Rain took Del Mar off the turf for a second straight day on Saturday, a first in the track’s history, and the Bing Crosby Season still heads into a loaded Sunday — Doug O’Neill saddles five 2-year-olds and Bob Baffert two more in the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes, Grand Slam Smile is set to race on in 2027, and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith reveals he was ready to retire with Zenyatta.

Off the Turf Again Saturday at Del Mar

Overnight and early morning rain has prompted the Del Mar racing office to take the races off the turf Saturday for the second day in a row. This is believed to be the first time in Del Mar history that races have been taken off the turf on back-to-back race days.

Nearly half an inch of rain fell overnight adding to the half an inch that fell early Friday morning. Officials feel it’s in the best interest of the horses’ and the jockeys’ safety to not run on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course today. That means Races 2, 5, 7 and 9 will be run on the main track.

Light training was allowed on the main track this morning but only jogging and only along the outside rail. The main track is expected, at the very least, to be listed as “Good” by first post at 12:30 p.m.

Mike Smith Says He Was Ready to Retire With Zenyatta

A startling revelation made by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith on Matt Carother’s “:58 and Change” program on YouTube. He says if Zenyatta had beat Blame in the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic he would have retired.

“I was going to walk away with her,” Smith told Carothers. “So, look what it (her head defeat) gave me.”

Smith was making the point that things, even heartbreaking events, happen for a reason. The defeat gave Smith the opportunity to ride the mare Songbird and the colt Arrogate through their tremendous runs. His Kentucky Derby victory and subsequently his Triple Crown triumph with Justify would have never happened for him.

“None of that stuff would have happened if she had won that night,” Smith concluded.

Smith is based in Southern California and currently rides at Del Mar.

O’Neill, Baffert Send Top 2-Year-Olds in Bob Hope Stakes Sunday

Trainer Doug O’Neill and his staff plan to be very busy between 3:30 and 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon. That’s when he will be saddling his horses entered in the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar. The leading trainer this past summer at Del Mar has not just one horse to get ready for the race. Not even two or three. He has a total of five horses entered in the seven-furlong contest for 2-year-olds on the main track.

Saddling five horses can be a daunting task without some help. Fortunately for O’Neill he has one of the best assistant trainers in the business in Leondro Mora.

O’Neill is very high on Fractious, a son of Volatile who made his debut at Del Mar this summer and finished second. He returned a month later and broke his maiden by three and quarter lengths at Santa Anita.

“Joel Rosario is a world class rider and even he was like ‘wow’ after the race,” O’Neill says. “It was a very wowing performance and he’s come out of it in great shape. From the winners circle that day on we’ve been talking about the Bob Hope with him. We’re excited.”

The most experienced of O’Neill’s quintet is Dang Son, a son of Good Magic who has four career starts, three at Del Mar last summer. He broke his maiden in his second start at a mile on the turf then returned to the dirt and ran third in the G1 Del Mar Futurity behind eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Hughes.

Dang Son stretched out in his next race and ran last in the G1 American Pharoah.

“He’s got stakes quality in him,” O’Neill insists. “I just think he needs some time and some racing. He might be a tad behind Fractious right now but I think on any given day he can jump up and compete with these guys.”

O’Neill’s other entries in the Bob Hope are Sip It, a last out maiden winner on the turf at Santa Anita; Dats Improbable, who last raced on the East Coast at Laurel Park in the James Lewis Stakes. That was after he broke his maiden at Timonium by 10 ¼ lengths in September; and High Pronto, who broke his maiden at Del Mar in August, ran last in the Del Mar Futurity a month later then tried the turf last out and ran fourth in the $100,000 Speakeasy at Santa Anita.

It’s no secret that Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has dominated the 2-year-old division in Southern California for years. He has won this race 11 times, three when it was run at Hollywood Park and was known as the Hollywood Prevue Stakes and eight times since it moved to Del Mar in 2014 and became known as the Bob Hope.

This year Baffert brings two horses to the race. Domus broke his maiden first time out and then, like Dang Son, he took a crack at the two Grade I’s, running fourth in the Del Mar Futurity and fourth again on the stretch out in the mile and a sixteenth American Pharoah.

“We’ve always been high on the horse,” Baffert notes. “In the Futurity he just got rank early and gave up. I think he should run well. Maybe this is a stepping stone to the Los Alamitos Futurity, which would be a stepping stone to whatever’s next. We’re just getting some races into him.”

Baffert will also run Kivo, a son of Omaha Beach who broke his maiden last time out.

“I was very impressed with his race,” Baffert states. “He didn’t run real fast but he’s a nice horse. He’s got a great post (#7) so he should run well.”

