Del Mar turf continues to pervade with three juvenile maiden races on Friday card

The latest illustration of a shifting landscape in California racing is happening this fall at Del Mar, where five races for maiden special weight 2-year-olds will be run on grass before a single dirt race in the same category.

Southern California’s transformation to a turf-focused circuit is accelerating. Santa Anita, for the first time in SoCal history, ran more turf races (79) than dirt races (70) at its recent autumn meet. The shift continues this fall at Del Mar.

All three 2-year-old races Friday are on turf. There are maiden filly sprints in races 1 and 5; Cal-bred maidens run one mile in race 3. Including opening week, Del Mar will have run five turf races for special-weight 2-year-olds (statebred included). The first maiden dirt race is in the condition book for Saturday.

This fall would not be the first meet at which Del Mar ran more maiden 2-year-old races on grass than dirt. At the 2020 fall meet, the track ran 10 such races on turf, seven on dirt. Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens acknowledges the change.

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“I think owners and trainers look at maiden turf races as an equalizer,” he said. “People feel five-eighths turf maiden races provide more opportunity to win a race, as opposed to running against certain quality horses on the dirt.”

Increased interest in autumn turf races for maidens is also due to the lack of opportunities in December. Del Mar’s fall meet ends Nov. 28, after which the next turf race in Southern California is not until Santa Anita opens Dec. 26. Los Alamitos, which runs Dec. 3-12, does not have a turf course. Turf horses must run now, or wait.

“People typically hit [turf] categories harder because they know the next time the race can be offered is [Santa Anita],” Jerkens said. “There is more demand.”

Four of the eight races Friday at Del Mar are on turf, including the seventh-race feature for California-bred sprinters, non-winners of one other than/optional $20,000 claiming.

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Race 1 includes likely favorite Phenom, third in her turf-sprint debut on Oct. 10 at Santa Anita. Phil D’Amato trains Phenom, who adds blinkers after missing by 1 1/4 lengths first out. Her main rival is fast-working first-timer starter Unbridled Mary.

Race 3 is the Cal-bred turf mile in which Fore Flag could start favored after a runner-up finish under similar conditions. However, fourth-place finisher Bally’s Charm ran well with a wide trip in the same race, and should improve second time out.

Race 5, the first-race split, includes debut runners-up Comedic and Shoppingforpharoah. But the better-than-looked third-place debut by Pretty Rena suggests she could upset both rallying from off the pace.

Race-7 early favorite Hot Rageous seeks her third straight while dropping in for the optional claim tag.