Del Mar

Subsanador (Arg) (Fortify) didn't get much respect at 6-1 in the betting when throttling between rivals to seize a three-horse photo by a head in Saturday's GI California Crown S., and he likely won't be favored for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in five weeks, either. But make no mistake: There were no fewer than 10 aspirants for the Classic in the entries worldwide last week, and only Subsanador's score at Santa Anita resonated as a true status shifter that elevated this Richard Mandella trainee into the top tier among...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Special Wan at Kentucky Downs on Saturday.   Team Valor Filly Strikes In Kentucky Team Valor International and Steven Rocco's Special Wan (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) was first past the post in a Kentucky Downs contest in her U.S. debut on Sept. 7 (video) for trainer Patrick Foley. Bred by Kilnamoragh Stud, the G3 Ballycorus Stakes second and G3 Brownstown Stakes third was a...

Eight races with purses and awards totaling more than $1.5 million will be offered as part of the Breeders' Cup undercard weekend according to an announcement Tuesday from Breeders' Cup Limited and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. In addition to travel incentives, owners and trainers of contenders participating in the undercard races will receive race day seating, parking, and a range of other premium benefits. Five undercard races on the Nov. 1 program bolster Future Stars Friday, highlighted by the $200,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 mile on...

Del Mar concluded its 85th summer racing season Sunday as the seaside track once again recorded strong field sizes and average daily handle as well as the highest daily purses in the state of California. Del Mar averaged 8.6 starters per race and $831,000 per day in total purse distribution. Total wagering for the meet was $502,985,000, a slight decrease from last summer after Del Mar implemented new restrictions on computer-assisted wagering (CAW) players in 2024. Average daily handle was $16,225,000. Track officials indicated that the handle figures were in...

For the 18th time, the GI Del Mar Futurity belongs to trainer Bob Baffert. The Hall of Fame trainer sent three horses to post Sunday in Del Mar's Closing Day feature and, while race favorite and 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin) was the expected winner, it was 7-2 shot Gaming (Game Winner) who stole the spotlight. He lined up facing not just his own talented stablemates (including the aforementioned favorite along with Citizen Bull {Into Mischief}) but also another gate-to-wire maiden winner in McKinzie Street (McKinzie) for Tim Yakteen....

Thought Process (Collected) held her ground in the stretch of the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes to secure her first career black-type. Third on debut July 27 when sprinting on the main track, the chestnut found grass to her liking less than a month later, breaking her maiden Aug. 17 when stretched out to a mile and flopped to the turf for the first time. On the back of that performance, which garnered her a Beyer of 82, the betting public crowned her the 2-5 favorite and she did...

.      The lesser-preferred half of a Bob Baffert-trained pair, Baoma Corp's Tenma (Nyquist) was shoved across the wire first by jockey Kazushi Kimura to take out Saturday's GI Del Mar Debutante on the penultimate day of the summer meeting at the seaside oval. Vodka With a Twist (Thousand Words) carried a clear advantage into the final furlong, but was chinned on the wire while finishing a block ahead of longshot So There She Was (Munnings) in third. The disappointment of the race was 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win...

It's the final day of the meet where the 'turf meets the surf' where trainer Bob Baffert will likely finish the afternoon with an unprecedented 18th winner of the GI Del Mar Futurity, the final major contest of the season before the track gets all decked out in purple for the arrival of the Breeders' Cup in early November. The Hall of Famer saddles three of Sunday's seven intended runners, each capable of walking away with the victory on their best. 'TDN Rising Star' Getaway Car (Curlin) is the most...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings, which attract its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Sunday at Kentucky Downs and Del Mar: Sunday, September 8, 2024 KY Downs 1, $170k, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:25 p.m. ET...

It's been nearly 30 years since trainer Bob Baffert won his first GI Del Mar Debutante Stakes with Batroyale back in 1995. The Hall of Fame conditioner looks to have a stranglehold on this year's renewal of the seven-furlong contest, as he sends out a pair of big-money fillies, each campaigned by previous Debutante scorers. Front and center is 'TDN Rising Star' Nooni (Win Win Win), the $1.8-million topper from this year's OBS March Sale, who looks to become the second winner of the event in the last four years...

3rd-DMR, 75K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 5:30 p.m. One of two entries for trainer Bob Baffert, the New York-bred ZABO (Justify) sold to Zedan Racing for $700,000 at OBS March earlier this year from the Chester and Mary Broman consignment. The colt is the first foal out of MSW/GSP Pauseforthecause (Giant's Causeway) who earned nearly $550,000 in her career and is herself a daughter of MSW/GISP Spritely (Touch Gold). After bringing just $100,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, Zabo impressed with a sharp quarter-mile breeze in :20.2. Joining him to...

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Idea Generation in the Flower Bowl Stakes, as Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown earned meet titles at Saratoga on Labor Day.   Dubawi Longshot Pillar To Post In The Flower Bowl Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown enjoyed a Saratoga double on Aug. 31, and Idea Generation (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) brought up the second half of that milestone when taking the GII Flower...