The Bob Hope, named after the famous entertainer whose career spanned nearly 80 years on radio, television, movies and USO shows he did for the troops in war zones, is Race 8 on the nine-race Sunday program. Probable post time is 4 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Sip It (Kazushi Kimura, 5-1); Fractious (Joel Rosario, 6-1); Dats Improbable (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1); Domus (Juan Hernandez, 8/5); Dang Son (Kyle Frey, 8-1); High Pronto (Edwin Maldonado, 12-1), and Kivo (Emisael Jaramillo, 3-1).

Grand Slam Smile to Race in 2027

One of, if not, the most impressive performance so far of the Bing Crosby Season at Del Mar was the win by Grand Slam Smile in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes last Sunday.

The impressive Cal-bred daughter of Smiling Tiger rushed up to the lead shortly after a slow start, hit the front halfway up the backstretch and never stopped, opening up at the top of the lane and showing once again that she deserves strong consideration for Cal-bred Horse of the Year.

“For me, she’s right at the top,” trainer Sean McCarthy said when asked after the race how she ranks among the horses he’s trained. “There’s also Majestic Harbor winning the Gold Cup (2014) but she’s right there at the top with him. I’ve been fortunate to gallop a lot of good horses, too. Grade I winners, top class horses, Breeders’ Cup horses. Unfortunately, I’m too old and fat to get on her now but she’s tremendous.”

Grand Slam Smile was the even money favorite when the gates opened and that looked like a bargain as they turned for home.

“It’s just a thrill to have her,” McCarthy notes. “Somebody asked my wife Kim: ‘Is this becoming repetitious?’ or something like that. It was a fair question and she replied, ‘Honestly, it gets a bit tougher because everybody expects it.’”

Grand Slam Smile is already a two time Cal-bred champion, winning Top 2-year-old Filly in 2023 and Top 3-year-old filly in 2024. That year she won five stakes races including the Solana Beach and the Betty Grable at Del Mar. At the time she was trained by Steve Specht, who retired in 2025 and sent Grand Slam Smile to McCarthy.

“I’m really happy for the Williams,” McCarthy says about the owners, Larry and Marianne. “They’ve been so good to us. Dan Kaiser (the Williams’ racing manager), he just rolls right along with this horse and Steve Specht, I’m sure he’s up in Santa Rosa enjoying this.”

Grand Slam Smile became a millionaire last month when she won the California Distaff Handicap at Santa Anita. She has a remarkable record of 23 in the money finishes out of her 25 career starts.

“That’s why we’re doing it,” McCarthy contends. “That’s why we’re in this position. It’ll make your heart thump there’s no doubt about it but that’s what keeps you going. I like that pressure. It’s kind of like Montana driving 80 yards for a touchdown. You gotta do it to win the game and it’s fun when it happens.”

As for the future plans for the 5-year-old chestnut mare everything points to a return to racing in 2027.

“It looks like we will,” McCarthy reveals. “If everything’s good with her and she’s doing well there’s no reason why we won’t. I think that’s the Williams’ plan and we’ll proceed accordingly.”

Weekend Handicapping Seminars Back at Del Mar

Racing fans can once again take part in Del Mar’s Free Weekend Handicapping Seminars, held each Saturday and Sunday throughout the meet. They’ll be presented on the Kona Stage in the Plaza de Mexico and begin at noon each day in advance of the 12:30 p.m. first post.

The seminars, which run for approximately 20 or so, offer insights into the day’s racing cards from expert handicappers.

Del Mar veteran Dan Smith is the host for the Saturday cards and his guest this week is Jon Lindo, handicapper and racing radio host.

Sunday’s programs will be overseen by handicapping ace Frank Scatoni and he’ll have as his guest this week a serious horseplayer in John Murphy.

Cooling Out

Jockey Joel Rosario won four of the eight races on Friday’s card to rocket past Juan Hernandez and into the lead in the Del Mar jockey standings. Rosario now has a total of eight victories to Hernandez’ seven. Rosario won the opener Friday on Ala Sawab, then tallied three straight wins on Legal Heir in Races 5; He’s Got Fire in Race 6, and Sogno Di Vino in Race 7. Rosario is no stranger to sitting atop the jockey standings. He returned to Del Mar this summer and promptly won the riders’ title…Patrons in attendance for yesterday’s first race at Del Mar saw a star in the making when Ala Sawab romped to an 8 ¼ length victory in a Maiden Special Weight. The 2-year-old son of Flightline did his best impression of his father, quickly disposing of the competition at the top of the lane and drawing off at 1-2. Like his daddy, Ala Sawab is trained by John Sadler…Awards will be handed out prior to Race 4 today for last year’s Bing Crosby Meet winners. Jockey Umberto Rispoli, trainer George Papaprodromou and owner Susumu Fujita, owner of Forever Young, will be honored.

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