DEL MAR, Calif. -- Another SoCal Breeders’ Cup has come and gone, and already its spectators are anticipating the return visit to Del Mar in 2025. The area around Del Mar truly embraces the weekend, and seems thrilled to show off their corner of the globe. Frankly, they should be as proud as they are - the backdrop, weather, food, and people - are charming. It’s always a treat to make the trip.
The 2 day event reminded those of us who follow the sport everyday that there are still stars, and there is still a wealth of talent. In an era of track closures, declining eyeballs on the sport, and a seemingly never-ending malaise around almost anything done in Horse Racing, it’s nice to have a weekend like this. Friday introduced the world to 3 world-class 2-year-olds, while Saturday solidified the stature of a few of its runners. Here are 7 that stood out.
Friday: Immersive in the BC Juvenile Fillies
On Friday, the rest of the world outside of Kentucky was introduced to Immersive, a 2-year-old filly and daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. She’s trained by Brad Cox, who won the race for the 2nd time. Immersive sat just off the pace before exploding in the short Del Mar stretch to win by over a length. It was a standout performance on a day of great performances by the sport’s best 2-year-olds, and one the connections were excited about.
Trainer Brad Cox in the winner’s circle: “Obviously, they were rolling pretty quick up front and (jockey) Manny (Franco) did a great job putting her in a great position. She broke well. Showed her stamina and ability to handle two turns. I think the further the better. She’s a very good filly and showed it today, again. That was a huge performance.”
The “further the better” from Cox is a clear indication of her hopes she’ll eventually qualify to run in the KY Oaks, the race for 3-year-old fillies the day before the Derby every year at Churchill Downs. Immersive now leads the Road to the KY Oaks standings with the win. Jockey Manny Franco clearly agrees with Cox on her ceiling:
“She’s a grinder. She doesn’t have a big turn of foot and she’s a grinder, but at the same time, I feel like I’m going to get there. “It means a lot. These are the races we dream of and that’s what we’re here for. “I think she’s the best 2-year-old filly right now, no doubt.”
Time will tell if Immersive can pull off the rare feat her sire did: win their Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race before winning the KY Oaks/ Derby. Immersive, like her dad, will finish her 2-year-old campaign undefeated.
Friday: Lake Victoria in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf
Our best bet of the weekend here at the Trib, Lake Victoria turned in the exact performance we expected: she sat mid-pack for much of the race, and when it was time to put away her fellow 2-year-old fillies, she did just that. Scottish handicapper James Welsh made an appearance on the Horse Racing Happy Hour podcast, and expressed his shock her connections would ship her stateside for such a race. “I can’t believe they’re shipping her!” he exclaimed.
They’ve got to be glad they did. She picks up a $520,000 check for her efforts, and adds to owner Coolmore’s hopes of her being the next great runner in her sire Frankel’s line. She’ll finish the year 5-for-5, her final 4 races coming in Graded Stakes. She’s quite the filly.
Friday: Citizen Bull in the BC Juvenile
This may be burying the lede - but Bob Baffert is back. His trainee Citizen Bull followed up an impressive win in the Grade 1 American Pharoah with a gate-to-wire win on Friday in the Juvenile. Baffert has been unable to run at Churchill Downs, Inc. since Medina Spirit was disqualified from winning the Derby in 2021. His horses ran 1-2 in the Juvenile, meaning both earned points on the road to the KY Derby.
Winning jockey Martin Garcia: “My horse was just running easy early and the other horse (Gaming) was just cruising in second. And, when it was time to go, the horse just took off.”
Baffert’s runners are often of the Citizen Bull ilk: they’re royally bred (he’s a son of Into Mischief), and they’re often front-runners. Baffert has said in the past that his start in quarter horses affects his training, essentially that he prefers to get out front and make others chase them down. Citizen Bull joins the long list of quality colts out of the Baffert barn with this exact characteristic, and there’s no reason to think he can’t join the list of quality 3-year-olds, as well.
Saturday: Thorpedo Anna in the BC Distaff
We already knew Thorpedo Anna was mega-talented, and that her spot on the Eclipse Awards stage was set. She broke well and immediately got to the front on Saturday, and there was little doubt anyone would catch her. Jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., who rode her in every race this year, showed her the whip in the stretch, but used it only once to tap her right shoulder to keep her locked in.
And locked in she was, as always. There’re almost no flaws in her running style, professionalism, and competitive fire. She’s the complete package. In June, trainer Brad Cox was asked about her, with the obvious caveat that she’s not in his barn. He was emphatic on his praise, comparing her to the Cox-trained Monomoy Girl. This was stunningly high praise - until it wasn’t on Saturday. Thorpedo Anna showed up against older horses and simply put them away without much effort. Saturday amounted to a paid workout - one that netted her owners a check worth more than a millions dollars.
