A few questions that will be asked when the 2022 summer meet at Del Mar begins Friday include: Will Flightline stay 1 1/4 miles in the Pacific Classic? Will Juan Hernandez remain the circuit’s top rider, or will Florent Geroux make a run riding his first full meet in California? How many turf races will trainer Phil D’Amato win, and how many 2-year-old races will Bob Baffert win? Crystal ball, anyone? Del Mar is the focus of this week’s notebook. Time to dive in. Denman’s call “There’s the roar from the Del Mar crowd . . .” For years, it was the signature phrase by track announcer Trevor Denman when the field left the starting gate for the first race of summer. Will Denman renew tradition this season? Summer 2017 was the last time he used the phrase as his opening words in the first call of summer. His 2018 meet opener: “Gates are open . . .” 2019: “Field sent on their way . . .” 2020 (Larry Collmus): “They’re off and running at Del Mar . . .” 2021 (Denman): “And away they go . . .” Great to have Denman back, as everyone looks forward to the roar from the 2022 opening-day crowd. :: DRF's Del Mar headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Three mandatory payouts Good news – Del Mar’s jackpot pick six wager is actually worth playing three times this summer. Del Mar scheduled three mandatory payouts for the 20-cent bet – Aug. 6, Sept. 3, and closing day Sept. 11. The bet is valueless every other day due to effective takeout of 46.5 percent (23.68 percent standard take, plus 30 percent of net pool siphoned to the single-ticket jackpot). To put it another way – less than 54 cents of each dollar wagered is returned to bettors on non-payout days. A reminder – the bet is voluntary. Hess has full tank Every Del Mar bettor, owner, trainer, and jockey knows that the summer meet alternates between torture and exhilaration. It’s especially tough when none of the breaks go your way. As such, it was refreshing when trainer Bob Hess Jr. addressed expectations for summer 2022 while candidly recalling summer 2021. Hess has 40-plus runners at Del Mar. “I think we’ll be live,” he said. “But I thought that last year too, and went” 0 for 37. Thankfully, Hess rallied, 11 for 43 the second half. Eventually, luck does turn. And in race 4 on Friday, Hess-trained horse-for-course Secret Touch sure looks live on the drop. Miller has green thumb As more and more grass races are run, a summer tidbit may apply. Phil D’Amato has won more Del Mar turf races (80) the past five calendar years than any trainer, but Peter Miller has been the most productive based on win percentage and wagering return. His 17.6 percent (72 for 409) rate and $2.24 return per $2 win wager leads all local trainers. Miller entered longshot Anmer Hall in the Oceanside Stakes on Friday, he plans to start leading contender Tezzaray in the Grade 2 San Clemente on Saturday and upset contender Indian Peak in the $100,000 Wickerr Stakes on Sunday. Juvenile Turf productive Mackinnon, third in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, would be the seventh from that race to win a subsequent stakes if he wins the Oceanside Stakes on Friday at Del Mar. BC Juvenile Turf winner Modern Games, runner-up Tiz the Bomb, and seventh-place Stolen Base have since won graded stakes, three others won ungraded stakes. Meanwhile, only one from the BC Juvenile, fifth-place Pinehurst, won a stakes since. Perhaps Juvenile winner Corniche will add to that in the Grade 2 Amsterdam on July 31 at Saratoga. Nic’s Bro potential single A $94,227 carryover in the 50-cent late pick five (races 5-9) Friday at Gulfstream Park merits a look. Race 6 starter Nic’s Bro is a potential single based on Formulator video replay and trainer stats. Nic’s Bro broke dead last in his debut, made an extended run, and finished third by three-quarters in the maiden special weight. Solid try. He is trained by Ralph Nicks, whose second-start maiden-special dirt favorites are 9 for 17 the past five years. That assumes Nic’s Bro goes favored, of course. As for the inside post, no big deal at Gulfstream – 18 for 100 at 6 1/2 furlongs since spring 2021. Nic’s Bro’s main rivals are first-time starters Petulante and Omni King, and career maiden Dominican Ice. New brand for TVG? Word trickling out of corporate headquarters at FanDuel, parent company of TVG, is that the company may rebrand TVG with a new name. Television Games Network launched in 1999 and was always referred to as simply TVG. Discussions are under way to retire the acronym. Supposedly, the new name will be something like FanDuel Network. Haskell showdown Horse-against-horse in the Grade 1 Haskell – Taiba or Jack Christopher? The brilliant and undefeated Jack Christopher, trained by Chad Brown, would be the first this century to win the Haskell in his initial try around two turns. Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba, 12th in the Kentucky Derby, is trained by Bob Baffert, who is 9 for 15 in the Haskell. including wins with his last seven Haskell favorites. Good race between two top colts Saturday at Monmouth. This California handicapper leans to Taiba. Big surprise, right? Wildcat-bred in Colleen This week’s “chalk stakes” for 2-year-olds is the $100,000 Colleen, a turf sprint for fillies on Sunday at Monmouth. Seven of the last 10 editions were won by the favorite. This year’s favorite could be Sansa Ariel, whose debut romp by more than seven lengths was validated when runner-up Tappin Josie returned to win. Cathal Lynch trains Sansa Ariel, a Sky Mesa filly bred by the University of Kentucky. The Wildcats, No. 2 seed in the NCAA basketball tournament this spring, were upset by 15-seed St. Peter’s in the first round. Basketball aside, the school can breed a good horse. Sansa Ariel, long gone? :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Sanford-Hopeful double elusive The impressive victory by Mo Strike in the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga stamps him a top contender for the Grade 1 Hopeful on Sept. 5, skipping the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in mid-August. It’s a reasonable plan for Mo Strike, with a historical challenge. Sanford winners running back in the Hopeful are 0 for 11, with three seconds and two thirds, since 2006. During the same period, the Hopeful was won 10 times by a horse entering off a maiden win. Summit in Franklin-Simpson? Big Invasion’s crusher in the Grade 3 Quick Call on Sunday at Saratoga was his fifth straight. Here’s hoping trainer Christophe Clemente aims Big Invasion to the Grade 2 Franklin-Simpson Stakes for 3-year-old turf sprinters Sept. 10 at Kentucky Downs. That race happens to be the target for a top California colt. Baffle Stakes winner Maglev has resumed training for Mark Glatt, and the Franklin-Simpson is his target for his first since January. Glatt said “He’s come back super-duper.” An East-West showdown would be fun – Big Invasion vs. Maglev. As of mid-July, Big Invasion looks tough to beat. Beholder anniversary This date in Del Mar racing history: Exactly 10 years ago, on July 22, 2012, a 2-year-old filly trained by Richard Mandella and owned by Spendthrift Farm won a maiden race in the second start of her career. Beholder would go on to win 18 races, including three Breeders’ Cups and the Pacific Classic, before she retired having earned more than $6.1 million. Beholder will be inducted this summer into the Racing Hall of Fame.