Mike Maker, well established among American trainers, truly goes nationwide this summer with his first division at the Del Mar summer meeting, which begins Friday and runs through Sept. 6. Maker, who through Tuesday ranked sixth in the nation with $7.09 million in earnings this year, plans to have 20 to 25 runners at Del Mar, he said Wednesday. His presence gives the Del Mar meeting a much-needed boost of quality horses. “We thought we’d give it a shot,” Maker said. “This year seemed like a good chance.” Maker is not the only trainer bringing a stable to the Del Mar summer meet for the first time, or the first time in a while. :: Visit DRF's Del Mar shop for all your handicapping needs: Past performances, picks, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more This summer, Mark Casse returns to Del Mar with a small stable for the first time since 2014, while Ron Moquett is sending a division from his Midwest base. Todd Fincher, who has one of the top Thoroughbred stables in New Mexico, is back at Del Mar with a small team for the first time since 2018. Financial incentives available to out-of-state runners are a leading reason those trainers and others – including James Chapman, Jeff Engler, William Morey, and Matt Shirer – are sending small teams for the meeting. Engler starts the Gulfstream Park stakes winner Fighting Force in Friday’s Runhappy Oceanside Stakes. Maker, active in the Midwest and at Saratoga this week, had nine horses based at Del Mar earlier this week with assistant Nolan Ramsey, with more expected soon. It will not be long before the influence of Maker and Fincher’s stables at Del Mar will be noticed. They each plan to have a runner in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles. Maker will start Mo Mosa, who won the Grade 3 Steve Sexton Mile on May 31 at Lone Star Park. Fincher plans to run Sheriff Brown, who won allowance races at Delta Downs, Sam Houston, and Lone Star Park earlier this year before finishing fifth in the Sexton Mile. Maker is hopeful that Mo Mosa can develop into a contender for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on dirt on Aug. 21. The $750,000 Pacific Classic is the richest race of the summer meeting. The winner of the Pacific Classic receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. “We’ll see how he does,” Maker said of Mo Mosa. “That’s the plan.” Fincher won the Thoroughbred training title at Ruidoso Downs from 2016 to 2018 and has been second the last two years. He is the top Thoroughbred trainer at the current Ruidoso meeting. Fincher transferred five horses from his small division at Lone Star Park to Del Mar. In 2018, Fincher was winless with 15 starters at Del Mar, a season he described as a learning experience. “We’re going with a little better stock this year,” he said. “My clients wanted me to go.” For the summer meeting, the track is offering a 50 percent bonus for purse money earned for first- through fifth-place finishes in overnight dirt races to the owners of horses that have not raced in California in the last 12 months and had their most recent start outside of the state. The bonus is 40 percent in overnight turf races. All runners, including starters in stakes, earn $4,000 for their first start of the meeting. First-time starters are not eligible for that bonus. Moquett described the bonus as “enticing.” “We’re an outfit that puts a return on investment for the client ahead of the win percentage,” he said. Moquett, who trains 2020 champion sprinter Whitmore, was in the process Wednesday of arranging shipping for a group of eight horses. Moquett plans to have runners in the Midwest and at Saratoga this summer. He has never had a stable at Del Mar until this year. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports “Obviously, if you’re in the business you want to be at those kind of meets,” Moquett said. “I’ve been in New York for a while in the summer. I wanted to figure out a way to get out there. We decided to give it a try.” Casse has won eight stakes at Del Mar, all since 2014, including the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Mile with World Approval and the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes with Got Stormy in 2019. In 2014, Casse won five races with 38 runners at the Del Mar summer meeting. This summer, Casse envisions having 15 to 20 horses at Del Mar, many owned by California film producer Gary Barber, including the two-time turf sprint stakes winner Jack and Noah. Casse has runners at Ellis Park, Gulfstream Park, and Woodbine this week. Pappacap, a maiden race winner at Gulfstream Park in May, may start in the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds on Aug. 7 at Del Mar. “I think he’s a really good horse,” Casse said. Casse sent his first group of runners to Del Mar earlier this week, with more on the way. “I wanted to spread some horses out,” he said. “If things work out, I’ll send more out. If things went our way, we could stay in California until after the Breeders’ Cup.”