Bellafina © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Del Mar kicks off its Labor Day holiday weekend of Thoroughbred racing Saturday by presenting a quality-laden eleven-race program, featuring the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante for two-year-old fillies and the Grade II $200,000 John C. Mabee Stakes for older grass runners on a card commencing at 2 p.m.

The seven-furlong Debutante will match a small but talented field of five fillies, including Bella Fina, easy winner of the Sorrento Stakes, and the $1 million yearling buy, Brill, impressive victress in her career debut. Flavien Prat has the call on Bellafina, while Drayden Van Dyke will be aboard Brill.

Completing the line-up are Boujie Girl, third in the Sorrento; Watch Me Burn, daylight winner of two races at Del Mar this summer, and Mother Mother, a dominant winner of her only outing. Geovanni Franco rides Boujie Girl, Alonso Quinonez handles Watch Me Burn, and Joe Talamo will guide Mother Mother. The last-named is trained by seven-time Debutante winner Bob Baffert.

The John C. Mabee Stakes lured a full line-up for its nine furlongs over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course. Cambodia, to be ridden by Van Dyke, figures to be a solid favorite to repeat after her sterling performance in the Yellow Ribbon Handicap a month ago. Last summer, she won both the Yellow Ribbon and Mabee Stakes.

Opposing Cambodia will be Meal Ticket, Talamo; Sophie P, Kent Desormeaux; Midnight Crossing, Brice Blanc; Storm the Hill, Rafael Bejarano; Fahan Mura, Edwin Maldonado; Cordiality, Tyler Baze; Achira, Gary Stevens; Vasilika, Prat; The Tulip, Mario Gutierrez; Madame Stripes, Franco; and Cheekaboo, Tyler Conner. On the also eligible list is Vagabond Princess, Martin Garcia. 

Racing action will continue Sunday, spotlighting the Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Derby and the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf, while Monday’s final day of the 36-day summer meeting will feature the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity and the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.