Horse racing notes: Fillies star on Del Mar’s Breeders’ Cup undercards

Posted by Admin October 31, 2024 Horse Racing

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Final, through Sunday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 25

Umberto Rispoli / 15

Antonio Fresu / 14

Tiago Pereira / 10

Hector Berrios / 10

Edwin Maldonado / 8

TRAINERS / WINS

Bob Baffert / 14

Phil D’Amato / 13

George Papaprodromou / 12

Doug O’Neill / 10

Michael McCarthy / 7

Mark Glatt / 7

WEEKEND STAKES (DEL MAR)

Friday

• $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, 2-year-olds, 1-1/16 miles, and four other Breeders’ Cup races

• Four non-Breeders’ Cup stakes

Saturday

• $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, 3-year-olds and up, 1¼ miles, and eight other Breeders’ Cup races

• Three non-Breeders’ Cup stakes

DOWN THE STRETCH

• The Breeders’ Cup programs at Del Mar include undercard stakes that would carry some weekends of Southern California racing by themselves. There are four non-Breeders’ Cup stakes on Friday, led by the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes turf sprint for fillies and mares, including Kissed by Fire (Antonio Fresu riding), Stay and Scam (Umberto Rispoli), Just Nails (Frankie Dettori) and East Coast shipper Twirling Queen (Luis Saez). There are two Saturday, both Grade III stakes for fillies and mares, the Bayakoa mile headed by the streaking Hope Road (Juan Hernandez) and the Goldikova mile on turf including well-traveled Fluffy Socks (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Mouffy (Manny Franco) and Nadette (Hector Berrios).

• The Del Mar “Bing Crosby Meet” that began Thursday runs through Dec. 1, with racing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays starting at 12:30 p.m. for the rest of the season (no Thanksgiving Day racing this year). After Breeders’ Cup weekend, the track has two Grade I stakes, the Nov. 30 Hollywood Derby and the Dec. 1 Matriarch. The pick 6, with a $1 minimum, covers the last six races each day.

• In Los Alamitos night quarter-horse racing, American Dreamin and jockey Armando Cervantes finished fast to win the $1 million, Grade I Golden State Million Futurity last Sunday. The unbeaten 2-year-old filly gave trainer Monty Arrossa and owner Dunn Ranch their third major futurity at Los Al in 2024, after Up to Party won the Ed Burke Million Futurity and the PCQHRA Breeders Futurity.

— Kevin Modesti