DEL MAR — Jockey Juan Hernandez doesn’t get blanked often at Del Mar.
But he didn’t win a race Thursday. He was winless again Friday and was shut out on his first five mounts Saturday.
But he made up for it in grand fashion.
Hernandez rode favorites Kings River Knight and Seismic Beauty to wire-to-wire, back-to-back, 1 1/16-mile victories in Saturday’s two stakes features.
The key win was the second with Seismic Beauty in the $400,000, Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes — giving the Bob Baffert-trained, 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff later this year at Del Mar.
Seismic’s 1½-length victory over second-choice Kopion in the Hirsch came on the dirt. A race earlier, Kings River Knight scored at the same distance on the turf in the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes.
Hernandez put both winning horses in the lead leaving the gate and was never headed. After the double, Hernandez said he won both races leaving the gate.
Kopion’s late charge under Kazushi Kimura prevented Baffert from scoring a 1-2 sweep in the Hirsch. Baffert’s Richi (Antonio Fresu) was holding onto second in the stretch before being overtaken by the Richard Mandella-trained Kopion.
“That wasn’t an easy lead,” Baffert said of Seismic Beauty’s third straight win and his record 180th stakes win at Del Mar. “She’s a big filly. She looks like she’s going easy but they were going fast. She’s just getting better and better. She’s maturing and I think she’ll improve off that.”
“She broke really, really sharp,” Hernandez said of Seismic Beauty. “She loves to be on the lead. She was really comfortable and just galloping in a really good rhythm. She did that on her own.”
With the retirement of the Chosen Vron, Kings River Knight is the most celebrated Cal-bred in the game.
The 7-year-old gelded son of Acclamation proved that again by finishing 1½ lengths ahead of the late-charging Aligato (Fresu). Kings River Knight, the 2024 Cal-bred Turf Horse of the Year, went off as the 3-5 favorite in the field of nine older horses.
“This horse is really special to me,” said Hernandez, who has been aboard Kings River Knight as he has won 10 of his last 12 starts while going off as the favorite each time. “He just loves to run. Whatever you want him to do, he does. He jumped right out there and put himself on the lead and we went from there.”rse and he showed it.”
Two stakes Sunday
The third week of Del Mar’s summer meeting ends Sunday with a pair of $100,000 ungraded stakes — the 85th La Jolla Handicap and the California Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.
Six 3-year-olds are entered for the 1 1/16-mile La Jolla on the turf, which is a prep for the Grade II Del Mar Derby.
The morning-line, 9-5 favorite is the Mark Glatt-trained Freedom’s Not Free, who finished third in the $250,000 American Derby at Churchill Downs on June 28 after leading the entire race. The son of Omaha Beach has three wins in seven career starts.
Half the La Jolla field ran in the Oceanside Stakes on opening day. The Peter Miller-trained Game Warrior won that race and returns with Hector Berrios up. Artislas (Hernandez) was fourth in the Oceanside while Day and Age (Mike Smith) was sixth.
The five-furlong CTBA, the first of 10 stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar this summer, has attracted eight, Cal-bred fillies. What’s a Good Name (Hernandez) and Lino’s Angel (Tyler Baze) scored their first wins at Del Mar during opening weekend. The early favorite is Liberation (Berrios), a daughter of Omaha Beach who won her only start at Santa Anita on May 24.
Notable
Del Mar suffered its first fatality of the summer meeting Saturday. Uncrowned King, a 3-year-old colt making his second career start, was euthanized after suffering a fractured shoulder during the seventh race. Jockey Alfredo Bautista was thrown from the son of Sir Prancealot but was able to walk away.