DEL MAR – Trainer Doug O’Neill’s hopes of doubling in this weekend’s 2-year-old features at Del Mar were dashed Friday afternoon as soon as the gates opened for the $100,000 Graduation Stakes.
His 3-5 favorite Hero Or Zero stumbled out of the gate under Umberto Rispoli to start last in the field of five in the five-furlong sprint on the dirt for Cal-bred 2-year-olds.
With Hero Or Zero left at the gate, second-favorite Sammy Davis led wire-to-wire under Hector Berrios. What’s a Good Name (Juan Hernandez), the only filly in the field, was second the entire way. Hero Or Zero finished third, but was never in position to challenge for the lead.
Both Sammy Davis ($5.80) and What’s a Good Name won their debuts on July 19 at Del Mar. Trained by John Sadler, Sammy Davis, a son of Sir Prancealot, won by 2¼ lengths.
What’s a Good Name was originally entered in last Sunday’s CTBA Stakes but was scratched by trainer Peter Miller to get an extra week’s rest. She finished a length ahead of Hero Or Zero.
“I know Hero Or Zero had trouble at the start,” said Berrios. “Tough break for him. Good for me. … John said, ‘Just ride it as it comes up.’ He broke good and we went with it. He was doing most of it running on his own. When I asked him, he finished up.”
Trainers O’Neill (three) and Bob Baffert (two) will have all the entries in Saturday’s $150,000, Grade III Best Pal Stakes – a six-furlong sprint on the dirt for 2-year-olds that serves as a prep for next month’s Grade I Del Mar Futurity.
Baffert will have the favorite in Desert Gate (Hernandez) as he seeks to extend his own record with a 12th win in the Best Pal. Desert Gate is the morning-line 3-5 favorite to deliver a fourth straight Best Pal to Baffert. A son of Omaha Beach, Desert Gate won his debut June 13 at Santa Anita.
“We thought Desert Gate would win his first time out,” said Baffert. “He’s a cool horse. He’s come back and trained really well.”
O’Neill has the second-choice in Punto Forty, who is owned by rapper Lil Yachty. Antonio Fresu will be aboard the son of Nyquist.
Baffert’s St. Petersburg (Drayden Van Dyke) is the third-favorite followed by O’Neill’s Brigante (Berrios) and Pavlovian (Rispoli).
Speaking of multiple entries, Phil D’Amato, who has been known to go 1-2-3 in stakes races, will saddle half the entries in the featured Grade II Yellow Ribbon Handicap – a $200,000, 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares.
O’Neill’s Hang the Moon (Kazushi Kimura) is a narrow morning-line favorite over the Michael McCarthy-trained Liguria (Rispoli), who won the 2022 Grade III Jimmy Durante when shipped in from the east for trainer Chad Brown.
Hang the Moon, a 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, won the Grade II John C. Mabee at Del Mar and the Grade II Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita last year but hasn’t raced since running sixth in the Grade III Robert J. Frankel at Santa Anita on Dec. 27.
“The layoff was by design,” said D’Amato. “She’s come back as good as ever.”
Graham Motion has shipped Heredia (Hernandez) in from Saratoga for the Yellow Ribbon.
Notable
Hernandez and Fresu, who are first and second, respectively, in the jockey standings, each won two races Friday. Baffert pulled into a three-way tie with Mark Glatt and Miller for the training lead.
Originally Published: August 8, 2025 at 8:11 PM PDT