Sparky Ville © Benoit Photo

Sparky Ville, a two-time winner, including the Sunny Slope Stakes last month at Santa Anita, will face five two-year-old rivals Saturday in the Grade III $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:30 p.m.

Opposing Sparky Ville, who will have the saddle services of Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, will be Extra Hope, Flavien Prat; Mucho Gusto, Joe Talamo; Savagery, Rafael Bejarano; Owning, Mario Gutierrez, and Sueno, Kent Desormeaux, all of whom are winners of a maiden race.

Metropol was an original entrant but reportedly will be withdrawn by trainer Bob Baffert after running a fever recently.

Sparky Ville, a son of Candy Ride, won a maiden race in early June at Santa Anhita, was second to the highly-regarded Instagrand in the Best Pal and then sixth behind champion-to-be Game Winner in the Del Mar Futurity prior to winning the Sunny Slope.

Likely favorite in the Bob Hope is Baffert’s Mucho Gusto, an impressive debut winner September 20 at Los Alamitos.

Savagery, by Bellamy Road, is stakes-placed, having finished second to Sparky Ville in the Sunny Slope, bowing by a length and one-quarter.