DEL MAR LEADERS
Through Thursday
JOCKEYS / WINS
Juan Hernandez / 19
Umberto Rispoli / 12
Joe Bravo / 10
Ramon Vazquez / 8
Edwin Maldonado / 7
TRAINERS / WINS
Bob Baffert / 8
Philip D’Amato / 8
Peter Miller / 7
Doug O’Neill / 7
George Papaprodromou / 7
WEEKEND STAKES (DEL MAR)
Friday
• $125,000 Graduation Stakes, 2-year-olds bred in California, 5½ furlongs
Saturday
• $250,000 Grade II Yellow Ribbon Stakes, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1-1/16 miles (turf)
• $200,000 Sorrento Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs
Sunday
• $200,000 Grade III Best Pal Stakes, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs
DOWN THE STRETCH
• Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form reported that the Del Mar stewards have scheduled a meeting for Friday at 2 p.m. with Tyler Baze after the jockey failed to show up for his scheduled mounts on Thursday. Stewards didn’t hear from Baze until after the seventh race on the eight-race card. Baze was scheduled to ride six races Thursday. He’s off to a slow start this meet with only two victories in 67 mounts (3%). The 39-year-old Baze, the country’s top apprentice in 2000, finished third in the jockey standings at Santa Anita this year.
• It’s been a less than formful Del Mar meet so far because of all the full fields. Normally, favorites win at about a 33% clip, but through the first 11 days of the 31-day meet, they were winning at a 31.48% clip. Favorites on dirt were winning at a higher 36.67%, but turf favorites were lagging at 25%. Odds-on favorites were at 40% and favorites were finishing in the money 75% of the time. Odds-on favorites finished in the money in 14 of 15 races (93.33%). Three favorites won on Thursday’s card, including two on dirt.
• Churchill Downs will host a special one-day Arlington Million day program, thanks to cooperation from Ellis Park. Churchill will stage 11 thoroughbred races, including two dirt stakes races and two turf stakes. The grass stakes include the Grade I Arlington Million and the Grade I Beverly D. The Arlington Million, a 1-1/8-mile race, drew a field of nine, including the Michael McCarthy-trained Smooth Like Strait. The son of Midnight Lute is the 5-2 morning-line favorite and will be ridden by John Velazquez.
— Art Wilson
