After some minor foot issues delayed the start of his season, Agave Racing Stable and Jeffry Wilke's grade 1 winner Ransom the Moon will get back on the track in a familiar spot April 21 at Santa Anita Park.
Mongolian Stable's Mongolian Shopper will seek her second straight stakes win down the Santa Anita Park hillside turf course in the $75,000 Mizdirection Stakes.
A promising 2-year-old filly over the summer in Southern California, Rick and Sharon Waller's homebred Spectator signaled her promise has extended to her 3-year-old campaign with a game victory March 18 in a second-level optional-claiming allowance.
The draw of a grade 1 was too much for trainer Phil D'Amato to pass up March 17 in the $400,000 Santa Margarita Stakes (G1), and the gamble paid off.
Bowies Hero upset the $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T) March 10 at Santa Anita Park, as favored World Approval finished fifth.
New connections and some new surroundings suited Fault just fine Feb. 17 in the $200,000 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park.
Scrambled, the first foal out of grade 1 winner Egg Drop, is nearing his debut at Santa Anita Park.
Gary and Mary West's West Coast continued to hold his path Oct. 29 at Santa Anita Park in his final workout for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).
Trainer Phil D'Amato knows how to win at Del Mar, and he's bringing three horses who also are quite familiar with the racetrack. One of those, Midnight Storm, is tied for the all-time leader in stakes wins at Del Mar.
Nine horses got the rare opportunity to train on the Santa Anita Park turf course Oct. 22, to get in important works for upcoming Breeders' Cup races.
Abel Tasman had just left the gate for her workout when Vegas Vic was wrapping up his. In the process of galloping out, Vegas Vic broke down, but the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) contender was able to avoid any incident.
Del Mar's annual summer meeting came to a close Sept. 4 and the most crucial issue facing the seaside racetrack saw a marked improvement.
For Spectator the bigger picture of her 2-year-old campaign, if everything goes right, will feature the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), but a most important step comes Sept. 2 in the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1).
There's a common thread in three of Phil D'Amato's older grass horses running in stakes on TVG Pacific Classic (G1) weekend at Del Mar. All three have dabbled, with varying degrees of success, on the dirt.
Trainer Phil D'Amato was never dissuaded from taking on the "big girls" with the homebred Spectator, and she took full advantage of her opportunity.
The $200,000 Sorrento Stakes (G2), the first graded stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Del Mar, provides a little bit of everything.
A day after a rodeo of a race in the July 29 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1), the connections of the top horses involved are mostly looking forward.
Michael House's Hunt provided a moment of drama in the stretch, but even a blocked-off trip wasn't enough to prevent the Dark Angel gelding from winning his first graded race.
With even-money favorite Om close behind all the way in the $100,000 American Stakes (G3T) July 4 at Santa Anita Park, Nick Alexander's Tribal Rule homebred turned back the multiple graded stakes winner and picked up a graded victory of his own.
A five-time California-bred stakes winner before her start in the $100,000 Wilshire Stakes (G3T), Nick Alexander's Enola Gray had yet to beat open-company stakes competition in three tries, but she cleared that hurdle impressively July 1.
The retirement of Anthony Fanticola and Joseph Scardino's Obviously brought the end of an era in Barn 24 on the Santa Anita Park backside.
An eight-month layoff seemed to have little effect on Cupid in the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes (G1) as he won the 1 1/4-mile test May 27 by 3 1/4 lengths.
Midnight Storm will have another shot at a grade 1 win on dirt in the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita, and he won't have to contend with Shaman Ghost, who came back to win the Pimlico Special Handicap (G3) May 19 off his Big 'Cap victory.
Ransom the Moon stepped up in class May 20 when he took the $200,000 Kona Gold Stakes (G2) by 2 1/4 lengths in his first stakes attempt.
In his second start for trainer Phil D'Amato, Matthew Schera's Farhaan took an impressive step forward April 29 to win his first graded stakes in the $100,000 Thunder Road (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.
