This Saturday afternoon, 12 of the west coast’s fastest runners line up at Del Mar for the Grade 1 Bing Crosby, the most important one-turn dirt race for older horses on the track’s stakes agenda. The six-furlong race on the main track not only offers a $400,000 purse, but also an all-expenses-paid trip to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint for the winners. The last two winners of the race, Dr. Schivel, and American Theorem, face a mix of runners with extensive stakes experience as well as improving runners trying to prove themselves in graded stakes company, making this a wide-open betting affair.

Bing Crosby Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, July 29
• Track: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
• Post Time: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: six furlongs
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

2023 Bing Crosby Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the Bing Crosby at Del Mar.

Bing Crosby Stakes Prep Race Results

The field for the Bing Crosby comes out of 11 different races. The only race where two horses ran last was a conditioned allowance going six furlongs at Santa Anita on June 16. Kid Corleone went gate to wire, while American Theorem was fifth as the even-money favorite.

Five of the runners contended in graded stakes races last out. Spirit of Makena is the only one who won a graded race last out: he scored in the Triple Bend (G2). Two come from the top level though both missed the board: Dr. Schivel was fifth in the Met Mile (G1), while Get Her Number was sixth in the Churchill Downs (G1). Anarchist was a good second behind divisional leader Elite Power in the True North (G2) last out. Finally, Todo Fino comes from a third-place finish in the Smile (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Three others come to the Bing Crosby out of ungraded stakes. The Chosen Vron won the Thor’s Echo against California-breds in his last outing. Sibelius was fourth in the Aristides at Churchill Downs last time. C Z Rocket was most recently fourth in the Pleasanton Mile, though two starts back, he was second to Spirit of Makena in the Triple Bend.

Two other horses come out of second-level allowance wins at tracks in Kentucky. Hoist the Gold won at Ellis on July 1, while Peaceful Waters cleared that condition at Keeneland on April 16.

Bing Crosby Stakes Contenders

These are the 12 contenders in the 2023 Bing Crosby Stakes, in order of post position.

