DEL MAR — It’s an unbeatable combination.
Trainer Bob Baffert, jockey Juan Hernandez — and any 2-year-old from Baffert’s deep roster of juveniles.
Himika pulled away in the stretch Sunday to win the Grade III Sorrento Stakes by 4¼ lengths over Mo’ Em Down (Umberto Rispoli), marking the fifth time in the last three days that Hernandez has ridden a Baffert-trained 2-year-old to victory at Del Mar.
Which is not exactly breaking news.
During his six-win Saturday, Hernandez gave Baffert a fourth straight victory in the Grade III Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-old males, winning by 8¾ lengths on Desert Gate. It marked Hernandez’s third win during the streak as Baffert upped his record count to 12 Best Pal wins.
And Sunday, Hernandez and Baffert formed the winning team for the second straight year in the Sorrento for 2-year-old fillies. Baffert has won the Sorrento only nine times.
Not that the outcomes were real surprises. Both Desert Gate and Himika went off as 1-to-5 favorites in short fields.
But while Desert Gate dominated, Himika found herself in a bit of traffic on the backstretch and into the turn of her six-furlong sprint.
“She broke a little slow today,” Hernandez said of the daughter of Curlin. “She chose to sit back a little bit. Then she decided to take off. I had to ask her a little it to be honest. There was space there and it worked out fine. She took care of business in the stretch.”
Baffert went into Sunday concerned that both his 2-year-old entries — Balboa in Race 1 and Himika — drew the inside post.
“You always (worry) about the one hole,” Baffert said. “I think it was 0-for-18 for six furlongs before Balboa won. Hernandez had hold of Himika since she stumbled there and got a little bit behind. She’s young, but Juan rode her with a lot of confidence. He put her in the right spot and had a lot of confidence.”
The next stop for Himika could be the Del Mar Debutante on closing weekend. Desert Gate could be headed for the Del Mar Futurity on the same weekend.
“We need to keep them healthy first,” said Baffert.
Wild numbers
With six wins Saturday and 10 for the last three days, Hernandez opened up a 10-win lead in his bid for a fifth straight Del Mar riding title.
He has 26 wins to 16 for Antonio Fresu, 14 for Hector Berrios (three Sunday) and 13 for Kazushi Kimura.
But there was another number Saturday that was just as striking as Hernandez’s six wins. Fresu was second in seven of the 10 races and finished second twice Sunday. He leads all jockeys with 24 second-place finishes and 18 third-place finishes during the meeting — finishing in the money in a meet-leading 55% of his starts.
With two wins Sunday, Baffert leads the training standings with 14 wins, five more than Mark Glatt and Peter Miller.
Four-peat?
After running third behind Final Boss and Astronomer in a high-echelon allowance race Saturday, Gold Phoenix could attempt to win a fourth straight Grade II Del Mar Handicap on the Pacific Classic undercard Aug. 30.
“He needed a prep and that’s what we got,” trainer Phil D’Amato said of Gold Phoenix.
Final Boss, a 4-year-old son of American Pharoah, could also be headed to the Del Mar Handicap.
Notable
Owner Aron Wellman and trainer Michael McCarthy are still uncommitted about Journalism’s next race, with the options being the Travers at Saratoga in two weeks or Del Mar’s premier event, the $1 million Pacific Classic, on Aug. 30.
• Veteran owner and racing executive Mike Pegram was awarded the 2025 Laffit Pincay Award Sunday. Pegram, 73, is the 21st recipient of the Pincay Award, which goes annually to someone who has served “the sport of racing with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction.”
• The Race Track Chaplaincy of California will host its Del Mar Appreciation Day luncheon Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. at the backside kitchen. The RTCC has served race track workers for more than 30 years with assistance in spiritual, physical and emotional needs, including weekly food distributions and dinners and clothing drives and distributions.
• Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith celebrated his 59th birthday Sunday with a win aboard Sir Rocket ($14.80) in the eighth race.
First post will be 3 p.m. on the remaining Fridays of the meet.