2025 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Preview at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Key Takeaways:

• Kopion stretches out after top-level sprint success but must prove she can handle two turns.
• Seismic Beauty and Richi both bring strong frontrunning efforts for Bob Baffert, but face pace pressure.
• Royal Spa offers upside with pace versatility and strong efforts against elite company.
• Little Hidden Port is the wildcard, making her U.S. debut for John Sadler off dominant Argentine wins.

Seven fillies and mares will vie for an expenses-paid ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Saturday, August 2, at Del Mar in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. Of course, the ticket to the end-of-year championships isn’t the only thing at stake—there’s also a $400,000 purse and Grade 1 black type.

The most interesting storyline is Kopion: a multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter, she was defeated in the Great Lady M (G2) last month and now tries two turns for the first time since she was fourth in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) last year. The task won’t be easy: all of her foes except for Mahina are either graded-stakes or group-stakes winners.

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 2
• Track: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
• Post Time: 6:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles on the dirt
• Age/Sex: Three-year-olds and upward, fillies and mares
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2025 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Prep Race Results

Every horse in the Clement Hirsch comes out of a different race. All of them were stakes races, however, and six of the seven were at the Grade 2 or Group 2 level.

Four come out of graded races in California. Seismic Beauty made her stakes debut in the Santa Margarita (G2) on May 25 at Santa Anita, and she won by five lengths after leading at every call. Richi has freshened up since a frontrunning 4 ½-length score in the Santa Maria (G2) on April 19, also at Santa Anita. Kopion snapped a three-win streak when she was second in the Great Lady M (G2) on July 5 at Los Alamitos, where she chased home Sweet Azteca. The only horse coming into the Clement Hirsch out of an off-the-board finish is Nothing Like You, who ran a well-beaten fourth behind Sugar Fish in the Zenyatta (G2) on September 29 at Santa Anita, and returns here after an extended layoff.

Two others come out of races outside of California. Royal Spa finished second in the Fleur de Lis (G2) on June 28 at Churchill Downs, setting the pace but proving second best behind reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna. Little Hidden Port, who makes her first North American start in the Clement Hirsch, most recently won the Los Criadores (G2) at Hipódromo de La Plata in Argentina on December 19.

The only horse coming out of an ungraded stakes is Mahina. She has freshened up since finishing second, beaten a nose, in the 1 ¼-mile Possibly Perfect over the Santa Anita lawn.

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Contenders

This is a closer look at all seven contenders for the Clement Hirsch, from the rail out.

