Del Mar Saturday Stakes Picks
Overview: Del Mar has a tremendous card on Saturday highlighted by the Bing Crosby (G1) and San Diego Handicap (G2). The two races feature strong name recognition and star power with Nysos, Hall of Fame, and Express Train headlining the San Diego Handicap (G2) while horses like Crazy Mason, Dr. Venkman, Hejazi, World Record, and Roll On Big Joe make up a competitive field in the Bing Crosby (G1). Expect the winner of the San Diego Handicap (G2) to target the Pacific Classic (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) as their next step while the Bing Crosby (G1) winner is pointed toward being a top contender for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
Del Mar, Race 8, San Diego Handicap (G2), Post Time-8:30 PM ET
It is hard to make a case against #2 Nysos other than he has yet to run two turns since he returned to the track following a 15-month layoff. As a three-year-old, he was easily the most promising runner in California having crushed the eventual Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner, Stronghold, by 8 ¾ lengths in the Bob Hope (G3) and followed that up by dominating the Robert B. Lewis (G3) field going two turns and winning by 7 ½ lengths. When he returned to the track in 2025, trainer Bob Baffert did not ease him back into things as he was immediately spotted in the Churchill Downs (G1) where he ran second by a neck to Mindframe who came back to win the Stephen Foster (G1) in his next start and is currently ranked as the #1 horse in North America. In Nysos’s second race back, he ran a career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure (BSF) and turned the Tropical Bend (G3) into a personal workout. While he is stretching out beyond a mile for the first time, he pedigree suggests that will not be an issue and his previous efforts have all hinted at going longer. He has been blazing in the morning workouts leading up to this and feels like an easy single in the late Pick 5 sequence. I do think it is worth mentioning a horse like #5 Hall of Fame who has recently gone from the barn of Steve Asmussen to Michael McCarthy, which certainly injects some depth into the older dirt male population in California. Hall of Fame has never lived up to the $1.4 million price tag, though he does have a Grade 3 win on his resume and has been solid in all six starts since coming back from a nine-month layoff in December. He has good speed and prefers to track the pace and should not have any issue with Saturday’s distance as he’s won three out of four starts going 8.5 furlongs. I will be interested to see if he can move forward over a track like Del Mar, but it is hard to see him upsetting the apple cart in his first start out West. Finally, #4 Express Train is as cool as they came as the eight-year-old son of Union Rags just keeps running honest despite not having won since the Big Cap (G1) in 2022. He’s won $1.6 million on the track and while he can still perform at a high level, he does seem like more of an underneath play now that a win contender. I would love for trainer John Shirreffs to find him a spot where he could finish his career in the winner’s circle, but he can hold his own here and will make a run late.
Del Mar, Race 10, Bing Crosby Stakes (G1), Post Time-9:30 PM ET
Another race and another Bob Baffert horse making his way back into form following a long layoff. #3 Hejazi was a horse that was filled with promise, but has only managed two since in 10 starts, but during that stretch was Grade 1-placed twice. The now five-year-old son of Bernardini has had several gaps in his running lines but rarely runs a bad race and is second back following a 17-month layoff. His first effort back was against $80K optional claiming company where he lost as the odd-on favorite to fellow Bing Crosby (G1) entrant Mbagnick. However, one can excuse coming up short after such a long layoff and now he should have the screws tightened in his second start off the bench. The fact Baffert has spotted the horse in a Grade 1 coming off that effort should tell you his opinion of the horse and how he is training. He has outstanding speed and jockey Juan Hernandez is back aboard. He could try to take them gate-to-wire, but he has tracked the pace in the past, so he could play the break in case someone catches a flier. A horse that I have always liked is #5 World Record for trainer Rudy Brisset. The son of Gun Runner has only missed the board once in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) where he went too fast up front at seven furlongs, but otherwise he has always turned in solid efforts with four wins and over $440,000 of winnings in his career. He is probably faster out of the gate than Hejazi and keeps regularly jockey Flavien Prat aboard as Prat opted to fly to California for the day to ride Nysos rather than ride Baeza in the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga. World Record is third back in the form cycle and should bounce back from a slow runner-up effort last time out at Churchill Downs. Meanwhile, #2 Dr. Venkman is another consistent horse who has finished in the exacta in seven of eight career starts but has had a tendency of coming up just short, particularly when he is favored. His BSFs are a model of consistency as he’s run between 91-99 in all eight starts, but at this point it is fair to assume that he does not have another gear above what he has shown. He is also third back in the form cycle coming off a runner-up finish to Roll on Big Joe in the Kelly’s Landing (G3). He has yet to run against this level of competition sprinting, but his only other Grade 1 effort resulted in an off-the-board finish. Finally, respect must be paid to #6 Roll On Big Joe who is coming off a victory in the Kelly’s Landing (G3) and he has run well at this distance finishing in the exacta in six of seven career starts, but with only two victories. However, he does not necessarily love Del Mar where he is 0-2 winning, though one of those efforts was in his second career start back in 2022. He has shown the ability to run a race fast enough to win on Saturday but lacks consistency. He generally does his best work up front but could stalk the pace and the outside post position should help. He is certainly a horse moving in the right direction having won four of his last five, but this will be a class test on Saturday.