1. Hoist the Gold: This four-year-old comes out of an allowance win, though his stakes form tends to be underneath-heavy. The Met Mile two back was too tough and perhaps two long, but he has hit the board in a pair of Grade 1 races at seven furlongs, the Churchill Downs and the Malibu. He does his best work pressing or stalking, though has to work a trip from the fence in a big field.
2. Spirit of Makena: This five-year-old has only run five times, but rides two sharp stakes victories into the Bing Crosby. Both his wins in the San Carlos (G3) and Triple Bend came at seven furlongs, though he did clear his first-level allowance condition going six. He has the tactical speed to work a trip as long as he doesn’t run into too much trouble early near the inside, and he is lightly-raced enough to have more upside.
3. Todo Fino: A handicap-level runner in Chile, this frontrunning type has cleared a pair of allowance conditions in the United States and ran a credible third in the Smile in his graded debut. This is both a larger field and a better one, but it is a positive that he has four wins at six furlongs and that one of his allowance wins came over this course last year.
4. The Chosen Vron: One of the noteworthy success stories of the California breeding program in recent years, he carries a seven-win streak into the Bing Crosby, dating all the way back to last summer. However, all of those sharp stakes wins have come against California-breds. He did win a pair of graded races at three, however, and he does have the speed and the tractability to carve out a good trip.
5. Kid Corleone: One of the newer faces in this field, this four-year-old won his seasonal debut over American Theorem, last year’s winner of this race. He was a well-beaten sixth behind Howbeit and C Z Rocket in his only previous graded try, the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) last year, but is lightly-enough raced to be better now and should be fast enough to be interesting if the track turns up seriously speed biased. However, if not, there is too much other speed likely to lay just off him to make him interesting.
6. Get Her Number: He was a Grade 1 winner as a juvenile, though he has yet to stay at that level as an older horse. He had his moment last December when second, beaten only a head, in a sloppy Cigar Mile. However, his recent attempts on dry tracks against graded horses have not been of that quality, and his best chance at a piece is if the pace gets too hot and he picks some off late.
7. Anarchist: He is the promising new face of the California sprint division. Though his only graded win came in the Jacques Cartier (G3) over the Woodbine Tapeta, he hit the board in graded sprints over both dirt and turf earlier this year, and then finished second behind divisional leader Elite Power in the True North last out. He has the tactical speed to carve out a trip, and another big effort like his last makes him a contender.
8. C Z Rocket: Now nine years old, he is the grand old man of the west coast sprint division. He rarely wins against the best anymore, but he can find a stalking or midpack spot and reliably run on for a piece, just like he did when he was second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last fall or the Triple Bend two back. Though he came up flat in the Pleasanton Mile last out, his better form comes at sprint distances, and this race gets him right back in his sweet spot.
9. Sibelius: This East Coast-based five-year-old looked like the hot new face in the sprint division earlier this year with wins in the Mr. Prospector (G3) at Gulfstream, the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs, and then the Golden Shaheen (G1) at Meydan. He disappointed in the Aristides last out when he finished a flat fourth behind Gunite, a horse he beat on the square in Dubai. There’s also the worry that he’ll lose ground from the post and will likely have to fight with a lot of speed up front.
10. American Theorem: Wins in the Triple Bend and the Bing Crosby last year put him on the map, though he could muster only eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and was a flat fifth in his return to the track in June. Perhaps he will be better second off the lay, and the flow of the race is in his favor with so many runners who prefer being on or near the lead. However, note that his regular rider Joe Bravo defects to ride stablemate Spirit of Makena instead.
11. Dr. Schivel: He emerged as a serious sprint-division contender in 2021, beating older in this race and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship as a three-year-old and finishing second beaten a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. However, he was laid off for over a year after running third in the 2022 Golden Shaheen. The near-outside post isn’t great, but the two-back allowance victory shows he can still sprint, and he has the legitimate excuse that the Met Mile last out may have just been too long. If he can rate and rally like he did in this race two years ago, he fits, though he needs to drift to longer odds than his morning-line favoritism to be bettable.
12. Peaceful Waters: He sold for $310,000 at Keeneland in April, off of a second-level allowance win, and now turns up for trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing: connections with an excellent record of buying older horses and moving them up. The concern is his running style, as he is a one-way speed type who will have to gun from the far outside and fight with Kid Corleone and others. With that being the case, this may not be his day. However, he is one to watch for races down the line.

Bing Crosby Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The race is carded as the tenth of 11 on the Saturday card.

Q: Where is the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: It takes place at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert and Bruce Headley are tied for the most wins in the Bing Crosby with four wins each. Bob Baffert is still training, though he does not have an entrant in this year’s edition. Among trainers who are running in the 2023 Bing Crosby, two have won this race before. Mark Glatt won with Collusion Illusion in 2020 and Dr. Schivel in 2021, and returns with Dr. Schivel this year. George Papaprodromou, who won with American Theorem in 2022, returns with that horse as well as Spirit of Makena.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Bing Crosby Stakes?

A: The 7-2 morning-line favorite is Dr. Schivel for trainer Mark Glatt, who won the race in 2021, though has a limited recent body of work. Close behind on the morning line at 4-1 are Spirit of Makina for George Papaprodromou, The Chosen Vron for Eric Kruljac, and Anarchist for Doug O’Neill. They all bring strong enough recent form that none would be a surprise as the favorite once the gates fling open.

Q: Who is the best Bing Crosby Stakes jockey?

A: The jockey with the most wins in this race is Flavien Prat, who won it six times between 2015 and 2021. Prat, based at Saratoga this summer, does not return to the fray this year. Two riders in this year’s field have won it before. Mike Smith, who takes the call on Get Her Number, won with Amazombie (2012) and Points Offthebench (2013). Joe Bravo won in 2022 with American Theorem, though he takes the call on stablemate Spirit of Makena this year.

Q: Who won the Bing Crosby Stakes in 2022?

A: American Theorem won the 2022 edition of the Bing Crosby for trainer George Papaprodromou and jockey Joe Bravo. Papaprodromou sends out American Theorem again in 2023, but Umberto Rispoli has the ride. Bravo rides Papaprodromou’s other runner, Spirit of Makena.