Horse Racing Results: Saratoga, Ellis Park and Del Mar
Sovereignty wins the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photo / Credit to Angelo Lieto)
Welcome to another jam-packed recap of the latest horse racing results, covering everything a thrilling weekend on the track had to offer.
Saratoga stole the spotlight with an action-packed slate, kicking off Friday with the Saratoga Oaks and building momentum through Saturday and Sunday with the Troy Stakes, Fourstardave, Saratoga Derby, and Test Stakes. The crowning moment of Saturday’s card was the prestigious Whitney Stakes.
However, Saratoga didn't have a monopoly on the action. Del Mar delivered major horse racing results of its own with top-tier stakes like the Best Pal, Yellow Ribbon, and Sorrento. Meanwhile, Ellis Park added to the excitement with Saturday's Ellis Park Derby and a strong lineup of supporting stakes throughout the weekend.
Saturday
Friday Stakes Horse Racing Results
Saratoga
Saratoga Oaks
Winner: Kentucky Belle | Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr. | Trainer: Brad Cox
WinStar Farm’s homebred Kentucky Belle ($23.20) shook up the established order in her stakes debut. Last seen getting up in a Keeneland allowance over this 1 3/16-mile trip, she summoned her stamina to topple Faithful Departed in the final yards.
Kentucky Belle was patiently handled by Ortiz, who settled her near the back of the pack, just one spot behind Faithful Departed. When that favorite made her move on the far turn, Kentucky Belle followed her into the stretch.
Longtime leader Code, who posted fractions of :23.85, :48.99, and 1:13.43 on the firm Mellon course, was overwhelmed at the top of the lane. The tracking Fitz Right stayed on determinedly on the inside, but she could not contain the momentum of Faithful Departed.
Faithful Departed took command and briefly looked to have the race in her grasp, only to find Kentucky Belle collaring her. The daughter of Triple Crown winner Justify thrust her head in front in a final time of 1:53.80.
Fitz Right, who was third in the Belmont Oaks, replicated the same finish in the Saratoga Oaks. Next came Bless Her; Imaginationthelady, who reached contention turning for home but failed to stay; Consensus View; Just Aloof; and Code.
RELATED: Bottas takes poignant Hall of Fame; Kentucky Belle upsets Saratoga Oaks
Hall of Fame
Winner: Bottas | Jockey: Manuel Franco | Trainer: Miguel Clement
Bottas was cross-entered to Saturday’s Saratoga Derby (G1), but Clement opted for the right spot. While the Hall of Fame was a flat mile, compared to the 1 3/16 miles of the Saratoga Derby, the cutback in distance wasn’t the main appeal. Depth of competition and the race shape pointed to Friday, setting the stage for a memorable day at the Spa.
“I was worried about West End Kid and Remember Mamba (in the Saratoga Derby),” Clement said, “but in this race I was only worried about Touch of Fire. With the two defections in this race (Glavine and Immortalised), post 7 was not as daunting as post 9 originally was. It’s a very short run to the first turn. I thought with today’s setup, he had a better chance of being in the clear turning into the stretch than tomorrow’s.”
Franco helped execute just the way it was drawn up in Clement’s mental playbook. Reserved in fourth on the outside, he flanked the rail-drawn Touch of Fire, who intended to track the speed this time.
After front-running Third Coast carved out splits of :23.53, :47.84, and 1:11.61 on the firm inner turf, the stalking Blinging It Back ranged up to challenge. But Bottas was already revving up wider out, and the Vekoma colt had the gears to draw off by 1 1/2 lengths.
Blinging It Back held second by a neck from Touch of Fire, who gained once he saw daylight. Print rallied from last for fourth, followed by Third Coast, Arizona Territory, and Vasy.
Bottas ($9.24) clocked 1:34.67 to earn his second stakes victory. The Dahman colorbearer prevailed in last fall’s Pilgrim (G2), a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1), but suffered his first loss when ninth at Del Mar. A comeback third in the June 4 Pennine Ridge (G3) over this course and distance, he was subsequently a troubled fifth in the Belmont Derby (G1). His Hall of Fame victory improved his scorecard to 6-3-0-1, $461,000.
