As is often the case in 2-year-old races at Del Mar, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert holds the upper hand. This time, it’s the 54th running of the Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes, where Baffert appears to be in control with a promising Curlin colt named Getaway Car, the favourite in Sunday’s feature race.
Getaway Car, a $700,000 yearling acquisition, is owned by a partnership led by Gavin Murphy’s SF Racing and Jack and Laurie Wolf’s Starlight Racing. He will break from the outside post in a small field of five for the six-furlong race, which carries a $150,000 purse. The colt has been installed as the heavy 3-5 favourite.
Despite having only one race under his belt, Getaway Car made a strong impression in his debut. On Del Mar’s opening day, July 20, he showed early speed in a five-furlong dash and led all the way, winning by 3 1/2 lengths in an impressive time. Juan Hernández, Del Mar’s leading rider, piloted Getaway Car in that race and will be back aboard on Sunday. The colt has had two solid workouts since his debut and seems poised for another strong performance.
White Sands, a filly trained by Wesley Ward, was also entered in the Sorrento Stakes (G3) but opted to take on the boys in the Best Pal instead. She brings a strong resume, having already won twice. Her debut was a dominant performance at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, where she romped by nearly 10 lengths on May 25. She followed that with another impressive victory against males at Prairie Meadows in Iowa, winning a small-stakes race by almost 14 lengths. Kazushi Kimura will ride White Sands in Sunday’s race.
The stage is set for an exciting showdown, with Baffert’s Getaway Car looking to maintain his unbeaten record and White Sands aiming to prove she can compete with the colts.