Jasikan © Benoit Photo

Irish-bred Jasikan, who rallied from last place to win the opening-day Runhappy Oceanside Stakes in rousing fashion, will be seeking to repeat that performance when he faces seven fellow three-year-olds in the Grade III $150,000 La Jolla Handicap Sunday at Del Mar.

Jasikan, a son of Bated Breath trained by John Sadler, is expected to duel for favoritism with Neptune’s Storm, a double stakes-winner at Santa Anita who is topweighted at 124 pounds, two more than his rival.

The La Jolla ‘Cap, carded at a mile and one-sixteenth over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course, is the last steppingstone to the Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Derby on Sunday, September 1.

Jasikan, to be piloted by Flavien Prat, got up in the last jump of the Runhappy Oceanside to nose out Nolde for his third straight victory.

Neptune’s Storm, with Drayden Van Dyke scheduled to ride, defeated Jasikan in the Singletary by almost a length and then returned to win the Cinema in early June.

Back to tackle Jasikan again will be four sophomores who chased him to the wire in the Runhappy Oceanside – Rijeka, third; Golden Birthday, fourth; Gregorian Chant, fifth, and King of Speed, eleventh. Ruben Fuentes rides Rijeka, Joe Talamo will be aboard Golden Birthday, Norberto Arroyo, Jr., has the call on Gregorian Chant, with Victor Espinoza named to pilot King of Speed.

Completing the La Jolla line-up are Kingly, Mario Gutierrez, and Stubbins, Rafael Bejarano. Kingly was third behind stablemate Game Winner in the Los Alamitos Derby in mid-July, while Stubbins was third in a five-furlong turf dash at Del Mar July 24. Stubbins, a speedy colt, won the Pasadena on a sloppy track at Santa Anita, defeating Neptune’s Storm by eight lengths. He is a likely pacesetter in the La Jolla ‘Cap.

Post time for the first of eight races Sunday is 2 p.m.