RELATED: Bottas takes poignant Hall of Fame; Kentucky Belle upsets Saratoga Oaks
Saturday Stakes Horse Racing Results
Saratoga
Whitney Stakes
Winner: Sovereignty | Jockey: Junior Alverado | Trainer: Bill Mott
Fifty weeks after last visiting the winner’s circle, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty returned to it on Saturday after producing a dominant display in the $1 million Whitney (G1) at Saratoga.
Beaten earlier this season as the odds-on favorite in the Oaklawn H. (G2) and Stephen Foster (G1), the latter by more than five lengths, Sovereignty looked like the Sovereignty of old in the Whitney. Ahead of only outsider Tiztastic after six furlongs, Sovereignty made a wide rally turning for home and finished full of run to win the 1 1/8-mile Whitney by 4 3/4 lengths under Junior Alvarado.
The Whitney was the fourth consecutive stakes success at Saratoga for Sovereignty, who last year claimed the Travers (G1), Jim Dandy (G2), and Belmont (G1) at the Spa after capturing the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Fountain of Youth (G2).
Held over a track labeled fast but which absorbed moisture about an hour beforehand after brief bout of rain, the Whitney was run in a time of 1:47.91. A Godolphin homebred trained by Bill Mott, Sovereignty paid $6.52.
RELATED: Sovereignty dominant in Whitney
Test Stakes
Winner: Explora | Jockey: Flavien Prat | Trainer: Bob Baffert
Explora, who had run like a Grade 1-quality filly since the start of her career, finally earned that distinction on Saturday with a runaway score in the $500,000 Test (G1) at Saratoga.
Favored at around 9-5 in the field of eight three-year-old fillies, Explora rated 1 1/2 lengths off pacesetting second choice Movie Night before pouncing on that rival and Goodall in upper stretch. Under Flavien Prat, Explora glided into the lead and extended her margin to five lengths at the wire.
Explora finished up seven furlongs in 1:22.42 over a fast track and paid $5.74. She is owned in partnership by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, and is trained by Bob Baffert, who was winning the Test for a fourth time.
Percy’s Bar, the Ashland (G1) winner, rallied for second by 1 3/4 lengths over Goodall. The order of finish was rounded out bv Sippin Pretty, On Time Girl, Movie Night, Carmel Coast, and Where Luck Lives.
This was the fifth career stakes win for Explora, who last year landed the Oak Leaf (G2), as well as the Santa Ynez S., Honeybee (G3), and Leslie’s Lady S. earlier this term. Her Honeybee success came at the expense of Counting Stars, the pro tem leader among three-year-old filly routers.
RELATED: Explora cruises to first Grade 1 in Test
Fourstardave
Winner: Deterministic | Jockey: Kendrick Carmouche | Trainer: Miguel Clement
The streaking Deterministic rolled to a repeat victory in Saturday’s $750,000 Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The son of Liam’s Map confirmed his status as the nation’s top turf performer at a mile or slightly beyond, just one week after another Liam’s Map, Burnham Square, maintained his grip on the long-distance turf division.
Trained by Miguel Clement for St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven Duncker, Vicarage Stable, Deterministic was defending his third title in a major turf stakes this season. The five-year-old resurfaced to win the May 2 Fort Marcy (G3) at Aqueduct again, and in his latest, he repeated in the Manhattan (G1) in course-record time at the Spa.
The 1.61-1 favorite cutting back to a flat mile here, Deterministic enjoyed a straightforward stalk-and-pounce trip with regular rider Kendrick Carmouche, who has now steered him to six wins in a row. The Fourstardave was a bit messier behind him, as the eventual third-placer Zulu Kingdom was fighting for space behind runner-up Mi Bago while covered up by fifth-placer Lagynos, but the winner made his own luck.
Mi Bago became the controlling speed with the scratch of Classic Q, his stablemate from the Mark Casse barn. The rail-drawn Rhetorical might have been expected to show more dash, if he hadn’t been acting up.
As Mi Bago sprinted forward, Deterministic established himself in second through fractions of :24.20, :48.54, and 1:12.19. The inner turf was still rated firm, although a sudden downpour was turning the surface wet.
RELATED: Deterministic successfully defends title in BC WAYI Fourstardave
Saratoga Derby
Winner: Glacius | Jockey: Luis Saez | Trainer: Hugo Palmer
British trainer Hugo Palmer finally broke through with his first stateside victory in Saturday’s $750,000 Saratoga Derby (G1), courtesy of his talented colt Glacius, astute planning, and a front-running coup by jockey Luis Saez.
