DEL MAR LEADERS
(Through Sunday)
Jockeys / Wins
Hector Berrios / 6
Antonio Fresu / 6
Kazushi Kimura / 5
Tiago Pereira / 4
Juan Hernandez / 4
Umberto Rispoli / 4
Trainers / Wins
Mark Glatt / 5
George Papaprodromou / 4
Peter Miller / 4
Doug ONeill / 4
Steve Miyadi / 3
Phil DAmato / 3
WEEKEND STAKES
DEL MAR
Saturday
• $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 7 furlongs
Sunday
• $100,000, Grade III Bob Hope Stakes, 2-year-olds, 7 furlongs
LOS ALAMITOS
Saturday
• $75,000 Las Damas Handicap, quarter-horse fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 400 yards
Sunday
• $20,000 Z Wayne Griffin Directors Trials, quarter-horse 3-year-olds and up, 400 yards
DOWN THE STRETCH
• Bob Baffert looks likely to extend his winning streak in Del Mar 2-year-old stakes when he runs four of the five fillies entered in Saturdays Desi Arnaz Stakes. The trainers unbeaten Anoakia Stakes winner Silent Law (Juan Hernandez riding) is a 6-5 morning-line favorite in a field that includes Del Mar Debutante winner Tenma (Hector Berrios) at 3-1. The lone non-Baffert horse is Tim Yakteens Practical Dream (Antonio Fresu) at 5-1. Baffert has Kalea Bay (Hernandez) and debuting Madaket Road (Fresu) in Sundays Bob Hope, featuring Yakteens McKinzie Street (Kazushi Kimura). Baffert has won the past seven non-Breeders Cup, non-California-bred stakes for 2-year-olds on the Del Mar main track – with seven different horses – plus the recent Breeders Cup Juvenile with Citizen Bull.
• Tamara (Mike Smith) is 4-5 on the morning line for her first start in more than a year in Fridays seventh race, an allowance-level sprint. The Richard Mandella-trained fillys romp in the 2023 Del Mar Debutante was the last non-Baffert win in an open race for 2-year-olds on dirt at the San Diego County track. She was sidelined after a disappointing seventh in the 23 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.
• In quarter-horse racing, Bp Cartel Policy and jockey Armando Cervantes won by a neck as even-money favorites in the $763,000 Los Alamitos Super Derby on Sunday to earn a spot in the $600,000 Champion of Champions at Los Al on Dec. 14. Ab Seis Corazones (Jesus Rios Ayala riding) and Lets Leave (Sergio Becerra) completed a 1-2-3 finish for trainer Monty Arrossa in the 400-yard race.
• Saturday at Los Al, local stakes-winning mares Nymphette (Ayala), Frivolous (Henry Lopez) and Jessica Cruz (Rodrigo Aceves) lead a field of 10 for Saturdays Las Damas Handicap. Aged-mares division leader Pattys Saint is waiting for the Champion of Champions.
• Santa Anitas infield is playing host to equestrian competitions this week and next. The Los Angeles National started Wednesday and goes through Sunday, and a top-tier event called the Santa Anita CSI5*-W is Nov. 20-24. Stars include Karl Cook, Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and McLain Ward, members of the silver-medal U.S. team at the Paris Olympics.
— Kevin Modesti