Del Mar: 6 Stakes Winners Collide in Grade 1 Bing Crosby
Louie Rabaut
Host · Writer
Horse Racing in the US largely has two seasons: one preparing for the Kentucky Derby, and one preparing for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Throughout the winter and spring each year, we’re tasked with watching the developing 3-year-olds on their way to the starting gate at Churchill Downs; one July hits, we take off our proverbial blinkers to catch up on the wider sport.
The Grade 1 Bing Crosby will be run at Del Mar today. It’s a 6 furlong sprint on the dirt, with the winner earning a free starting spot in the BC Dirt Sprint field. Of the 9 runners in the field, 6 have won a stakes race, reinforcing the Grade 1 distinction of this race. The sprint division tends to be strong in the US, and this race provides another data point to that end.
If you’re wondering why the race is named for Bing Crosby, he was one of the founders of Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. After Santa Anita’s opening on Christmas Day in 1934, Del Mar ran its first races in 1937. Their legacy – nearly a century on – is impossible to ignore. The first running of the Bing Crosby was in 1946, and it remains amongst the more prestigious stakes races on the West Coast.
Let’s meet the field, and put together our weekly wager. If you’re wagering on Del Mar, check out AmWager! They’ve got a $50 deposit match for new customers.
Grade 1 Bing Crosby. 6F, dirt. 3+up. $400,000.
1. Maximum Bourbon. 7/2. Jockey: Joel Rosario. Trainer: Phil D’Amato.
Today’s Crosby is a great betting race because of the inclusion of horses like Maximum Bourbon, whose two most recent performances would be good enough to win. He’ll face graded stakes company for the first time, and it’s a doozy of a group. In his most recent race, the St. Matthew's Stakes at Churchill Downs, he defeated Built, who will be favored in the Grade 2 Vanderbilt today at Saratoga. I’ll take Maximum Bourbon on top here.
2. Listenupshance. 8/1. Jockey: Emisael Jaramillo. Trainer: Doug O’Neill.
Listenupshance showed his very best last out at Saratoga, where he went toe-to-toe with Grade 1 winners Book Em Danno and Bentornato, last year’s BC Dirt Sprint winner. His ownership group, Run Fast Racing, includes a pair of “Lils”: Lil Wayne and Lil Yacthy, so the winner’s circle photo might be a fun one. I think he’s the most live of the longshots in this field, and would make quite the leap from $10,000 purchase in 2023 to Grade 1 winner.
3. Dr. Venkman. 4/1. Jockey: Umberto Rispoli. Trainer: Mark Glatt.
Dr. Venkman (yes, that’s his name) is the old man in the race, a 6-year-old gelded son of Ghostzapper. He’ll go over a million dollars in lifetime earnings with a win today, and his connections should be excited to get back to Del Mar, where he is 4-for-7 lifetime. He won last fall’s Grade 2 Pat O’Brien over this course, and keeps jockey Umberto Rispoli aboard. I think he prefers 7 or 8 furlongs, so Rispoli will have to keep him closer to the pace than he’s used to; I’ll pass on him today, and assume there will be too much speed up front.
4. For All Mankind. 12/1. Jockey: Armando Ayuso. Trainer: John Sadler.
For All Mankind hasn’t been in the winner’s circle in a few years. His last effort in a lower-level sprint stakes at Lone Star Park was a good one; he rallied from off the pace, finishing a good 2nd. This group is significantly tougher, and a win here would blow up the toteboard. Pass.
5. Stronghold. 4/1. Jockey: Antonio Fresu. Trainer: Phil D’Amato.
Stronghold dominated a below-average field last out in the Grade 3 Triple Bend, which like the O’Brien is run at 7 furlongs. His splits in that race are good enough to win here, and show a developing 5-year-old horse. I think he has the second-best chance to win here, and will be in all my tickets.
6. Cornucopian. 3/1. Jockey: Juan Hernandez. Trainer: Bob Baffert.
Cornucopian’s only foray in Grade 1 company came on Kentucky Derby day this year, when he finished a disappointing 5th in the Churchill Downs. To his defense, the winner TO Elvis might’ve beaten every horse on the planet that day, in what was amongst the more spectacular showings of the weekend. He’s won his other two graded stakes races this year, and is amongst the contenders here. An odd stat for the ever-accomplished Bob Baffert: he hasn’t won this race since 2016.
7. Gold Sweep. 15/1. Jockey: Mike Smith. Trainer: John Haran.
It’s difficult to envision a scenario where Gold Sweep wins today’s edition of the Crosby, but he’s shown an ability to pick up nice checks where ever he runs. If you’re looking to spice up an exacta or trifecta play, he might be it. Booking hall-of-famer Mike Smith is never a negative.
8. Mad House. 12/1. Jockey: Sonny Leon. Trainer: David Van Winkle.
Mad House has raced at 3 different tracks this year, showing well at all of them. Sonny Leon, most famous for his ride aboard Rich Strike in the Kentucky Derby, is in to ride. Mad House won at both Tampa and Oaklawn this year, the latter in the Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint. Those splits could win in this company, but this is a significant step up in class.
9. Moonlight. 20/1. Jockey: Victor Espinoza. Trainer: Peter Miller.
Moonlight is a stone-cold closer, and will need a massive pace collapse to be a contender here. He’s a long, longshot to hit the board, so include him in a trifecta play if you’re looking for a price to add to your tickets.
The Sporting Tribune Wagers:
Race 10: $4 Exacta Box ($48): 1,2,5,6.
Race 9: $3 Pick 3 ($54): 2,3,6 / 1,2,5 / 3,10. Good Luck!