A British homebred for Vefa Ibrahim Araci, Glacius was earning his first stakes laurel after several placings in commendable company. He wasn’t as familiar to bettors as the principals coming out of the Belmont Derby (G1) at the Spa – British-trained winner Title Role, near-misser West End Kid, and close third Remember Mamba – and accordingly was let go at odds of 9.62-1.
The betting public expected a form reversal in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby, betting Remember Mamba down to slight favoritism at 2.02-1. West End Kid went off as the 2.06-1 second choice, and Title Role ranked as the 3.63-1 third choice. Yet they were all left to fight out the minors, as Glacius seized control early and held sway.
The addition of cheekpieces, and the booking of Saez, turned out to be hints that aggressive tactics were in store at Saratoga. Having shown tactical speed at two, and proven his stamina at three, Glacius was the right type to attempt it. The son of Too Darn Hot was good enough to pull it off.
Although Glavine broke on top, Glacius quickly passed him through an opening quarter in :23.02 on the firm Mellon course and opened up by daylight. Saez moderated the tempo in splits of :47.29 and 1:11.57, and Glacius had more up his sleeve turning for home.
RELATED: British invader Glacius wires Saratoga Derby
Del Mar
Best Pal Stakes
Winner: Hughes | Jockey: Juan Hernandez | Trainer: Bob Baffert
It’s still early in the season for two-year-olds, but Hughes demolished Saturday’s $150,000 Best Pal (G3) in the manner of a colt going places for Bob Baffert. The $675,000 son of leading sire Into Mischief is now 2-for-2 by a combined margin of 13 3/4 lengths.
Hughes was extending Baffert’s dominance in the Best Pal, giving the Hall of Famer his fifth straight win and 13th overall in this Del Mar feature for juveniles. Some of those winners are more significant than others, chief among them champion Lookin at Lucky (2009), and Hughes signaled that he could eventually belong in the more memorable category.
A six-length debut winner at Los Alamitos, Hughes was clashing with two impressive rivals in Kennyten and He Is No Lie in this first stakes attempt. The market implied that there might not be a great deal between them, with Hughes rating as the 3-2 favorite over the 8-5 Kennyten, and He Is No Lie a 2.30-1 chance.
Yet the disparity was much greater on the racetrack, as Hughes dismissed them in a display of total authority. Gliding forward from post 3 with Juan Hernandez, the blinkered bay argued with Kennyten through an opening quarter in :22.92. An audacious first-time starter, You Want Some, split them to press the issue through a half in :45.99.
Hughes blithely put You Want Some away, and when Kennyten tried to re-engage leaving the far turn, he was caught flat-footed by the fresh burst of speed from the winner. Spurting clear at the top of the stretch, Hughes threw in a final furlong in :11.74 to finish six furlongs in 1:09.61.
RELATED: Hughes a class apart for Baffert in Best Pal
Yellow Ribbon Stakes
Winner: Warming | Jockey: Juan Hernandez | Trainer: Graham Motion
Later in the $201,000 Yellow Ribbon (G2), Hernandez completed a sweep of Saturday’s graded stakes by orchestrating a last-to-first victory aboard Warming.
The 9-5 favorite shipping in for Graham Motion, the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners runner collared pacesetter Princesa Moche in time. Warming negotiated 1 1/16 miles on the firm turf in 1:42.35 to record her third graded victory, following the 2025 Autumn Miss (G3) at Santa Anita and the May 16 Gallorette (G3) closer to home at Laurel.
Princesa Moche, who got away with fractions of :24.12, :48.97, and 1:13.55, held the runner-up spot by a neck from Take a Breath. Next came Sweet Rebecca, Vincey Girl, Whiskey Decision, and Princess Attitude. Innovative was withdrawn.
Warming, a well-named daughter of Global Campaign and the Unusual Heat mare Haute Style, sports a mark of 13-5-1-3, $473,050.
RELATED: Hughes a class apart for Baffert in Best Pal
Sunday Horse Racing Results
*Sunday Racing results will be posted at the conclusion of the race day.
Saratoga
Troy Stakes
Winner: TBD | Jockey: TBD | Trainer: TBD
RECAP COMING SOON!
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