Del Mar’s fall season begins Thursday with five weeks of racing on tap including the 2024 Breeders’ Cup. 14 championship races will be run Friday and Saturday but once the dust has settled and the champions are crowned, the Del Mar stakes schedule continues through the month of November. The stakes always attract more top horses from across the nation, some seeking that one last win to add to the resume that might convince the judges to look their way come Eclipse Award time.
This year’s fall stakes schedule is the same as last year with one notable exception, that there will be no Thanksgiving racing this year. Otherwise the schedule includes the same number of stakes on similar dates.
“We stack a lot of stakes quality in a short period of time,” says Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens. “It’s obviously on people’s radar. Everybody knows the Hollywood Derby is your last chance to run 3-year-olds on the turf. For certain individuals it’s on their radar when they plan throughout the year. If they’re going to campaign a horse on a specific schedule they know they can conclude (the year) with our races.”
Admittedly, most champions come out of the Breeders’ Cup but there have been past instances of titles being undecided and that’s where Del Mar plays a big part. The most notable happened in 2014 when California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes but then finished fourth in the Belmont, sixth in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and a close third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Horse of the Year was still up in the air when trainer Art Sherman brought his big chestnut to Del Mar for the Hollywood Derby (G1). He won, capturing his first race on the grass and tipping the Horse of the Year title in his favor, the first of two the Cal-bred would win during his career.
Even in years when the champions have been decided, the stakes run at the seaside oval have attracted horses from such top name barns as Chad Brown, Bill Mott, Brad Cox and Graham Motion. Christophe Clement and Shug McGaughey also have been known to enter a horse or two during Del Mar’s Crosby meet.
The stakes schedule kicks off opening day with the $100,000 Let It Ride Stakes for 3-year olds going a mile on the turf.
Then on Breeders’ Cup Friday there will be four stakes on the undercard, all for juveniles. Saturday the undercard consists of two graded stakes races, the Goldikova (G3) for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf and the Bayakoa (G3) for fillies and mares going a mile on the dirt.
The Crosby fall meet continues the next weekend with two more stakes: The $100,000 Cary Grant on Nov. 9 for California-bred 3-years-olds and up going seven furlongs and on Sunday the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares also going seven furlongs.
The juveniles are back in the spotlight the following weekend with the $100,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes on Nov. 16 and the Bob Hope (G3) on Nov. 17.
The Native Diver (G3) returns on Saturday the 23rd, for the 47th running of the 1 1/8 mile event on the main track for 3-year-olds and up.
With no Thanksgiving racing this year at Del Mar, the Red Carpet (3) has been moved up to Nov. 24, the Sunday before the holiday weekend. Fillies and mares will contest the 1 3/8 mile event.
The 43rd running of the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) happens Nov. 29. Three graded stakes are slated for Nov. 30 including the feature, the 84th running of the Hollywood Derby (G1). Also on the card will be the Seabiscuit (G2) for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles and the Jimmy Durante (G3) for 2-year olds fillies going a mile.
The meet wraps up Dec. 1 with three more graded stakes highlighted by the 44th running of the Matriarch (G1) for fillies and mares going one mile. Stakes action on closing day also includes the Stormy Liberal turf sprint and the Cecil B. DeMille (G3), a one mile turf test for juveniles.
Excluding the Breeders’ Cup, $3.15 million in stakes purses will be up for grabs this fall at Del Mar. Only time will tell if they’ll produce a champion or two again this year.
