DEL MAR, Calif. - Hope Road won the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes for the second consecutive year at Del Mar on Sunday. If her achievements earlier this year are an indication of her future, Hope Road will be a major factor in the older filly and mare division in 2026. In August, Hope Road won the Grade 1 Ballerina Stakes at seven furlongs at Saratoga, the most prestigious win of her career. She was later third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 1. In the winner’s circle on Sunday, Ron Perry, who co-owns Hope Road with his wife, Barbara, said the 4-year-old filly will race next year. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Hope Road won the $101,500 Bayakoa Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths, returning a mere $2.80. “She was on the muscle,” Ron Perry said. While reluctant to load, Hope Road was away well and in good position throughout, stalking pacesetter Simply Joking through early fractions of 23.15 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.32 for a half-mile. Hope Road, ridden by Juan Hernandez for trainer Bob Baffert, moved alongside 9-2 Simply Joking on the turn and took the lead entering the stretch. She led by 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining. Hope Road ran a mile on dirt in 1:36.38 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94. “She broke running,” Hernandez said. “When I asked her to (come) back to me, she listened. She relaxed. “All the credit goes to the filly. She was tracking the horse in front of me, just waiting for me to shake the reins. We had a great trip.” Simply Joking finished 2 3/4 lengths clear of 28-1 Mahina, who closed from last. Jane Austen finished fourth, followed by Home Game, Lemon Muffin, Warming and Precise Timing. Hope Road, by Quality Road, has won 6 of 14 starts and earned $1,016,620. The Bayakoa Stakes was her fourth stakes win, including the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Del Mar in August 2024. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.