Bob Hope canceled as California deals with lack of juvenile winners
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DEL MAR, Calif. – The autumn stakes schedule for 2-year-olds in California was disrupted by the cancellation of the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar. Originally scheduled for last Sunday, the seven-furlong race was postponed to Nov. 21, and then scrapped entirely when it drew only three entrants.
The canceled Bob Hope will not be brought back this season.
“It’s disappointing, obviously, to not have a stakes race go, which is extremely rare here,” Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens said. “It’s a dose of reality with 2-year-olds on the dirt right now. It’s been a frustrating category all summer.”
The troubling pattern may influence the next graded dirt stakes for California 2-year-old males. The Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity, scheduled for Dec. 13, is fed by runners from the Bob Hope and is the most significant race of the December meet at Los Alamitos. Journalism won the Futurity last year.
In 11 years of daytime racing at Los Alamitos, 14 of the 58 Futurity runners exited the Bob Hope, including winners Mastery (2016), Spielberg (2020), and Practical Move (2022).
This season in California, dirt stakes for 2-year-old males have struggled to fill. The Grade 3 Best Pal in August at Del Mar drew five runners, the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity in September drew six, and the Grade 1 American Pharoah in October at Santa Anita drew six.
“We’re dealing with a very limited pool of 2-year-old winners,” Jerkens noted.
Del Mar is also dealing with inclement weather. Last Saturday’s card was canceled due to rain. Del Mar officials have considered adding races to compensate for the cancellation. As of Sunday, the idea was still under discussion.
The 10 nominees to the canceled Bob Hope include Grade 3 winner/Grade 1-placed Desert Gate, flashy debut winner Boyd, Grade 1-placed Buetane, and Acknowledgemeplz, who earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure in a maiden win. Acknowledgemeplz will train into the Los Alamitos Futurity, according to trainer Doug O’Neill. Plans are pending for Bob Baffert-trained Desert Gate, Boyd, and Buetane.
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