DMTC News – From the Wire

Stable Notes July 31, 2026

By Jim Charvat —-

SEISMIC BEAUTY GUNS FOR REPEAT IN G1 CLEMENT L. HIRSCH SATURDAY

Seismic Beauty came into last year’s G1 Clement L. Hirsch on a two-race winning streak and was being touted as a horse to watch in the months leading up to the Breeders’ Cup. She was coming off a romp in the G2 Santa Margarita at Santa Anita in which she beat stablemate Splendora by five lengths. Splendora would go on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint a few months later.

Seismic Beauty would win last year’s Clement Hirsch, giving her conditioner Bob Baffert his third straight victory in the prestigious race. They’re both back to defend their title in this year’s race, a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland this fall.

She’s looking for her first victory since wiring the field in the 2025 Clement Hirsch. The daughter of Uncle Mo went off the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar four months later. She stumbled coming out of gate, lost all interest according to trainer Bob Baffert and finished last.

She made her 5-year-old debut this year at Santa Anita at the end of May and ran third in a four-horse field in the G2 Santa Margarita. Baffert will tell you to draw a line through it.

“She was coming off the layoff,” Baffert says. “She was fresh and got into a speed duel she wasn’t ready for. She never relaxed. Went too fast early and just emptied out.”

Baffert sees Seismic Beauty coming into this year’s race the same as last year.

“She’s been training well,” he notes. “As long as she breaks well and gets into a nice rhythm.”

The winner in this year’s Santa Margarita was Om N Joy, who returns in the Clement Hirsch. The Cal-bred daughter of Om has been sparring with some of the best fillies and mares in the country since winning the G3 Torrey Pines at Del Mar last summer.

A couple of shippers are looking to upset the Clement Hirsch. There’s Eunomia from the Florida barn of trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. She got roughed up last out in the G2 Ruffian at Aqueduct. The daughter of Tiz the Law ran sixth of seven horses, 11 ½ lengths behind the winner.

“She doesn’t like the slop,” Joseph notes. “She ran on it last time and before that she had two previous runs and it wasn’t her best. We did run her back a bit quick, too but the wet track is why she didn’t run her best race.”

Prior to that run in New York, Eunomia missed by a neck in the G2 Doubledogdare at Keeneland and won a $100,000 stakes race at Colonial Downs. Joseph is counting on a dry track and an ideal pace scenario in the Clement Hirsch.

“She’s better stalking,” he says. “The way the pace looks right now there are two fillies that might go and we can sit behind them. She can be on the lead if she needs to be but there will be plenty of pace.”

Joseph says she shipped well, arriving at Del Mar on Tuesday. She went out to the track a couple of days and walked Friday.

Brad Cox will send out Chasten, a 4-year-old daughter of Into Mischief. She won the $150,000 Obeah at Delaware Park by 6 ¼ lengths last out.

There’s also Majestic Oops who joined the Philip D’Amato barn in May. She’s also been running with some elite company, finishing ninth in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She won this year’s G2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park before running third in the G1 Apple Blossom. She ran third in the G2 Shawnee at Churchill Downs at the end of May before shipping out west.

Simply Joking is a horse who may be coming up to a breakout race. She was second to Om N Joy in the Santa Margarita last out after dueling with Seismic Beauty in the first half of the race.

“I thought it was a foolish half mile,” trainer Michael McCarthy states. “She did well to stick around late. The shorter distance will help and a smarter opening half mile will certainly benefit us.”

The Santa Margarita was a mile and an eighth. Prior to that race Simply Joking had won the G3 Santa Maria in April by 6 ¾ lengths. The Santa Maria is the same distance as the Clement Hirsch at a mile and a sixteenth.

The 56th running of the G1 Clement L. Hirsch is Race 10 on the 11-race Saturday card. It’s named after a man who was instrumental in the founding of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club and the Oak Tree Racing Association, which is being honored that afternoon. Probable post time is 6:30 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Chasten (Florent Geroux, 4-1); Hey Jessie (Antonio Fresu, 20-1); Om N Joy (Kent Desormeaux, 6-1); Bank Shot (Adrian Escobedo, 20-1); Majestic Oops (Joel Rosario, 9/2); Simply Joking (Emisael Jaramillo, 5-1); A Thousand Miles (Edgar Payeras, 30-1); Seismic Beauty (Juan Hernandez, 5/2), and Eunomia (Micah Husbands, 5-1).

OLDER CAL-BREDS SHOWCASED IN SATURDAY’S CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’

Some old warriors will be knocking heads in the first of two stakes races this Saturday at Del Mar. Four of the seven entries in the $150,000 California Dreamin’ are 6-year-olds or older. The Cal-bred restricted race for 3-year-olds and up is a mile and a sixteenth on the Jimmy Durante turf course.

None Above the Law leads the geriatric crowd at age 8. He’s been racing since 2020, winning the Real Good Deal Stakes and the G2 Del Mar Derby as a 3-year-old in 2021.

“He likes Del Mar,” trainer Peter Miller contends. “He’s such a cool horse. I had him as a 2-year-old. The original owner bred him – Kirk and Judy Robison. Then I claimed him back for Les Blake. I just love that horse.”

After the Del Mar Derby win None Above the Law went three years between trips to the winner’s circle then another two years after that. He snapped the skid with a courageous win last time out in an allowance/claimer at Santa Anita.

“It was really good,” Miller states. “He was on the lead because there was no pace, which is not where he usually is. He’s got some fight.”

That victory last out came in None Above the Law’s 49th career start. So what has been the formula to keep the old guy ticking?

