TOP JOCKS DESCEND ON DEL MAR SEEKING A RIDE OF A LIFETIME
The Breeders’ Cup not only provides race fans with the chance to see the world’s top Thoroughbreds but it is also a showcase for the top jockeys in the sport.
Many of those who top the rankings have descended on Del Mar for the 41st running of the Breeders’ Cup. That includes the top jockeys in money earned in North America in 2024 as well as a few Hall of Famers thrown in.
Despite moving back east, Flavien Prat has made the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar an annual stop in November. Typically he rides in the Turf Festival at the end of the Bing Crosby meet but this year Prat’s here for the Breeders’ Cup.
“I love riding here,” Prat says. “I’ve been coming here for the last six or seven years. It’s a special place for me.”
Del Mar is his old stomping grounds where he captured riding titles on a regular basis. When he left Southern California in the spring of 2022 it was hard to believe then that he could improve his riding but this year he has taken his talents to a new level, one that could very well earn him the Eclipse Award at the end of the year.
“I have great people around me,” Prat notes. “I’m riding for good connections. My agent (Brad Pegram) is doing a great job and I have good support around me. I’ve been able to travel around the country with my family and the trainers and owners really give me the opportunity.”
Prat just finished a record setting campaign at Saratoga where he won an unprecedented 18 stakes races. Fourteen were graded and seven were of the Grade I variety. But he’s not willing to say he’s in a so-called ‘zone.’
“No, I just feel like I’m riding good horses,” Prat insists.
Through Friday, Prat has 199 winners in 2024 from 901 starts, a 22-percent win rate. But he’s still not the top money earner in North America. That distinction goes to five-time Eclipse Award winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr, who is at Del Mar this weekend. Ortiz has ridden the seaside oval in both prior runnings of the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in 2017 and 2021.
Ortiz, Jr. just notched his 4,000th career win on October 13th at Keeneland. He has led all the North American jockeys in wins since 2017 and currently tops the charts in earnings with $29,818,917. Prat is next with $28,621,976 followed by Tyler Gaffalione, Jose Ortiz and Luis Saez. All will be riding at Del Mar this weekend. Brian Hernandez is expected to ship in and ride Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna in the Distaff. There also will be Joel Rosario, a familiar face in the Del Mar jockey’s room, Javier Castellano and Hall of Famer John Velazquez.
Frankie Dettori returns to Del Mar joining the regular cast of top jocks in Southern California including Juan Hernandez, Antonio Fresu, Umberto Rispoli and Mike Smith, owner of the most Breeders’ Cup victories with 27.
And last but not least, there’s the large foreign contingency led by Christophe Lemaire, Ryan Moore, William Buick, Yutaka Take and the rest of the best from Europe and Japan.
BC ‘21 REVISITED
After the huge success at Del Mar in 2017, the Breeders’ Cup didn’t waste any time getting back to the seaside oval which hosted the World Championships four years later.
Knicks Go would cap his brilliant 2021 season with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and clinch Horse of the Year honors. He won five graded stakes in 2021 including the G1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park and the G1 Whitney at Saratoga. His Classic win was his second Breeders’ Cup triumph following his victory in the Dirt Mile at Keeneland in 2020.
The weekend also was highlighted by Godolphin’s hat trick and the first Japanese horse to ever win a Breeders’ Cup race. That came in the Filly and Mare Turf when Loves Only You got up by half a length to win. The Japanese would add another victory three races later when they took the Distaff with Marche Lorraine.
Meanwhile, Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby were piling up the victories. On Friday they won the Juvenile Turf with Modern Games in one of the strangest races in Breeders’ Cup history. Prior to the start, the horse next to Modern Games flipped in the gate and in order to keep Modern Games safe from harm he was allowed to exit through the front of the gate. However, the stewards up in the grandstand mistook Modern Games for breaking through the gate and he was ruled a ‘scratch’. He was eventually allowed to run but for purse money only.
Godolphin returned on Saturday to win the Mile with Space Blues and the Turf with Yibir. It would be Godolphin’s 11th and 12th Breeders’ Cup wins. They’ve added six more since.
Trainer Wesley Ward sent out the winner in the Juvenile Turf Sprint for the third year in a row, winning handily with Twilight Gleaming. Echo Zulu (Juvenile Fillies), Corniche (Juvenile) and Pizza Bianca (Juvenile Fillies Turf), owned by popular chef Bobby Flay, also won on Friday.
On Saturday, Ce Ce started the proceedings with a win over heavily favored Gamine in the Filly and Mare Sprint. Golden Pal, the previous year’s winner of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, returned to win the Turf Sprint in wire-to-wire fashion and Life Is Good waltz to a 5 ¾-lengths romp in the Dirt Mile.
