Big fields, big names highlight 2024 Summer Meet at Del Mar.

Before Saturday, jockey Kazushi Kimura had not won a stakes race at Del Mar. At the end of the day he can now say he’s won two, including the Grade II, $251,000 John C. Mabee Stakes aboard outsider Hang the Moon, who races for the Texas outfit CJ Thoroughbreds.

Thought Process © Benoit Photo HECTOR I. BERRIOS (Thought Process, winner) - “I knew I wanted to go and close. She is a very fast filly so I try and go and switch positions. I...

As has been known to happen more than once, it was “the other Baffert” again Saturday at Del Mar in the 74th running of the $301,000 FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutante as the Nyquist filly Tenma came running late to take down honors by an oh-so-slim nose in the Grade I feature.

It’s always a fitting way to put a cap on the summer meet’s stakes schedule by running a race filled with potential stars of the future. The G1 Del Mar Futurity will be run Sunday. It has attracted seven juvenile colts, three from the Bob Baffert barn. All three have won at Del Mar this summer. In the case of Getaway Car, he’s won twice. The son of Curlin broke his maiden at first asking, winning by 3 ½ lengths on opening day. He came back and dominated the G3 Best Pal last month, winning by 5 ½ lengths.

Closing day at Del Mar Sunday and that means there’s a Del Mar Futurity on tap. And just as sure as that’s true, so is it that the trainer with the best chance of winning the seven-furlong, Grade I, $300,000 shore championship event is none other than Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. The white-haired wonder has captured the Del Mar Futurity no fewer than – wait for it – 17 times already and guess what: he’s got not one, not two, but three chances to do it again this time around.

The homebred colt Bodacious broke on top in Del Mar’s I’m Smokin Stakes Friday at the seaside course and never looked back, scoring a wire-to-wire tally.

Not surprisingly, trainer Bob Baffert has the favorite for the $300,000 seven-panel headliner that annually crowns the summer meet’s juvenile filly champ. Hall of Famer Baffert, you see, has already won the Deb on 10 occasions and has the morning-line, odds-on favorite in his latest lass – Zedan Racing Stables’ Nooni – at 4/5 as she tackles six rivals in the dash.

Nooni is one of those fillies that has landed on the radar with a lot of people and could one day be a star in the sport. But for now she has to pay her dues and gain some respect. That quest continues Saturday with the G1 FanDuel Racing Debutante at Del Mar. Seven 2-year-old fillies are set to line-up in the race that crowns the Del Mar summer meet’s Juvenile Filly champion.

Diamon Bar Gal, a lightly raced daughter of the late stallion Vronsky, scampered over five furlongs on turf in :57.30 and hung tough late to hold off fast-closing Nene Diamond to capture the Thursday feature at Del Mar by a diminishing nose.