OUT OF THE GATE
DEL MAR LEADERS Through Thursday JOCKEYS / WINS
Juan Hernandez / 19 Umberto Rispoli / 12
Joe Bravo / 10
Ramon Vazquez / 8
Edwin Maldonado / 7
TRAINERS / WINS
Bob Baffert / 8
Philip D’Amato / 8
Peter Miller / 7
Doug O’Neill / 7
George Papaprodromou / 7
WEEKEND STAKES
DEL MAR
Today
• $125,000 Graduation Stakes, 2-year-olds bred in CA, 51⁄2 furlongs
Saturday
• $250,000 Grade II Yellow Ribbon Stakes, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 11⁄16 miles (turf)
• $200,000 Sorrento Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs
Sunday
• $200,000Grade III Best
Pal Stakes, 2-year-olds, 6 furlongs
DOWN THE STRETCH
• Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form reported that the Del Mar stewards have scheduled a meeting today at 2 p.m. with Tyler Baze after the jockey failed to show up for his scheduled mounts Thursday. Stewards didn’t hear from Baze until after the seventh race on the eight-race card.
Baze was scheduled to ride six races Thursday. He’s off to a slow start this meet with only two victories in 67 mounts (3%). The 39-year-old Baze, the country’s top apprentice in 2000, finished third in the jockey standings at Santa Anita this year.
• It’s been a less than formful Del Mar meet so far because of all the full fields. Normally favorites win at about a 33% clip, but through the first 11days of the 31-day meet they were winning at a 31.48% clip. Favorites on dirt were winning at a higher rate of 36.67%, but turf favorites were lagging at 25%. Odds-on favorites were at 40% and favorites were finishing in the money 75% of the time. Odds-on favorites finished in the money in 14of 15races (93.33%). Three favorites won on Thursday’s card, including two on dirt.
• Churchill Downs will host a special one-day Arlington Million day program, thanks to cooperation from Ellis Park. Churchill will stage 11thoroughbred races, including two dirt stakes races and two turf stakes. The grass stakes include the Grade I Arlington Million and the Grade I Beverly D. The Arlington Million, a 1 1⁄8-mile race that drew a field of nine, including the Michael McCarthy-trained Smooth Like Strait. The son of Midnight Lute is the 5-2 morning-line favorite and will be ridden by John Velazquez.