Saturday’s $200,000 Best Pal Stakes (G2) at Del Mar -- the first graded stakes event of the year for juveniles racing in Southern California – honors the late, great California-bred gelding, Best Pal, who was foaled 37 years ago just down the road from “Where the Turf Meets the Surf” in nearby Ramona. The bay son of *Habitony still ranks as the third-richest runner bred in the Golden State of all time with $5,668,245 in earnings, sitting only behind two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome and 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow.
For more than 20 years the Best Pal Stakes was run as the Balboa Stakes and over varying distances from six furlongs to a mile. In 1995, the summer feature was re-named for John and Betty Mabee’s eventual Hall of Famer and three-time California Horse of the Year Best Pal, who won the Balboa in 1990 on his way to victory in the Del Mar Futurity (G1), and also a runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1) the following year. It has been contested around one turn since 1986.
In addition to the Balboa, Best Pal won the inaugural running of the Pacific Classic (G1) in 1991, plus the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) and Santa Anita Handicap (G1) over his 47-race career, sweeping the three big events for handicap stars in Southern California. He won 17 stakes races overall, nearly all of which were contested in the Golden State.
Upon his retirement in 1996 at age eight, Best Pal was sent to his birthplace, Golden Eagle Farm just a handful of miles from Del Mar, and after two years of well-earned rest and relaxation in a second career accompanying the young 2-year-olds to and from the track, Best Pal laid down and died unexpectedly at age 10. The cause of death was reported to be a heart attack, but to many who saw him run they’d know there was nothing ever wrong with the big brown gelding’s heart.
The humbly bred Best Pal currently rests under a 600-year-old Oak Tree where what remains of Golden Eagle is located today.
For the fourth year this year, the distance of the Best Pal has been cut back to six furlongs from the previous multiple-year stint at 6 ½, mostly due to the lack of enough juvenile races run in progressive distances from Santa Anita’s spring meeting, through Los Alamitos’ two weeks in early July and then here to Del Mar’s summer season. But regardless of distance, whoever wins this will claim – at least temporarily -- the title as the circuit’s division leader and status as the early favorite for the September 6 Del Mar Futurity (G1).
Flying Paster, Saratoga Six, Timber Country, Dixie Union, Officer, Roman Ruler and Lookin at Lucky are the recognizable names on the list of previous winners, but perhaps the most notable is 2015 juvenile champion and 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist
Best Pal himself was just one of Golden Eagle Farm’s three winners of this race and the longtime major racing and breeding operation, which hasn’t been represented by any runner since 2017, retains the title as top owner. Retired jockey Alex Solis rode five winners throughout his career and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has saddled 11 winners so far, including Getaway Car a year ago.
Instagrand, who won by 10 ¼ lengths in 2018, holds the stakes record at the current distance when he crossed the wire in 1:10.27. The race spent 15 years as a Grade 3 beginning in 1988 and was bumped to a grade 2 in 2003, then back down to a Grade 3 in 2022.
Two trainers represent all five runners, three from Doug O’Neill and the other two from Baffert, who seeks a 12th winner, the leading candidate being the 3-5 favored Desert Gate, who breaks from the far outside. The Omaha Beach colt, who was a $260,000 yearling purchase for Baffert’s longtime owners Watson, Weitman and Pegram, won impressively at Santa Anita on his debut two months ago, earning a nice 95 speed figure. It was a professional effort in his first start as he stalked the early pace and rallied strongly down the lane to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
Pavlovian, O’Neill’s last-out maiden winner, is the most experienced with two starts. His win at Santa Anita in his second start seven weeks ago was a visually impressive off-the-pace score. Though his numbers aren’t too big, his experience may help his cause here, as will the expected quick pace in front of him.
Two of the five set to head postward this year have yet to reach the winner’s circle, but both runners – Brigante and St Petersburg – carry some impressive connection into their stakes debuts. Brigante, O’Neill’s barn, was second on the turf behind next-out winner Hey Nay Nay, who captured the Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park last weekend. The Calumet Farm homebred son of More Than Ready should improve in his dirt debut and has some nice works over the surface heading into this race.
St Petersburg, the “other” Baffert, was third first time out, but raced super greenly and lugged out down the lane. Hopefully his experience will help him improve here.
Punto Forty, also from O’Neill, looked good in his wire-to-wire debut victory at Los Alamitos (St Petersburg was third) and while it was a nice win, his numbers from that win are below average compared to the top runners here.
For those who bet on horse racing:
Post time for the Best Pal, which is the afternoon’s 4th race, has been set at 3:33 p.m. PT.
The Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2) is one of the rare races still run under handicap conditions left in North American racing. Once run as the Palomar Handicap beginning in 1945, Del Mar adopted the name Yellow Ribbon from the Oak Tree Racing Association when they ceased operations at Santa Anita before 2012. The Yellow Ribbon held at Santa Anita, named for the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree,” is now known as the Rodeo Drive Stakes (G1) while the Del Mar edition’s history is now pulled from the Palomar Handicap archives.
Since first contested in 1945, a nice group of turf distaffers have won this race, but it didn’t rise to prominence until about 20 years ago when grade 1-winning millionaire Tranquility Lake won back-to-back runnings in 2000 and 2001. Champion Intercontinental followed and subsequently, three runners won consecutive editions of the Yellow Ribbon – Winter Quarter Farm’s Cambodia and G. Watts Humphrey’s She’s Not Here. Closing Remarks won in 2023 and Anisette was the winner a year ago.
The late Bobby Frankel remains the race’s top trainer with eight winners (1986, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2007) while Bill Shoemaker, who retired from the saddle in 1990 and passed away in 2013, retains the leading jockey title with five winners.
Though the race has been contested at various distances, it has held steady at the current 1 1/16 miles since 1988 with Mea Domina establishing the record of 1:39.67 in 2006.
CJ Thoroughbreds' Hang the Moon, who took home the win here a year ago, is back after a near eight-month layoff and is the early 3-1 favorite. The bay 5-year-old by Uncle Mo drew the inside under Kazushi Kimura and is trained Phil D'Amato.
Alpha Delta Stables' Liguria won the one-mile Buena Vista Stakes (G2) in March and has been off since a third-place finish in the Gamely Stakes (G1) 2 ½ months ago. She’s a winner of one of her two starts at this distance and won the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G2) over this course in 2022. Umberto Rispoli named om the Michael McCarthy trainee.
Wathnan Racing's Heredia ships west for trainer Graham Motion and the Uncle Mo mare, who started her career in Europe where she won a Group 3 and was third in the prestigious Sun Chariot Stakes (G1), has earned a pair of third-place finishes in her two stateside starts and is well-suited to the distance and the firm turf. Leading jockey Juan Hernandez rides.
The Yellow Ribbon goes as Race 9 with a post time of 6:03 p.m. PT.
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.
