Most of the stakes races set for the final weekend of the Bing Crosby fall meet at Del Mar are transfers from Hollywood Park, which shuttered in 2013 after 75 years to make room for the new SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Despite the geography change, Friday’s 1½-mile Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) has retained its status as a must-stop post-Breeders’ Cup race for older horses and one of the most historic races on the California racing calendar.
Quick Tip: Before you check the upcoming races, boost your bankroll with the top new-player bonus.
Originally known as the Hollywood Turf Cup Handicap, this race boasts a storied legacy as one of American racing’s premier long-distance turf events, first contested on Dec. 6, 1981. Inaugurated under weight-for-age conditions with a then-lavish $500,000 purse, the richest in the race's early history, it quickly established itself as a test of stamina. It attracted elite international and domestic talent from its outset.
Early editions featured dramatic finishes, such as the 1982 renewal won by British import Bates Motel, who later claimed Eclipse Awards, underscoring the race's prestige.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it alternated between handicap and allowance formats while maintaining Grade 1 status, crowning champions like Fraise (1993), whose record-setting Equibase speed figure of 125 remains the highest in the race's annals.
The event's golden era at Hollywood Park produced 32 runnings. At Del Mar, it reverted to a Grade 2 in 2018 amid purse adjustments but retained its 12-furlong challenge. Over four decades, the race has doled out over $20 million in purses. Last year’s victor, Truly Quality, ridden by Vincent Cheminaud for trainer Jonathan Thomas, mirrored the endurance demands that have defined its 43-year chronicle.
Hall of Fame conditioner Bobby Frankel, who passed away 16 years ago, sent out four winners over his impressive career – River Bay, 1997; Super Quercus, 2001; Continuously, 2013; and Champs Elysees, 2008. Trainer Richard Mandella also has four winners (The Hague, 1982; Lazy Lode, 1999; Boboman, 2006; and Planetario, 2023).
Chris McCarron, also enshrined in the Hall of Fame, rode an impressive eight winners of the race throughout his 7,141-win career.
Providential, who won the 1981 D.C. International (G1) captured the inaugural Hollywood Turf Cup that same year over reigning turf champion and eventual Horse of the Year John Henry, and was followed into the record books by him in 1983, and also Alphabatim (twice), Great Communicator, Itsallgreektome, Miss Alleged, Bien Bien, Fraise, Lazy Lode (twice), Sligo Bay and The Pizza Man.
This year's renewal presents a compelling nine-horse field headlined by a blend of proven marathoners, emerging turf specialists, and high-class invaders, with morning line odds reflecting a wide-open affair favoring experience over raw speed on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
Defending champion Truly Quality (5-2), carrying top weight under jockey Mirco Demuro for Jonathan Thomas, is the logical favorite after a fourth in the Del Mar Handicap last out. His laid-back running style and prior dominance at this distance — coupled with the freshness of just two starts this year, which could sharpen his edge — position him to dictate terms from mid-pack, though rivals will eye any tactical lapses.
Close behind looms Ireland-bred Balnikhov (4-1) with Umberto Rispoli up for Phil D'Amato. He is a deep-closer who is fresh off a stakes-caliber allowance score at Del Mar, his explosive late kick suiting the stamina test but requiring a hot early pace to unleash fully.
Mondego (5-1), trained by Michael McCarthy with Kazushi Kimura aboard, adds Euro-bred class after a respectable fourth in the John Henry Turf Championship (G2), his grinding style and pedigree suggesting upside at the marathon trip if he avoids a wide trip from post 9.
Nineeleventurbo (6-1), under Antonio Fresu for Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, brings tactical versatility from a near-miss in Keeneland allowance company two months ago, being by More Than Ready, imparts the necessary bottom to challenge the distance.
Rastaman Vibe (8-1), for trainer Mark Glatt with Juan Hernandez in the irons, and Grogu ( 8-1), piloted by Diego Herrera for Leonard Powell, offer mid-tier value as consistent closers with recent form pointing to upside in graded waters, though Powell's double entry risks splitting his barn's focus as he also tightens the girth on Flashiest (15-1), who will carry Armando Ayuso from post two.
Reiquist (10-1), with Hector Berrios for Tim Yakteen, could stalk and pounce from a favorable draw after a third in a Del Mar allowance, pedigree (by Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist) hinting at liking the distance. He has yet to win in five starts this year.
Longshots Balladeer (12-1) rounds out the group as pace-suppressing types with modest recent figures, potentially useful for exotics but unlikely to upend the hierarchy without a flawless trip.
Overall, this renewal shapes up as Truly Quality's to lose barring a pace meltdown, with Balnikhov and Mondego as prime upset threats in a field where stamina and positioning will eclipse early foot, promising a tactical thriller under the Southern California sun.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
