California’s road to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) gets underway on Saturday with the $400,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win & You’re In” event, which means that the best of the nine who will race the six furlongs also wins an all-expenses-paid trip back to the seaside oval for the World Championships in three months.
The Bing Crosby has been carded as the day’s 10th with a post time of 6:30 p.m. PT.
The weather in Southern California continues to be beautiful and Saturday will be no exception, with highs in the mid-70s and a nice ocean breeze expected.
The Bing Crosby has consistently showcased the best summertime sprinters west of the Mississippi River and over the years some of the more recognizable names to have graced the winner’s circle are remembered as elite runners and the list includes champion sprinters Chinook Pass, Lit de Justice, Kona Gold (twice) and Points Offthebench. Agave Racing’s Ransom the Moon won twice in 2017 and 2018 and the recently retired standout sprinter The Chosen Vron was victorious in the last two runnings.
Trainers Bob Baffert and the late Bruce Headley each own the record for number of winners of the Bing Crosby with four and Eclipse Award winner Flavien Prat leads all jockeys with six winners. Hall of Famers Eddie Delahoussaye and Corey Nakatani each boast four winners.
The highest win payout on a $2 investment was the $67.70 that Cover Up returned in 1949. Chinook Pass returned just $3 in 1983.
The race was held 7 ½ furlongs on turf in 1970 and has been a Grade 1 since 2004. Lord Nelson set the stakes record of 1:07.65 when he won in 2016.
Flavien Prat returns “home” to California to accept the mount on the Rodolphe Brisset-trained World Record. The Gun Runner colt, who absolutely romped in Saratoga’s Amsterdam Stakes (G2) last summer, is coming off a second in the Aristides (G3), which followed a win in a salty Churchill Downs allowance race at this distance. His speed is his weapon and if he gets out of the gate on top, he will be tough to run down.
The well-traveled Roll On Big Joe took the Kelly’s Landing Stakes (G2) at Churchill last out at 6 ½ furlongs the Palos Verdes (G2) at Santa Anita earlier this year. The Bob Hess Jr.-trained gelding is super consistent having finished worse than third only once – a failed turf experiment – in the last 15 months. He’s another speedy one, but he can also rate just off the pace a bit if necessary. Julien Leparoux will be in town for the race.
Dr. Venkman won the San Diego Handicap (G2) over this track a year ago and after a fourth in the Pacific Classic (G1) was sent to the sidelines for ten months. Back now with a pair of seconds in graded company, including the Kelly’s Landing at Churchill last out, the Ghostzapper gelding returns “home” to a track where he has earned all three of his career wins.
Hejazi makes his second start off an 18-month layoff and a runner-up finish in a Santa Anita allowance six weeks ago. The very expensive ($3.55 million) New York-bred is an early favorite, probably because his trainer, Bob Baffert, has already saddled five winners and this colt has a pretty flashy workout a week ago.
Carter Stakes (G2) winner is one of three who shipped West to test out the Del Mar main track in search of a Breeders’ Cup berth. The son of Coal Front is coming off a decent third in the True North Stakes (G2) last out and while this race is a giant leap in class, he’s earned some decent speed figures in his last four outs, which makes him a contender here.
For those who bet on horse racing…
Saturday’s $300,000 San Diego Handicap (G2) is the traditional prep race for the track’s signature race, the $1 million Pacific Classic (G1), set to be contested on Saturday, August 30.
Long before the Cal-bred fan favorite Best Pal won the inaugural Pacific Classic 35 years ago, the San Diego consistently featured some of the West Coast’s best handicap horses. Named for California’s premiere southern city, the San Diego was first run in the track’s first season in 1937 and has grown in prominence and stature on the national racing scene in recent years.
The great California-bred gelding Native Diver was the first to put the race on the national map, winning it three times from 1964 to 1966. Bates Motel, the champion older horse of 1983, Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Skywalker, millionaire Skimming in 2000 and 2001 (en route to his back-to-back wins in the Pacific Classic), Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo in 2006, Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed, Derby winner and Horse of the Year California Chrome, Breeders’ Cup Classic and Pacific Classic winner Accelerate, and Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador are just a few of the names to have won the San Diego in years past.
It is one of the few remaining races that is still a handicap with weights assigned to runners by the track’s racing secretary based on past performances.
Baffert seeks a third win in the seaside feature with Baoma Corp.’s Nysos coming off a 15-month layoff, a second in stakes company at Churchill Downs and then a win in the 7-furlong Triple Bend (G2) at Santa Anita. He’s earned a record of 5-4-1-0, including three graded stakes wins and though offers little value at 3/5, he will be tough to beat.
Baffert also sends out Mirahmadi in search of his first graded stakes win.
Millionaire Express Train, for John Shirreffs, is back in action after a second in the Big ‘Cap (G1) and a 4 ½-month freshening.
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.
