The Best Pal Stakes is a Grade III Thoroughbred race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. Contested at 6 furlongs on the dirt exclusively for 2-year-olds, it is the premier juvenile sprint at Del Mar and the traditional prep race for the Grade I Del Mar Futurity held later in the meeting. The race was inaugurated in 1967 as the Balboa Stakes and renamed in 1995 to honor Best Pal, the California-bred Hall of Famer who won the Balboa Stakes in 1990 as part of his remarkable career — he won the inaugural Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 1991 and retired with 18 wins and earnings of $5.6 million as a three-time California Horse of the Year. The race was classified Grade III in 1983, upgraded to Grade II in 2003, and returned to Grade III in 2022. Settled at six furlongs in 2018, the Best Pal has a distinguished roll of honor including Timber Country (1994 Breeders' Cup Juvenile), Lookin At Lucky (2009 BC Juvenile and 2010 Preakness), and Nyquist (2015 BC Juvenile and 2016 Kentucky Derby). Bob Baffert has turned the Best Pal into his personal showcase, winning a record 12 times including four consecutive editions from 2022 to 2025. The stakes record of 1:09.19 was set by Prince of Monaco in 2023.
The 2026 Best Pal Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, August 8 at Del Mar Racetrack. Contested at 6 furlongs on the dirt with a purse of $150,000, the race is the first graded stakes test of the season for 2-year-olds on the West Coast and a key prep for the Grade I Del Mar Futurity on closing day of the Del Mar meet.
Bob Baffert has made the Best Pal Stakes his signature juvenile race, winning four consecutive editions from 2022 to 2025. Desert Gate gave Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez a 2025 victory in 1:10.37, the son of Omaha Beach drawing off by 8¾ lengths in a dominant wire-to-wire score. Getaway Car gave the same combination a 2024 win in 1:10.73, going on to finish second in the Del Mar Futurity. Prince of Monaco set the stakes record of 1:09.19 in 2023 under Flavien Prat, the fastest 6-furlong juvenile time in Del Mar history, and then completed the Best Pal-Del Mar Futurity double — the 13th horse to achieve that feat. The ill-fated Havnameltdown won the 2022 edition in 1:10.22 under Hernandez in his career debut, going on to tragic circumstances at the 2023 Preakness undercard. Pappacap gave trainer Mark Casse and jockey Joe Bravo a 2021 win in 1:11.66 for Rustlewood Farm, the colt going on to finish second in the Del Mar Futurity and third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Desert Gate | Juan Hernandez | 1:10.37 |
| 2024 | Getaway Car | Juan Hernandez | 1:10.73 |
| 2023 | Prince of Monaco | Flavien Prat | 1:09.19* |
| 2022 | Havnameltdown | Juan Hernandez | 1:10.22 |
| 2021 | Pappacap | Joe Bravo | 1:11.66 |
* Stakes record at 6 furlongs.
The Best Pal Stakes is the premier juvenile sprint at Del Mar and one of the most reliable early indicators of future 2-year-old champions on the West Coast each August.
