DEL MAR, Calif. – The days of chasing leading rider trophies are long gone for Hall of Fame rider Victor Espinoza. The mementoes that accompany big-race wins provide a suitable substitute. Espinoza, 50, has won seven stakes this year, surpassing the six stakes wins he had in 2021. He has expectations for greater success before the end of the Del Mar meeting on Sept. 11, and beyond. “I want to keep it going and win a few more,” Espinoza said on the backstretch on Sunday morning between workers. Espinoza is best known for his success with American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year, and California Chrome, the 2014 and 2016 Horse of the Year. Espinoza has won four riding titles at Del Mar, but none since 2014. :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. This weekend, there are three graded stakes at Del Mar. Espinoza has mounts in two stakes – Park Avenue in Saturday’s Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf, and Pop d’Oro in Sunday’s Grade 3 Best Pal for 2-year-olds at six furlongs. Espinoza rode Park Avenue to victory in the $201,000 Ouija Board Stakes at Lone Star Park on May 31 for trainer John Sadler. The $250,000 Yellow Ribbon could give Park Avenue her first graded stakes win. “She’s pretty good,” Espinoza said. “She’s ready to go. I think she can improve.” Pop d’Oro, a troubled fourth in the Fasig-Tipton Futurity at Santa Anita in June in his second start, is a new mount for Espinoza. Trained by Hector Palma, Pop d’Oro won his debut at Turf Paradise in April. In coming weeks, Espinoza has mounts on Beyond Brilliant, Ce Ce, Express Train, and Justique in Grade 1 and Grade 2 stakes. Express Train, a winner of three consecutive stakes from late December to early March, has been Espinoza’s leading mount this year. Express Train won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March, and was second in the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Santa Anita on April 30. A 5-year-old, Express Train is a candidate for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Sept. 3. Express Train was held out of the Hollywood Gold Cup on May 31 and the San Diego Handicap on July 23 in favor of the $1 million Pacific Classic. Trainer John Shirreffs said the break since the Californian may aid Express Train. On Friday, Express Train worked five furlongs in 1:00. “Each work has gotten better in terms of what Victor feels about him,” Shirreffs said on Sunday. :: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Espinoza is the regular rider of Ce Ce, the champion female sprinter of 2021. Ce Ce, working at Del Mar for trainer Michael McCarthy, was the easy winner of the Grade 2 Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park on July 2 with Espinoza aboard. A trip to the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28 is possible for Ce Ce. On Sept. 3, Beyond Brilliant is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on turf with Espinoza aboard. Trained by Shirreffs, Beyond Brilliant won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby here last November and the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita in April, but was sixth after disputing the early lead in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf here on July 31. “He had too much pressure,” Espinoza said. The buzz youngster of the Espinoza-Shirreffs partnership is the 2-year-old filly Justique, who, like Beyond Brilliant and Express Train, is owned by Lee and Susan Searing. Justique, a Justify filly purchased for $725,000 as a yearling at Keeneland last September, won her debut in a maiden special weight race at 5 1/2 furlongs by 2 1/2 lengths on July 31, closing from last in a field of 10. She is scheduled to start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 10. Justique pulled away to win her debut without being urged. In the final strides, Espinoza let go of his whip by accident. “I patted her on the neck and I lost the whip,” he said. “It was two jumps before the wire. I’m looking forward to seeing her run her next race.”