DEL MAR — With his talented stable of top thoroughbreds now split between his historic Southern California base and Kentucky, few expected Bob Baffert to win a third straight trainer’s championship at this year’s Del Mar summer meeting.
And he won’t. But the Hall of Famer remains the trainer to beat when the major races stack up at the end of the season.
Baffert on Sunday picked up his third stakes win of 2026 — and his record 193rd overall — at Del Mar when Juan Hernandez rode even-money favorite Rabeeba to victory in the Grade III Torrey Pines Stakes, a $150,000, mile-long race on the dirt for 3-year-old fillies.
After running cautiously for the first three-quarters of the distance, Rabeeba found another gear coming out of the far turn and pulled away in the stretch to a 2½-length victory over second-favorite She’s No Quant (Antonio Fresu), who led the seven-filly field until Rabeeba blew past.
This filly was a little green,” said Hernandez. “She got dirt in her face for the first time, and I don’t think she liked it. She’s a big filly, and she wanted to go today. I had to work with her to get her into the right spots. But in the end, it was ok.”
“Rabeeba has never been behind horses and she didn’t break that well,” said Baffert. “So Hernandez didn’t want to send her out there and go too fast. She’s learning. We’ve been taking baby steps with her. She’s a big filly and Juan said he had to get her in gear again, so it shows the class is there. She was running against an experienced, nice group of fillies here.”
The win was Baffert’s 10th in just 36 starts this meeting. He won last year’s trainer title with 24 wins. He captured the title in 2024 with 23. But he’s now entering horses on two fronts. The numbers are against him.
Not that he won’t finish the Del Mar meeting strong — just as he usually does.
The 87th summer meeting closes with its traditional five-day Labor Day weekend. Over the last couple years, Del Mar has finished with a weekend of racing after Labor Day.
There will be nine stakes next week — the $100,000 Generous Portion Stakes on Friday; three stakes on each Saturday and Sunday featuring $300,000, Grade I events for top 2-year-olds, and two stakes on Monday topped by the Grade II John C. Mabee.
The Del Mar Debutante for 2-year-old fillies will be run Saturday, with the Del Mar Futurity for top 2-yeae-olds is Sunday. The trainer to beat in both races is Baffert. He has won the Debutante a dozen times, including the past two renewals. His horses have won the Futurity 19 times, including the past five editions in a row.
He will have Grade III Best Pal winner Hughes and Domus in this year’s Futurity. Sorrento Stakes winner Holmby (Ricardo Gonzalez) and Miss Monica (Hernandez) will represent Baffert in the 10-horse, 7-furlong Debutante field.
Saturday’s 10-race card will also include the $100,000 Grade III Del Mar Juvenile Turf, which will have 10 2-year-olds going a mile, and the $100,000 Tranquility Lake, a one-mile test for older fillies and mares.
Sunday’s Del Mar Futurity is a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. While Hughes and Domus might have the influence of Baffert backers, the horse to watch could be the John Sadler-trained Inshallah. The son of Flightline, a $2.1 million purchase who dominated in his debut earlier this summer.
Sunday’s other stakes are the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf and the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes — a one-mile dirt test for 3-year-olds that could draw 2025 Best Pal winner Desert Gate.
The Mabee on Monday could draw three horses that won stakes earlier this meeting — Warming (the Grade II Yellow Ribbon), Baltic Fire (Osunitas) and Fibonaccis Ride (the Solana Beach). Also on the schedule is the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes, a six-furlong dirt dash for Cal-bred 2-year-olds.
Friday’s stakes opener is the $100,000 Generous Portion, a six-furlong test for Cal-bred juvenile fillies.
Notable
After back-to-back days of carryovers added $192,078, two winning tickets in the Pick Six Sunday paid $406,059.
Joel Rosario holds a 36-30 lead on Hernandez, who is seeking a fifth straight summer meeting title, in the jockey standings. Fresu had three wins Sunday and is third with 26 while Umberto Rispoli and Emisael Jaramillo are tied for fourth with 20 apiece.
Doug O’Neill has all but clinched the trainer’s title with 24 wins after a three-win Sunday. Phil D’Amato is second with 14 and Peter Miller is third with 12.