Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes Highlights Competitive Sprint Division at Del Mar

The summer racing season shifts focus toward the Breeders’ Cup World Championships today, as Del Mar plays host to the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes. This six-furlong dirt sprint carries a purse of $400,000 and serves as a key prep race, offering the winner a free berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Sprint field.

The competitive nature of the race is underscored by the quality of the field: six of the nine entrants are previous stakes winners. The event is named after Bing Crosby, a co-founder of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, which held its first race meet in 1937. The stakes race itself dates back to 1946 and remains a premier event on the West Coast racing calendar.

The favorite is Maximum Bourbon, listed at 7/2 odds and trained by Phil D’Amato. Having most recently won the St. Matthew’s Stakes at Churchill Downs Incorporated, he faces graded stakes company for the first time. That victory at Churchill Downs was against Built, a horse favored in today’s Grade 2 Vanderbilt at Saratoga.

Challenging him is Dr. Venkman, the 4/1 second choice trained by Mark Glatt. A 6-year-old gelding, Dr. Venkman is a veteran of the track who won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien over this course last fall. He boasts a 4-for-7 lifetime record at Del Mar and could surpass $1 million in career earnings with a win today.

The field also includes Listenupshance at 8/1. Trained by Doug O’Neill, the horse recently competed against top-tier sprinters at Saratoga. Owned by Run Fast Racing—a group featuring celebrities Lil Wayne and Lil Yachty—he represents a longshot attempt to jump from a $10,000 purchase price to Grade 1 status.

What to watch

• Post time for the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes is scheduled for today at Del Mar.
• The outcome determines the winner of the “Win and You’re In” berth for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Sprint.
• Market performance for Churchill Downs Incorporated is currently up 3.28%.

Source: original release