Baffert, Hernandez Du Jour’s Partner in Eddie Read

Which route will be most effective for the Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) on July 28 Del Mar? Four horses are competing in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park; the last three horses ran in the 1 1/4-mile Charles Whittingham Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita; and the last two East-bound horses won the 1 1/8-mile Read.

Better yet, check out who Juan Hernandez is riding: Your day . That’s right, Du Jour finished third behind contestant Read. Johannes in Shoemaker. But Hernandez has ridden six of the nine runners. He returns Du Jour, with whom he won the one-mile Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar last year. Then trainee Bob Baffert has started four times in partnership with Flavien Prat, who is riding in Saratoga Race Track this summer. Prat has won two of those races—the 2023 Del Mar Mile Stakes (G2T) and the 2024 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T).

Hernandez won the 2023 Del Mar riding title in both the summer and fall. While he currently trails Umberto Rispoli by one win after just one week of competition, Hernandez can certainly repeat, and Baffert rates him highly.

“He drives with a lot of confidence,” Baffert said. “He’s a pretty cool guy. Very calm and collected. Like he really appreciates his situation, the position he’s in. He doesn’t take it for granted. Loves what he does and has worked hard his whole life to get to this position.”

Tim Yakteen, Baffert’s former assistant trainer, trains Johannes, who is regularly ridden by Rispoli, who is in the saddle again. Since the end of 2022, Johannes has won five consecutive races at Santa Anita: a maiden race and four stakes races. His only loss during that time was a fifth-place finish in the 2023 American Turf Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs after being pushed out at the start. Johannes was away from racing for the next 11 months, returning to win the American Stakes (G3T) and Shoemaker on April 4.

“We had high hopes for him last year, and we were able to take good care of him,” Yakteen said after the American’s arrival. “He’s come back the way we wanted him to.”

Coach Phil D’Amato has three on the Reading list: Golden Phoenix , Balnikhov And Easter . Gold Phoenix and Balnikhov are coming off wins at Whittingham and the 1 1/8 mile Dinner Party Stakes (G3T) at Pimlico Race Trackrespectively. At last summer’s Del Mar meeting, Gold Phoenix won the Read and Del Mar Handicap (G2T), with three losses between those and Whittingham (a fourth loss in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, G1T). Easter most recently finished sixth in the Shoemaker, but in his three previous starts for D’Amato, he won the 2023 Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar and at Santa Anita, won the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) on December 26, and finished second to Du Jour at Kilroe.

The rest of the field includes Harvard is leaving soon. fourth in Shoemaker; Ballade Singer And Dicey Mo Chara out of Whittingham; and Masterpiece winner of the 2022 Read, 2023 Red Smith Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrackand most recently the Fort Marcy Stakes (G2T), also at Aqueduct.