's a very classy filly, you can do whatever you want with her.”

Weekly stats for Hernandez were 22-6-1-6 for a 27 percent strike rate and 59 percent in-the-money. Total purse earnings of $583,760 led all jockeys for the week. Hernandez currently sits second in the standings with nine racing days to go at the Santa Anita Winter/Spring meet.

Hernandez out-polled Kyle Frey who tied Tyler Gaffalione for most victories with nine, Santiago Gonzalez who won two stakes at Belterra and Jaime Rodriguez who had a 32 percent win rate.

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