Cave Rock needed only a few strides before he reached the front in a maiden special weight race at Del Mar on Aug. 13, the start of a flawless career debut. Racing at 6 1/2 furlongs, Cave Rock pulled clear to win by an easy six lengths. “It surprised me the way he ran that day,” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert recalled on Thursday. “He left there running and kept going.” Cave Rock was timed in 1:15.81, good enough for a 101 Beyer Speed Figure and good enough for the role of favorite in Sunday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs for 2-year-olds. “He was pretty impressive the first time out,” Baffert said. “He left there running and kept going.” The $300,000 Del Mar Futurity is the leading race on the final day of the Del Mar summer meeting. Los Alamitos opens a two-week September meeting on Friday. The Del Mar Futurity is the 10th race on an 11-race program that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. The program includes a mandatory payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six. :: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Many bettors will single Cave Rock in the pick six, hoping the Arrogate colt can replicate his maiden race win. The stable certainly knows the race well. Baffert has won the Del Mar Futurity a record 15 times since 1996, including three of the last six runnings. “Our whole program is all about the young horses and developing them,” Baffert said. “Hopefully, one of them comes up. It’s an important race. “I’ve won the race with a lot of nice horses.” Some of Baffert’s Del Mar Futurity winners include well-known names such as Silver Charm, who won the race in 1996 and the Kentucky Derby the following spring. American Pharoah won the 2014 Del Mar Futurity and the 2015 Triple Crown. More recently, Game Winner won the 2018 Del Mar Futurity and was that year’s champion 2-year-old male. Cave Rock, owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, is Baffert’s best chance this year, and is one of three runners for the stable in a field of nine. Havnameltdown, owned by Pegram, Watson, and Weitman, is unbeaten in two starts after comfortable wins in a maiden race on July 24 and the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs on Aug. 14. Newgate, owned by a massive partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stable, was a sharp maiden race winner in his lone start on July 30. They are part of a field that includes Agency, who was second in the Best Pal Stakes, and The Big Wam, who won the Graduation Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs for California-bred or California-sired runners at Del Mar on Aug. 12. Of the Baffert trio, Havnameltdown may be the quickest. He led throughout the Best Pal Stakes, pulling clear by 2 1/2 lengths. “He’s a very fast horse,” Baffert said. Mike Smith rides Havnameltdown for the first time, replacing leading jockey Juan Hernandez who understandably keeps the mount on Cave Rock. Newgate will be ridden by John Velazquez, who was aboard the colt in July for a win at 5 1/2 furlongs. Newgate was second early and pulled clear in the final furlong to win by 3 1/2 lengths at odds of 1-2. “I was surprised he won that race going that short,” Baffert said. “He’s a big horse. If you look at him, he doesn’t want to go that short.” :: Get Del Mar Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day. Since mid-August, Newgate has recorded a series of quick workouts, including six furlongs in 1:11.80 last Sunday. Agency will have a new rider in Flavien Prat, who replaces Smith. Trained by Mark Glatt, Agency won his debut at Santa Anita in June and closed from fourth to be a clear second behind Havnameltdown in the Best Pal. “I’m pleased with his development,” Glatt said. “Body-wise, he’s getting better and better.” The Del Mar Futurity will be a class test for The Big Wam. A colt by Mr. Big, The Big Wam is trained by Luis Mendez, who won the 2020 Del Mar Futurity with Dr. Schivel. The Big Wam, who will be ridden for the first time by Hector Berrios, is a threat from off the pace in his graded stakes debut. “Going to a Grade 1 is always tough,” Mendez said. “I’m waiting for a nice, lucky day. I’m hoping we can surprise them. “Cave Rock was an impressive horse. He’s coming from the big barn. That’s even tougher. We are hoping that we have a good run.”