The final stakes of the Del Mar fall meet offers bettors a choice between heavy favorite Hope Road, turf-to-dirt upset candidate Warming, or seven others in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes on Sunday. Hope Road, third as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, figures to win the one-mile Bayakoa, race 8. After all, Hope Road might be the controlling speed, she is a Grade 1 winner and class of the field, her figures top the lineup, and she won the Bayakoa a year ago. Those attributes could be sufficient reason for bettors to accept the inevitable – another Bayakoa Stakes win by a Bob Baffert-trained favorite. It happens often. Baffert has won five of the last eight editions of the Bayakoa, all with favorites. The highest payoff was $4.20. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Despite the presence of Hope Road, the $100,000 Bayakoa attracted a large field. If all nine start, it will be the biggest field since 2013, when the Bayakoa was run for the last time at Hollywood Park. Since then, the race has been run six times at Los Alamitos, twice at Del Mar, and not run at all in 2015, 2018, or 2022. In addition to Hope Road and upset candidate Warming, the Bayakoa field includes stakes winners Simply Joking, Lemon Muffin, and Precise Timing. The other entrants are allowance-caliber Deep Blue, Mahina, Home Game, and Jane Austen. Hope Road won the Grade 1 Ballerina in August at Saratoga, but tired to third as the even-money favorite in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint. Although Hope Road earned a mere 85 Beyer in the Breeders’ Cup, her subsequent works include a sharp six furlongs in 1:12.20 on Nov. 20 at Santa Anita. Juan Herndandez rides Hope Road, whose pace advantage depends on stretch-out Home Game. If Hope Road avoids a duel by either clearing the field or racing in second position, she should win the Bayakoa at a short price. Warming will aim to upset. She scored her first stakes victory last out in the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Santa Anita. On Sunday, she will switch to dirt and face older fillies and mares for the first time. The surface switch is not a new idea, according to trainer Graham Motion and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners president Aron Wellman. “It’s something Aron and I have always talked about,” Motion said. “She’s always worked really well on the dirt, since day one.” Warming has won three of seven, all on turf. After the Autumn Miss, the Bayakoa became a possibility for the Maryland-based filly. Warming stayed in California after the Autumn Miss. “We had her out there and she worked so well [on dirt] last weekend that we just started the conversation again and thought we should at least look at this race,” Motion said. “It’s just a great opportunity because she’s been training over the track.” John Velazquez rides Warming, whose career-high Beyer is 81. She will need to run faster to win the Bayakoa. Her likely high odds make it a risk worth considering. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.