With a relatively short turf prep race under his belt, Michael House's Big John B will attempt to repeat his 2016 victory in the $100,000 Tokyo City Cup (G3) April 2 at Santa Anita Park.
All it took was a couple starts on dirt for Midnight Storm to go from gutsy turf miler to highweight in the premier handicap race on the West Coast.
Conquest Enforcer's first start in Southern California couldn't have gone much better.
He may not have beaten Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Arrogate, but Midnight Storm still found a way to impress in the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) Jan. 1.
California Chrome had his prep for the Pegasus World Cup (gr. I) Dec. 17 at Los Alamitos Race Course. Now it's Arrogate's turn across town.
Trainers taking on California Chrome in the Winter Challenge Dec. 17 at Los Alamitos Race Course, are doing so for various reasons.
A two-time grade I winner at a mile, Obviously cut back a bit in distance to take the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IT) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.
Jeff and Kathleen Hebert fell in love with a Kentucky-bred daughter of Ghostzapper at the 2013 Keeneland yearling sale. She had some veterinary issues, which scared enough bidders away that the couple got her for just $15,000.
Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) entrant Metaboss was pulled up and transported off the Santa Anita Park turf course in an equine ambulance Nov. 2 during a routine gallop in preparation for the Nov. 5 race.
Jockey Tyler Baze got a good feeling Nick Alexander's Enola Gray would take to a new surface for her first grass start Oct. 15, when the Grazen filly warmed up and traveled up the Santa Anita Park hillside turf course.
Herbert Bloodstock, Richard Leggio, and Peter Peluso's Gloryzapper earned her first graded win Oct. 9 with a game effort in the $100,000 L.A. Woman Stakes (gr. III) at Santa Anita Park.
Pick Six Racing's Vyjack knocked off Wise Dan as the fastest turf miler in Santa Anita's history Oct. 8 with a record-setting performance in the $200,000 City of Hope Mile (gr. IIT).
Obviously will take his fifth shot at the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) after a run in the grade II City of Hope Mile.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more impressive performance in a losing effort than what Metaboss did Aug. 20 in the Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT).
Claiborne Farm's Bendable, off the first loss of her career, handed Enola Gray her first defeat Sept. 11 in the $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course.
After a minor illness knocked her out of the Torrey Pines (gr. III) at Del Mar Aug. 28, Nick Alexander's undefeated Enola Gray will take another shot at her first start against open company Sept. 11 in the Beverly J. Lewis Stakes.
California Chrome was the unanimous choice as Del Mar's Horse of the Meeting for 2016.
Nick Alexander's homebred Enola Gray will take an undefeated record into the $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes (gr. III) Aug. 28 at Del Mar, but the lightly raced Grazen filly will be up against the toughest field she's ever faced.
A Veneri Racing and Little Red Feather Racing's Midnight Storm put in a repeat performance on the Southern California grass Aug. 21 to win the $200,000 Del Mar Mile Handicap (gr. IIT) in front-running fashion.
Midnight Storm has been rolling of late, with back-to-back scores in the Shoemaker Mile (gr. IT) and Eddie Read (gr. IIT), but could face a challenge for his ideal spot at the front of the pack July 21 in the $200,000 Del Mar Mile (gr. IIT).
Multiple graded stakes winners Ashleyluvssugar, Flamboyant, and Finnegans Wake will take the logical step forward on the Del Mar turf schedule for a run in the Del Mar Handicap (gr. IIT) Aug. 20.
Nick Alexander's homebred Enola Gray continued her blitz through the Californa-bred ranks July 22 in the $150,000 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar.
A head and a nose apart in their last two outings, Stays in Vegas and Be Mine will once again do battle in the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap (gr. IIT) July 23 at Del Mar.
There's something about the Del Mar turf course that brings out the best in A Venneri Racing and Little Red Feather Racing's Midnight Storm.
David Bienstock and Chuck Winner's Flamboyant just started to hit his stride early in 2016, when he shipped overseas for the Dubai Turf (UAE-I) in March.