Aloha West would win arguably the most thrilling race of the day, nailing a tough luck Dr. Schivel on the wire to win the Sprint by a nose.
HORSES RETURN TO DEL MAR TO RUN IN THE BREEDERS’ CUP
Several horses running in today’s Breeders’ Cup races ran at Del Mar this past summer. Here’s the list…
CLASSIC
Mixto – Was the longshot winner of this year’s G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic. The son of Good Magic scored at 45-1. His only win prior to that was when he broke his maiden at Del Mar last fall.
Senor Buscador – Winner of the G2 San Diego in 2023. He went on to win the richest race in the world, the Saudi Cup. The son of Mineshaft returned to Del Mar in 2024 and ran fourth in the G2 Pat O’Brien.
TURF
Gold Phoenix – This summer he became an unprecedented three-time winner of the G2 Del Mar Handicap. The Irish-bred from trainer Phil D’Amato’s barn is 6-4-0-1 at Del Mar.
DISTAFF
Sugar Fish – Has run twice at Del Mar, finishing fourth in a maiden race in 2023 and then sixth in this summer’s running of the G1 Clement Hirsch.
SPRINT
Raging Torrent – Returned from a trip back east a new horse and promptly took the G2 Pat O’Brien this summer. The son of Maximus Mischief raced three times at Del Mar during his 2-year-old campaign in 2023, breaking his maiden and then running third in the G3 Best Pal and fourth in the G1 Runhappy Futurity.
MILE
Johannes – Has won 7 of his last 8 starts dating back to December of 2022, including this year’s edition of the G2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar. The son of Nyquist also ran as a 2-year-old at Del Mar in the fall of 2022, finishing fifth in a maiden race.
F&M TURF
Anisette – Captured the hearts of Del Mar fans with popular victories in the 2023 G2 San Clemente followed by a win in the G1 Del Mar Oaks. She returned this year to win the G2 Yellow Ribbon before suffering her first loss at the seaside oval, a third-place finish in the G2 John Mabee on closing weekend.
Didia – Trainer Ignacio Correas IV brought his star Argentine-bred to Del Mar from her base at Keeneland. She ran fourth in the G2 John Mabee.
Hang The Moon – Comes into this race off consecutive graded stakes victories including the G2 John Mabee at Del Mar this summer. The daughter of Uncle Mo had been running back east before coming out west in 2024.
Sunset Glory – Won both of her races at Del Mar this summer, winning an entry-level allowance race by 3 ¼ lengths and then capturing the CTT and TOC stakes in August.
F&M SPRINT
One Magic Philly – Broke her maiden at Del Mar this past summer and followed that with an entry-level allowance victory.
Scylla – Came to Del Mar after running exclusively back east and finished second to Adare Manor in the G1 Clement Hirsch in August.
TURF SPRINT
Ag Bullet – After making her debut at Del Mar in the fall of 2022 the daughter of Twirling Candy returned this past summer and won the Osunitas Stakes.
Motorious – Has run three times at Del Mar and won all three races, including back-to-back editions of the G3 Green Flash.
DIRT MILE
Full Serrano – This Argentine-bred has only run twice in the U.S., both at Del Mar this past summer. He won an entry level allowance race followed by a runner-up finish in the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic.
Muth – The $2 million purchase by Amr Zedan won the $125,000 Shared Belief at Del Mar in September.
Katonah – Ran twice at Del Mar this summer, finishing second to Dr. Venkman in the G2 San Diego and then seventh in the G1 Pacific Classic.
The 2021 Breeders’ Cup did not attract the crowds that showed up in ’17 but that was because Del Mar put a cap on attendance to make the experience better for fans on-track. But the handle was another record for the Breeders’ Cup, exceeding $183 million.
HANDICAPPING SEMINARS RESUME ON SUNDAY
The track’s popular handicapping seminars, held prior to the races on Saturdays and Sundays this fall, will resume tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Dan Smith will host the 30 minute session with a special guest, clocker Toby Turrell. The seminars are free and are held on the patio of the Hacienda Room alongside the Plaza de Mexico behind the grandstand, west of the paddock.
COOLING OUT: A boisterous crowd of 30,982 packed Del Mar Friday for the first day of Breeders’ Cup races. They bet $6.6 million on the 10-race program, five of them Breeders’ Cup races. Total handle was $63,679,944, the second highest for a Breeders’ Cup Friday…A few horses worked early this morning before they closed the track to get it ready for the Breeders’ Cup races. Trainer Bob Hess, Jr. sent out six horses, Richard Baltas two and Richard Mandella worked Salesman (5f, 1:01.00).