Monomoy Girl finished with 14 wins and 3 seconds in 17 lifetime races. Thorpedo Anna is 8-for-10 with 2 seconds thus far in her career. It’s absolutely in the realm of possibility Anna pushes - or surpasses - Monomoy Girl’s impressive career numbers.
Saturday: Rebel’s Romance in the BC Turf
Modern Horse Racing has many, many positives. But a difficult part of the game is the brutal reality of where the money is made: the breeding shed. The very best male horses are often taken off the track prior to the end of their more natural careers in favor of stud fees and a more guaranteed income stream.
Rebel’s Romance offers a rare glimpse into what we might see if breeding didn’t run the sport. He’s 6-years-old, and has now won the BC Turf twice. Why, you might ask, is he still running? He’s gelded, meaning he’s unable to procreate. His connections have already declared their intentions to keep him in training, as he is clearly still at the peak of the sport.
Trainer Charlie Appleby was asked about 2025. “For this fellow, he owes us nothing. We'll only have a race plan as to how he will tell us the race plan realistically.” He was then asked if we might see him again at Del Mar for the 2025 Breeders’ Cup. Appelby smiled coyishly, replying “You never know with this boy.”
Many thoroughbreds have one running style they exploit over and over for their greatest success, and generally speaking there’s no changing how a horse runs. Rebel’s Romance showed an unexpected tactic on Saturday: he went to the front of the pack, sitting just off the leader. He made an early move to take the lead at the top of the stretch, holding off hard-charging Rousham Park, who put in the best performance by a Japan-based runner this weekend.
The prospect of Rebel’s Romance running it back for a 7-year-old campaign will delight those who follow the sport. And it should.
Saturday: Sierra Leone in the BC Classic
For much of 2024, Sierra Leone was a top-level horse who many thought was capable of more. After near-wins in the KY Derby and a second in the Jim Dandy, he ran 3rd in two other high-level stakes over the summer. He never misses the board, but not having a graded win after the KY Derby was a blemish on the record of one of the most talented 3-year-olds in America.
No more. Sierra Leone showed everyone exactly what they were convinced they had seen: a mega-talented son of Gun Runner, and one that would eventually win the big one. There are none bigger in North America than the Classic, and the $1.364M check that comes with the win.
Trainers and owners read articles just like the rest of the world, and Chad Brown knows his reputation is based around his impressive turf successes. He was asked about winning a major race on the dirt, given that reputation.
“Yeah, it means a lot. I mean, there's only so many of these dirt races at the very, very highest level that can really make your career. You talk about the Breeders' Cup Classic, Kentucky Derby, right at the top of the list. For this horse to nearly have won both of them, for me and my team to finally get this done, we haven't had that many starters in the Classic, we dabbled with it a little bit. To have the horse good enough to do it, the ownership that shared the same goal and vision, had the same patience to work backwards from this race. Really after the Kentucky Derby, we looked at the Classic more than any of the summer races.”
As to the dreaded question about Sierra Leone’s status for 2025 - one of those 3-year-olds who could easily head to stud after a performance like this - we got a hopeful quote from owner Brook Smith: “As I like to say, the best is yet to come.”
Sierra Leone silenced his doubters on Saturday. And while he has nothing left to prove, here’s to a long and spirited 2025 campaign.
Saturday: Full Serrano in the BC Dirt Mile
Saturday closed with another nice price, this time in the form of Argentine-bred Full Serrano. Based in Southern California and trained by John Sadler, he had been running in Buenos Aires at San Isidro racetrack against considerably lesser competition. He moved stateside this summer, winning his debut at Del Mar before finishing a good 2nd behind Mixto in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic.
Full Serrano accomplished something meaningful with his win to close the card on Saturday: he showcased the depth of the sport, beating true milers and Grade 1 winners in the process. It was a reminder that great horses are everywhere, and if given the opportunity, they’ll shine.
Full Serrano did just that, closing the late pick 5 sequence which paid 86,502-to-1.
Personal Thanks from a Kentucky Guy
Every time I travel to cover horse racing in Southern California, I’m blown away by the kindness of the people of SoCal, whether it be in L.A. or San Diego. Every hotel, every restaurant, cripes every car rental joint seems to have nice people. It’s a pleasure to make my annual trip. Can’t wait to see y’all next fall. You should come see us for a Derby sometime.
Next Up
With the end of the Breeders’ Cup comes the true start to the Road to the Kentucky Derby. We’ll do our best to catalog that here, and try to pick some winners, too.