If you’re going to be at Del Mar this weekend, the Del Mar Betting Challenge is a $6,000 buy-in live money contest running Saturday and Sunday with $250,000 in total prizes — including cash, BCBC entries and NHC seats. Up to two entries per person, on-track only. The Bing Crosby is Race 10 on Day 1 of the contest and could be a real swing race for anyone playing. Click on the link and/or ontact chris@dmtc.com for details.
BING CROSBY STAKES (G1)
Del Mar R10 — Saturday July 25, 2026 — 9:30pm ET
$400,000 — 3yo+ — 6 furlongs, dirt
Named after the famous singer and co-founder of Del Mar — whose rendition of Where the Turf Meets the Surf still plays before each racing day — the Bing Crosby has been a Grade 1 sprint feature since 2004 and has been won by the likes of Kona Gold, Lord Nelson and back-to-back champion The Chosen Vron. Last year Lovesick Blues sprang a surprise at 18-1, with the well-fancied Dr. Venkman running fourth. This race is a Win-and-You’re-In for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Let’s have a look at the field from the rail out.
#1 MAXIMUM BOURBON
Joel Rosario | Phil D’Amato
He has won four of his six career starts and looked every inch a stakes-quality sprinter when he destroyed a $200,000 field at Churchill going six furlongs in April, drawing off under a hand ride. He was claimed for $50,000 last November and has been on an upward trajectory since. The concern is that this is his first attempt at Grade 1 company and that his form has all been built on the front end or close to it. With the amount of speed in this race — Listenupshance, Mad House and possibly Cornucopian will all want to be prominent — he could find himself in a dogfight for the lead rather than enjoying the easy time he had at Churchill. D’Amato also saddles Stronghold, so the stable is well represented. The figures say he belongs in the conversation but the pace scenario could work against him.
#2 LISTENUPSHANCE
Emisael Jaramillo | Doug O’Neill
He ran the race of his life last time when finishing a close third in the True North at Saratoga behind Book’em Danno and Bentornato, earning a figure that would most likely put him in the frame here. Prior to that his form had been modest — a mix of maiden claimers, low-level allowances and a couple of stakes tries where he was competitive without threatening. The True North was a genuine step forward and the question is whether it was an outlier or the start of something. He is another who wants to be on or near the lead, which could be a problem in this race. Interesting horse who has clearly improved but the pace scenario is a worry.
#3 DR. VENKMAN
Umberto Rispoli | Mark Glatt
This is the one I keep coming back to. He has two wins and a third from four starts at Del Mar, including his career-best effort when finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last November with a figure that stands up against anything in this field. He is a horse who simply seems to run better by the ocean. Away from Del Mar, he has been competitive but rarely dominant — he was a solid second in the SA Sprint Championship and won the Pat O’Brien here last summer, but his most recent start at Churchill was a flat sixth in the slop. In a race where several runners want to be on or near the lead, Dr. Venkman’s midpack closing style could prove ideal. He can sit behind the speed scrimmage, save ground under Rispoli and then pounce turning for home. Much has been made of the fact that he’s winless at six furlongs but his best race — that third in last year’s BC Sprint — was at six so that’s of no concern to me. Clear contender.
#4 FOR ALL MANKIND
Armando Ayuso | John Sadler
The old warrior. He is seven years old and has been competing at the California allowance and minor stakes level for the better part of three years, with the occasional graded stakes try mixed in. He was a fine second to Stronghold in the San Carlos in March and ran well again in a stakes at Lone Star going six furlongs. His best figures TFUS are in the 113 to 117 range, which makes him competitive at the lower end of this field but likely short of the top four or five on their best form. He will try to sit midfield and pick up the pieces. An honest runner who deserves his spot but would need career-best form to factor.
#5 STRONGHOLD
Antonio Fresu | Phil D’Amato
Former Santa Anita Derby winner who has reinvented himself as a versatile sort, winning the Triple Bend going seven furlongs in his most recent start in solid time. Before that he won an allowance at Oaklawn stepping back from a disappointing Pegasus World Cup effort. His record at Del Mar is not particularly inspiring — he has yet to win here — and his best form has tended to come at seven furlongs and beyond rather than at a flat six. The cutback is the question. He has the tactical speed to sit just off the pace and the class to compete at this level, but I wonder if six furlongs is sharp enough for him. He will catch money here and I can see why, but the trip concern is real.
#6 CORNUCOPIAN
Juan Hernandez | Bob Baffert
The likely favourite and with good reason. He won the San Carlos at Santa Anita in March by nearly three lengths and then backed that up with a victory in the Aristides at Churchill on his most recent start. He was also a creditable fifth in the Churchill Downs G1 against the best sprinters in the country. By Into Mischief, he has the pedigree for speed and has shown the ability to sit off the pace or press it depending on the situation. Baffert has won this race more times than any other trainer and Hernandez is the defending summer meet champion at Del Mar. The draw in the middle of the field should allow him to assess the pace and find a comfortable position, but he is one of many horses who want the same kind of trip. On paper he looks very hard to beat. The one reservation is that his form has all come at Santa Anita and Churchill — he has not raced at Del Mar before — and while that is unlikely to be a problem, it is an open question.
#7 GOLD SWEEP
Mike Smith | John Haran
He has risen impressively through the ranks, from a $40,000 claimer at Oaklawn to graded stakes company in a matter of months. He won a $200,000 stakes at Oaklawn going six furlongs in May and was a respectable fourth in the Aristides behind Cornucopian, whom he meets again. The concern is that his best form has come at Oaklawn and Churchill, not in Southern California, and this is a significant step up in class from anything he has faced. Mike Smith brings experience and big-race nous. There is an on-the-board case to be made at long odds but things would need to fall just right.
#8 MAD HOUSE
Sonny Leon | David VanWinkle
A confirmed front-runner who won the Count Fleet G3 at Oaklawn gate to wire in April and was competitive in the Aristides before fading. He wants to lead and he wants it badly, which is a problem in a race that already has Maximum Bourbon and Listenupshance showing similar intentions. If they leave him alone on the front end, he is dangerous — his Count Fleet win was visually impressive and the figure was solid. But that scenario looks unlikely given the pace profile of this field. He could be the one who ensures an honest gallop for the closers without getting the benefit of it himself. A pace factor more than a win contender.
#9 MOONLIGHT
Victor Espinoza | Peter Miller
The deep closer who usually competes at a mile or beyond. He ran a huge second at Churchill going a mile in May and has won two of his last four starts, though all of those have come at longer distances. The cutback to six furlongs is a massive question — his early speed figures are among the lowest in this field — and he will need the pace to absolutely collapse to have any chance. By Audible out of a Tapit mare, the pedigree does not scream sprinter. Victor Espinoza is an interesting booking for a horse who might just need to be ridden with supreme confidence from the back of the field, but this trip is probably just too sharp for him. If they go crazy up front perhaps he could pick up a minor placing.
VERDICT
I will side with #3 DR. VENKMAN. There is a wall of speed in this race and I think several of the front-runners will ensure an honest pace that sets up for a horse who can sit in behind and close. Dr. Venkman has proven time and again that he is a better horse at Del Mar than anywhere else, with two wins, a third in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and his career-best figure all coming at this track. Rispoli knows him well and the seaside oval clearly suits. If the speed plays out as I expect, he should be in the perfect position to strike.
I respect #6 CORNUCOPIAN as the class of the field and will use on most tickets.
