The nice people within the Del Mar racing workplace tried twice to make a go of the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) earlier than giving up, an unlucky improvement that has forged a pall of apocalyptic gloom over the Southern California racing scene. Or at the least it ought to, as a result of it is no joke.
To these exterior the world of West Coast racing, the lack of a single, minor stakes on the USA panorama causes hardly a glimmer of concern. In spite of everything, there have been 192 races granted grade 3 standing in 2025 by the American Graded Stakes Committee.
Nonetheless, in its splendid isolation, California racing should cling to no matter status it’s nonetheless granted by the japanese institution. Dropping any graded race isn’t any laughing matter, even one named for a well-known comic who lived to be 100.
Talking of Bob Hope, there isn’t a higher strategy to distract from the dire downside of California’s 2-year-old division than a number of one-liners from Outdated Ski Nostril himself. (“Bigamy is the one crime the place two rites make a mistaken.” “A Freudian slip is once you say one factor however imply your mom.”)
Again within the day, Hope used to hang around at Del Mar along with his pal, Bing Crosby, for whom the autumn meet is called.Join BloodHorse Every day
“Bing Crosby and I weren’t the categories to go round kissing one another,” Hope stated. “We at all times had a lightweight jab for one another. Certainly one of our inventory strains was, ‘There’s nothing I would not do for Bing, and there is nothing he would not do for me.’ And that is the best way we undergo life—doing nothing for one another!”Â
The Bob Hope is a 7-furlong occasion for 2-year-olds that was alleged to be run Nov. 16. The race attracted 10 nominations—4 of them skilled by Doug O’Neill and 4 by Bob Baffert. The opposite two hailed from the stables of Peter Miller and Jonathan Thomas. When solely a few of Baffert’s had been entered, racing secretary David Jerkens took a deep breath and left the field open, rescheduling the Hope for Nov. 21.
It did not work. There remained little interest in the race past the Baffert entries. The race was canceled—canceled so laborious that for some motive all reference to the Hope was faraway from the unique stakes schedule printed on the Del Mar web site. Ouch.
The Bob Hope has been offered at Del Mar since 2014, when the seaside observe took over the late dates left dangling by the shut of Hollywood Park. At Hollywood, the race was known as the Prevue, and a few excellent younger Thoroughbreds received the occasion on their strategy to larger issues, amongst them King Wonderful, Olympio, Afternoon Deelites, Lion Coronary heart, and Eclipse Award champions Declan’s Moon and Shared Perception. Baffert received the Prevue six occasions, plus seven of the 11 Bob Hopes at Del Mar to date.
Picture: Benoit PhotoShared Perception wins the 2013Â Hollywood Prevue Stakes at Hollywood Park
It’s no secret that the race has been hanging by a thread in current seasons. The newest fields have numbered 5, 4, 5, 4, six, 4, and 5. Of the 18 horses which have run within the final 4 Hopes, 10Â had been skilled by Baffert.Â
Nonetheless, the Hope’s grade 3 score would appear secure, even within the face of the 2025 cancellation. The 1-2 finishers in 2023 had been Nysos , who took this yr’s Breeders’ Cup Dust Mile (G1), and Stronghold , winner of the 2024 Santa Anita Derby (G1). Mucho Gusto , the winner in 2018, later received the 2020 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1). The two-year-olds ending 2-3-4 in 2022 went on to win the 2024 Santa Anita Handicap (G1), the 2023 Santa Anita Derby, and the 2024 Pacific Basic Stakes (G1).
A casual ballot of the three trainers who didn’t enter their nominated Hope horses was revealing. All of them would have been longshots to penetrate the Baffert phalanx. O’Neill maintained that he nominated his foursome early and the Hope merely didn’t match their current situation or speedy plans. Thomas conceded that he “over nominated” Child Charlemagne and entered him as an alternative in a Nov. 22 maiden claimer, which he received simply as the selection.
Miller withheld the maiden winner Soiled Wealthy , who price $35,000 as a yearling. Given the nomination record, he noticed what was coming—yet one more Baffert parade. As half proprietor in addition to coach, he needed to ship a message, one thing the cancellation of the Bob Hope ought to have sounded loud and clear.
In saying the cancellation of the Bob Hope, Jerkens advised Every day Racing Kind that, “We’re coping with a really restricted pool of 2-year-old winners.”
As a refresher, there have been 13 maiden particular weight races on the filth open to all 2-year-olds unfold over the 31 days of the 2025 Del Mar summer time meet, together with 4 graded foremost observe stakes. Baffert colts and fillies received eight of the maiden races and all 4 stakes. His patrons had 10 of the 24 runners in these 4 stakes and took away $705,000 of the $902,000 in prize cash.
“The racetracks out right here have an issue, they usually understand it,” Miller stated. “One coach dominating 2-year-old filth racing with house owners spending thousands and thousands upon thousands and thousands of {dollars} just isn’t a wholesome scenario. I do not blame Bob in any respect. I’d do the identical factor he is doing if I may. I blame the folks permitting it to proceed to occur.”
California horsemen have been required to get artistic. Soiled Wealthy was amongst a gaggle of horses despatched by Miller to Churchill Downs earlier this yr to reap the benefits of a brand new wave of public sale races, for which maidens that had been offered for not more than a specific amount are eligible.Â
Soiled Wealthy had no luck in Kentucky, however his barnmate, the filly Mo ‘Em Down, made Miller’s journey worthwhile by profitable a maiden particular weight with a $92,000 purse “for horses that offered or RNA for $65,000 or much less of their most up-to-date public sale.” The choice would have been to run 9 days earlier in a maiden race at Santa Anita Park, which Baffert received with the $900,000 filly Himika and completed second with Bottle of Rouge , owned by his spouse, Jill Baffert.Â
Mo ‘Em Down returned to California a winner and completed second to Himika within the Sorrento Stakes (G3) at Del Mar. Miller sees no motive why such public sale races can’t turn into a key element of each summer time and fall California racing program, when the 2-year-old division begins to emerge. A couple of such races have been tried, together with a uncommon claiming race for 2-year-olds within the $100,000-plus vary, however to date any efforts can solely be described as experimental.Â
“Folks shouldn’t have to depart California to develop their 2-year-olds, however that is turn into the case,” Miller stated. “Persevering with to do what doesn’t work is senseless. Take your open 2-year-old program, put half of it in public sale races, and decide to a change. It might probably’t be piecemeal.”
Picture: Coady MediaPeter Miller trainee Mo’ Em Down wins a maiden race, restricted by public sale value, at Churchill Downs
World-class 2-year-olds can nonetheless be developed in California. Tremendous Corredora , who misplaced a maiden race received by a Baffert filly, went to the pinnacle of her class by profitable the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), whereas Mr. A. P. , who completed second to Soiled Wealthy in a uncommon $150,000 maiden claimer, completed second to Ted Noffey within the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1).Â
There isn’t a depth to the division, nonetheless, and nothing to encourage new traders past these patrons who maintain the Baffert secure properly stocked, whereas benefitting from the established order.Â
Getting severe for as soon as, Bob Hope himself stated, “After we recall the previous, we normally discover that it’s the easiest issues, not the nice events, that looking back give off the best glow of happiness.”
Whether or not or not there ever shall be one other Bob Hope Stakes stays to be seen. It is clear, although, that California racing must do the easy issues properly once more, like operating a 7-furlong stakes race for 2-year-olds in November.
