Del Mar

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has instituted a 10% purse increase, which will be retroactive to the track's opening day, July 10. Del Mar has also added a stakes race to its 2020 calendar--the $75,000 Del Mar Juvenile Filly Turf--a one-mile grass test for 2-year-old fillies Sept. 6. The race, which had been a regular feature at the seaside oval in the previous eight seasons, had been omitted from the original stakes schedule due to belt tightening measures. From July 10 through July 27, Del Mar conducted seven days of racing,...

Starting Friday July 31, licensed owners with a horse entered may attend the races at Del Mar. Space is limited to two licensed owners per horse. No guests are permitted. Up until now, licensed owners have only been allowed on track in the morning to watch workouts. The first come, first serve seating in the afternoons will be located in the same area in the clubhouse box seating. Owners will be required to email Mary Forney, Executive Director of TOC (mforney@toconline.com) to secure access, and reservations can be made up...

Champion Maximum Security (New Year's Day) was "good" Sunday morning following an all-out effort for a nose victory in Saturday's GII San Diego H. at Del Mar, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told the Del Mar notes team. "I actually thought he was pretty good right after the race being that I only had him about 80%," Baffert said. "I didn't think he'd have to do a stop-and-go movement [during the race] but he showed what a great horse he is." Making his first start for Baffert, first in...

It's never easy being the hunted. Making his first start since the federal indictment of his former trainer Jason Servis and sent out for the first time by trainer Bob Baffert, Eclipse Award winner Maximum Security (New Year's Day) looked destined for defeat in Saturday's GII San Diego H. But the 4-year-old, last seen winning the $20-million Saudi Cup nearly five months ago, overcame some aggressive race riding and perhaps some ring-rustiness to grab Midcourt (Midnight Lute) to take it by a nostril. Given a positive ride from the gates...

Umberto Rispoli was off to a hot start in his first visit to Del Mar, with seven trips to the winner's circle from his first 21 rides, and he'll look for his third black-type success at the meet in Saturday's GII San Clemente S. The Italian has the call atop Croughavouke (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) for Jeff Mullins in the one-mile prep for the GI Del Mar Oaks and the filly has run well in a pair of appearances at the seaside oval. Runner-up in last year's Juvenile Fillies Turf...

Eclipse Award winner Maximum Security (New Year's Day) makes his first start for trainer Bob Baffert and first since the federal indictment of former trainer Jason Servis in Saturday's rescheduled GII San Diego H. at Del Mar. The homebred was a two-time Grade I winner during his championship campaign in 2019, taking the GI Florida Derby and GI Haskell Invitational S. around his disqualification from an apparent victory in the GI Kentucky Derby. He proved his versatility and did what no other horse of his generation could at the tail...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency HALF TO GIRVIN DEBUTS AT ELLIS 3rd-ELP, $37K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 2:46p.m. Winchell Thoroughbreds went to $525,000 to acquire the well-related MIDNIGHT BOURBON (Tiznow) at Keeneland September and he makes her career bow in this test. The bay is a half-brother to GI Haskell S. winner Girvin (Take of Ekati), GSW Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John) and MGSP Pirate's Punch (Shanghai Bobby). TJCIS PPs   SON OF CURVY MAKES CAREER BOW IN SOCAL 1st-DMR, $50K, Msw, 2yo, 1mT, 5:00p.m. Richard Mandella unveils the son of...

There was no hotter trainer on the grounds through opening weekend at Saratoga than Christophe Clement, which is saying something considering the array of champion and Hall of Fame conditioners that occupy the backstretch of America's premier race meet. After winning five races from 13 starters in the first four days of the stand, including a pair of graded stakes victories, Clement joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland to discuss his hot start. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, the French-born trainer...

When Victor Espinoza rolled through the gates of Los Alamitos racecourse on the afternoon of Saturday, July 4, he did so anticipating a quick in-and-out with few disruptions. The Triple Crown-winning jockey had two mounts, in the eighth and ninth races, neither of them hot fancies. Approaching the jocks' room, however, Espinoza paused. "There wasn't enough room for all of us," said Espinoza of the room's quarters, which had been split between Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred riders. "We were stacked in there like sardines." Events from that afternoon have played...

Following the cancellation of three cards this weekend due to a lack of jockeys caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Del Mar rescheduled one of those lost days for Monday, July 27. "We're looking forward to resuming racing on Friday, July 24," said Del Mar Thoroughbred Club executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins. "Adding a race card on Monday, July 27 provides our horsemen and women with additional opportunities to run their horses." Robbins said Del Mar is looking at making up races from the two other lost days during...

On Wednesday, when Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) announced the cancellation of this weekend's three days of racing in the aftermath of 15 asymptomatic jockeys there testing positive for COVID-19, the chief reason listed in the track's press release was "to help ensure the safety of all workers at Del Mar and our surrounding community." But in a Thursday teleconference organized by the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) that featured Del Mar executives explaining their decision not to race, the focal point centered not so much on preventing the spread...

Del Mar has cancelled its weekend racing--scheduled to run Friday through Sunday--because of multiple jockeys testing positive for COVID-19, as first reported in Daily Racing Form. In a subsequent press release Wednesday afternoon, Del Mar explained that all of the track's jockeys and jockey room personnel were tested on Tuesday by San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency staff, with 15 jockeys showing up positive for COVID-19. All were reportedly asymptomatic. "Assuming these individuals continue to show no symptoms, they will be isolated for a total of 10 days...