1. Seismic Beauty: A newer face on the graded-stakes scene for trainer Bob Baffert, this daughter of Uncle Mo has a well-defined running style: if she makes the top, she’s tough to catch. If she doesn’t, she can run on for a share but hasn’t been able to close the deal. Last out in the Santa Margarita, she did make the top. This time, it’s going to be a tougher ask, both because of the potential trouble from the rail and because her speedy stablemate Richi is outside, Kopion stretches out from even further outside, and even Royal Spa and Nothing Like You can show some pace. She looks like the Bob Baffert “A” runner, especially because Juan Hernandez is in the saddle, riding here, instead of shipping east to pilot Cash Call in the Test (G1) at Saratoga!—so, she must be well-intended. But the price is likely short, and the assignment is tough.
2. Royal Spa: A nice sprinter last year at age four, she has been stretched out by trainer Rodolphe Brisset and done well, winning stakes at Laurel and Churchill Downs and then finishing second behind only Thorpedo Anna last out in the Fleur de Lis. This isn’t an easy assignment, but there certainly isn’t a Thorpedo Anna here, either. Her biggest asset is her pace-versatility—she is fast enough to keep in range of the pace, but doesn’t have to set it to win, as she showed when she rallied into a sharp pace to win the Shawnee over this distance at Churchill two back.
3. Mahina: She had to drop down for a tag two years ago to get her diploma, but she has grown into a solid turf horse in recent months. She has yet to win at the stakes level, but she has missed twice by a nose to Mrs. Astor in stakes races, showing some ability. However, the question is whether any of that will translate to the dirt. She tried dirt a few times earlier in her career, in a trio of maiden sprints; she hit the board in two of three and may improve over this longer distance, but it’s still a lot to ask her to run the race of her life, first time in a dirt route, with a bid to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on the line.
4. Nothing Like You: She was one of the better West Coast fillies of her class at ages two and three, winning the Starlet (G2) in 2023 and the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) in 2024. However, after battling on the pace and fading to a well-beaten fourth in the Zenyatta last September, she went for a long break. She has been on the work tab a long time pointing toward this return, trainer Bob Baffert does well with layoff horses, and her tactical speed is an asset. However, running her best race ever first off of such a long layoff is a lot to ask, and both her form and the assignment of rider Drayden Van Dyke suggest that she is the third-string Baffert.
5. Richi: A multiple Group 1 winner in her native Chile, she has run five times since coming to the United States last year, all in stakes company. Her best race yet was her last one, a blowout frontrunning win in the Santa Maria back in April. She hasn’t raced since, though she has plenty of work leading into the return, and she won the Las Flores (G3) last year off an even longer layoff. Though she is probably intended as the second-string Baffert behind Seismic Beauty, there are reasons to like her. She has a nice rapport already with jockey Antonio Fresu, she is better drawn than her stablemate on the fence, and she can win with a pressing or stalking trip, not only a pacesetting one.
6. Little Hidden Port: Trainer John Sadler and owner Hronis Racing are well known for shining with privately purchased older horses, and they go that route again with the wild card in this race, Little Hidden Port. A fixture at La Plata, a second-string track in Argentina, she did hold her own with a good second in an allowance at San Isidro (a more major track) three back, and followed that up with a pair of blowout wins in group-level races back at La Plata. She can stalk the pace, but it is still a question of what kind of positioning she can get compared to California speed, especially on the turnback from 1 ¼ miles in her last two to this shorter, sharper trip.
7. Kopion: She clicked off three straight wins at seven furlongs between December and May, two at the Grade 1 level. However, she was defeated as the 1-5 favorite in the Great Lady M at Los Alamitos last out. That’s not a huge reason for concern, as some horses just don’t love Los Al as much as other tracks, and she didn’t have the easiest trip. Whether she wants 1 1/16 miles is a question – she has been defeated in both her two-turn starts and was well beaten by Nothing Like You in last year’s Santa Anita Oaks, her only try at this distance. However, she is a better horse now than she was then, she has tactical versatility from a clean outside gate, and her pedigree makes the trip worth trying again.

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes?

A: The Clement L. Hirsch will be run on Saturday, August 2. Carded as the 10th of 11 races on the card, post time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PDT.

Q: Where is the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes?

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

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes?

A: John Sadler leads all trainers with five wins in the Clement L. Hirsch, most recently in 2019 with Ollie’s Candy. He can extend his record if Little Hidden Port makes her United States debut a winning one.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes?

A: Seismic Beauty, coming off of a breakthrough win in the Santa Margarita, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Clement Hirsch. Despite her challenging rail post, she is the slim choice over Kopion (5-2), a two-time Grade 1 winner who is better drawn but still has to prove herself at this distance. Come post time, it would be no surprise to see either of these horses as the favorite, and they should be close in the markets.

Q: Who is the best Clement L. Hirsch Stakes jockey?

A: Retired rider Chris McCarron leads all jockeys with seven wins in this race between 1981 and 2000. Mike Smith has won the race six times, including three times with the great Zenyatta, and can tie McCarron’s record if he guides Mahina to victory on Saturday.

Q: Who won the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes in 2024?

A: Adare Manor won this race for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez in both 2023 and 2024. Adare Manor is retired, but Baffert and Hernandez unite behind Seismic Beauty in 2025. Baffert also sends out Richi with Antonio Fresu riding, and Nothing Like You with Drayden Van Dyke in the irons.

New to FanDuel Racing? Place your first bet up to $500 and get it back in Racing Bonus if it doesn’t win! Valid in participating states. See here for full terms and conditions. Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.

Looking for more horse racing betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.