“Knowing when to whoa and when to go,” Miller says. “Just keeping him healthy and happy.”

Another seasoned veteran in the California Dreamin’ is Old Pal, a 6-year-old son of Grazen. He’s a lightly raced gelding with only 13 career starts but he’s finished in the money in all but three of those races.

“He’s a nice, consistent, hard running horse,” trainer Mark Glatt notes.

Once again, load management is the key to keeping Old Pal in form.

“It’s mostly the horse,” Glatt explains. “Giving them time off when they need it. Sometimes if you push a horse through some issues they don’t come back as well.”

When Old Pal does run he brings his ‘A’ game. He won the 2023 Snow Chief at Santa Anita and the Unusual Heat in 2025. The last time he raced was in last November’s G2 Seabiscuit at Del Mar when he finished fourth.

“He just needed a break,” Glatt says. “He was a little jammed up and just needed some time off.”

On the Whim won the California Dreamin’ two years ago for a trainer that has won the race three of the last four years. Dean Pederson won it in 2022 and 2023 with Carmelita and then in 2024 with On the Whim. John Sadler’s champion Cal-bred Kings River Knight won last year’s edition of the California Dreamin’.

“Last year I had turned him (On the Whim) out for the summer,” Pederson explains, “so we didn’t have anything for the race. We have to pick up where we left off hopefully.”

On the Whim is also lightly raced for a 6-year-old with 16 career starts. He’s won the California Flag at Santa Anita and ran second last out in the Crystal Water Stakes.

“He’s doing good,” Pederson says. “He’s an old horse. You just try to stay out of his way. Keep them fit and happy and when the bell rings he knows what his job is.”

Some of the young bucks in the California Dreamin’ include Prince Dolce, a 4-year-old son of Sir Prancealot from the Steve Knapp barn. He’s won two of his last three races, finishing third in the Crystal Water behind On the Whim. There’s also Mr. Disrespectful, winner of his last two races. He’s also a 4-year-old and is by Smiling Tiger.

The 21st running of the California Dreamin’ is Race 5, the first of two stakes races on the Saturday card. Probable post time is 4 p.m.

Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Santa Barbarian (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1); None Above the Law (Joe Bravo, 6-1); Prince Dolce (Ricky Gonzalez, 4-1); Bull Shoals (Jose Morelos, 15-1); Old Pal (Juan Hernandez, 5/2); Mr. Disrespectful (Armando Ayuso, 3-1), and On the Whim (Tiago Pereira, 7/2).

WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS BACK AT DEL MAR

Racing fans can once again take part in Del Mar’s Free Weekend Handicapping Seminars, held each Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m. on the Kona Stage in the Plaza de Mexico.

The seminars, which run for approximately a half hour prior to the first race post at 2 p.m., offer insights on the day’s racing card from expert handicappers.

Del Mar veteran Dan Smith is the host for the Saturday cards and his guest this week is Johnnie Bucalo, a man who has held virtually every job there is at the racetrack.

Sunday programs will be overseen by handicapping ace Frank Scatoni and he’ll have as his guest this week regular horseplayer and handicapping master Frank Tate.

DEL MAR PRESENTS OAK TREE RACING ASSOCIATION DAY SATURDAY

Saturday promises to be a great day of racing with two stakes races including the G1 Clement L Hirsch, a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. It’s also Oak Tree Racing Association Day as the iconic racing organization teams up with Del Mar.

For years the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita brought top-class horse racing to Southern California in the fall. The four-week meet was one of the favorites of horsemen and race fans alike. When the Breeders’ Cup came along in 1984 it became the meet of key West Coast preps for the championship races.

While the meet no longer exists, the Oak Tree Racing Association is still providing much needed financial help and leadership to California racing. On Saturday, they will provide an extra $100,000 to the Clement Hirsch purse. They’ll also give $500 to the groom of horses deemed “Best Turned Out” for every race of the day.

The list of contributions that the Oak Tree group has been part of in the industry is a long one. From its founding through today, Oak Tree has contributed nearly $25 million to support racing-related activities such as equine research at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Winner’s Foundation, Gregson Foundation and many others. Oak Tree joined Del Mar in helping to establish a unique feeding program for its full complement of backstretch workers two summers and falls ago, a hugely popular arrangement that the group is a part of once again this year.

COOLING OUT: Two jockeys of note are in town to ride in the stakes races this weekend. Florent Geroux, who almost moved his tack to Del Mar fulltime this summer before deciding to stay in Kentucky, is in town to ride Chasten for Brad Cox in the G1 Clement L. Hirsch Saturday. Micah Husbands flies in from his base in Florida to ride Eunomia in the Clement Hirsch for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. He’s an up-and-coming young jockey who’s made some noise at Gulfstream Park this year…Jockey Juan Hernandez put some distance between him and his closest competitor in the Del Mar jockeys’ race. The defending summer meet champion won three races on Thursday. He now has 11 wins to Umberto Rispoli’s eight…There was only one winning favorite out of the eight races run on Thursday. Sugar Reign won Race 3 as the 5/2 favorite. Six of the remaining seven races had double figure payoffs on $2 win tickets…No one hit the Pick 6 Thursday so there is a $31,077.60 carryover into Friday…Notable works on Friday: Dirt – Atitlan (4f, :48.60); Magnificat (4f, :48.00); Man O Rose (4f, :47.80); Packs a Wahlop (4f, :47.80); Unrivaled Time (4f, :48.40); Desert Gate (5f, :59.40); Nevada Beach (5f, 1:00.60), and Privman (5f, 1:00.60). 141 horses put in official works on the main track on Friday.