How to Bet the Betty Grable Stakes

A field of nine California-bred fillies and mares will go seven panels on the dirt at Del Mar on Sunday in the $100,000 Betty Grable S. Defending champ #1 Grand Slam Smile is the most accomplished contender in the field and will be difficult to knock off in this affair for trainer Sean McCarthy. By Smiling Tiger, the five-year-old has compiled an excellent 24-13-6-3 line in her lifetime with earnings in excess of $1 million, and the chestnut has won or placed in each of her four lifetime tries on the course. 

Betty Grable Wagers

• $10 trifecta 1 with 4 with 2,7 ($20)
• $10 trifecta 1 with 2,7 with 4 ($20)
• 20-cent superfecta 1 with 2,4,7 with 2,4,7 with all ($7.20)

Grand Slam Smile was a turf stakes winner off a short layoff in her latest outing and comes in off a bullet morning drill in her latest work ahead of Sunday. The homebred mare is fast but doesn’t need the lead in order to win, and she will be formidable with a clean break from the gate under Juan Hernandez. 

I like the Ian Kruljac-trained #4 Clubhouse Cutie quite a bit as a top-three contender and will key her in multiple exotics plays. The four-year-old daughter of Clubhouse Ride owns four career victories on the dirt from 10 attempts, including a nice allowance triumph over open foes at Santa Anita last time out. She has been in very consistent form in her dirt races in 2026 and has the running style to close from slightly off the pace to record a positive finish with Tyler Baze in the stirrups. 

Eddie Freeman’s stakes-winning #7 She’s No Quant drops back in with state-bred runners following a pair of graded stakes outings, and she will face her elders for the second time. The Pavel three-year-old ran big in both prior efforts on the grounds and will relish the cutback in distance, as well as the class relief on Sunday. The gray will track the tempo from the second flight early with Hector Berrios in the stirrups. 

The John Sadler-conditioned #2 Christel Clean earned a robust 99 Brisnet Speed rating for her allowance romp on the surface two back and returns to the main strip following a turf encounter in her latest venture. The Violence four-year-old sports a 6-3-2-1 mark on the dirt in her career and is expected to be forwardly placed from the outset, with Joel Rosario retaining the ride.