2025 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Preview

Key takeaways:

• Himika is the most proven filly, with two wins, including a Grade 3, and her stalking style makes her dangerous again.
• Explora is Baffert’s likely favorite with Hernandez aboard, and her flashy debut suggests she could be tough to catch.
• La Wally offers upside at a price, with a running style that could set her up well against pace-heavy rivals.

The Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante is one of the closing-weekend features of the Del Mar summer meet. Happening on Saturday, September 6, the seven-furlong race drew a field of seven to compete for a $300,000 purse. Though the race doesn’t offer a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies bid, it is not only a good prep for later races that do, like the Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland and the Oak Leaf (G2) at Santa Anita. It also gives connections a good chance to assess how they handle the actual course where the Breeders’ Cup will be run in less than two months.

Trainer Bob Baffert always has a deep bench of two-year-olds, and he trains three of the seven entrants for the Del Mar Debutante. His usual “A” rider nowadays, Juan Hernandez, takes the call on rail-drawn Explora. However, Himika is already a Grade 3 winner and the only two-time winner in the field, and Bottle of Rouge comes off a smart step forward last out over the local course.

Stars who have won the Del Mar Debutante over the years include Terlingua (1978), Landaluce (1982), Brave Raj (1986), Chilukki (1999), Halfbridled (2003), Sweet Catomine (2004), and Songbird (2015). More recently, horses like Bellafina (2018) and Tenma (2024) have gone on to win the Santa Anita Oaks the next year.

2025 Del Mar Debutante Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 6
• Track: Del Mar Racetrack
• Post Time: 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Draw and Odds

These are the entrants in the 2025 Del Mar Debutante, including their post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Prep Race Results

The seven runners in the Del Mar Debutante come out of six different races, all on the dirt at Del Mar.

Only one comes out of a stakes race. Himika, the only two-time winner in the field, stalked and pounced to a 4 ¼-length victory in the Sorrento (G3) on August 10. She is the only horse from the Sorrento field pressing on to the Del Mar Debutante.

The other six come out of maiden races, with five of the six coming from special weight company. Both Bourbon and Ginger and Grandma Mary debuted in a 5 ½-furlong sprint on August 2, in which Bourbon and Ginger held off Grandma Mary by half a length. Bottle of Rouge is the only horse in the field who has gone past six furlongs on the dirt; she graduated on debut August 9 in a 6 ½-furlong race, battling early and drawing off by 6 ¾ lengths. Explora led at every call to win a 5 ½-furlong sprint on August 17, leading at every call. La Wally debuted July 19 in a five-furlong dash, got up to win by a nose, and has freshened a bit since.

Fourlynnes is the only horse to come out of a maiden claimer. She rallied from last to win a six-furlong sprint by 1 ¼ lengths, and was not taken for the $32,000 tag.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes Contenders

These are the seven entrants in the 2025 Del Mar Debutante, organized by post position.

1. Explora: This daughter of Blame, the likely top-stringer for Bob Baffert, steps into a stakes after a frontrunning debut win last month. The rail draw may force her to go, but she was drawn toward the inside on debut and proved fast enough to get her way and keep going. This is an extra furlong and a half, but both sides of her pedigree suggest that she’s going to want this distance and more. The jockey assignment talks here: Juan Hernandez rode all three Bob Baffert horses last out, and here’s where he ends up.
2. Himika: The only two-time winner here, she has the experience and the class edge. Though she’ll probably go second choice behind Explora, unlike that foe, she not only has the two starts but she also has the stalking gear—in both of her races, she has tracked just off the pace before taking command. She may need to move up from her Sorrento to beat her stablemate, but second off a freshening, she can do just that, and the extra distance should be no problem for this daughter of top-class stamina merchant Curlin.
3. Fourlynnes: The good news is, she moved forward from her debut to her second start. She was never a factor when debuting in a turf mile at Del Mar, but improved to find the winning run next out when switched to a dirt sprint. However, that also involved a drop into claiming company, and that effort came back significantly slower than any of her foes in this race. On one hand, she has a pedigree that could deal with the extra distance, but given that she hails from a barn that tends to underperform in graded-stakes races, it’s hard to see her improving enough from this modest baseline to threaten Breeders’ Cup hopefuls, especially when wheeling back in just over a week.
4. Grandma Mary: The only maiden in the field, she did come close on debut behind Bourbon and Ginger. She tracked in range, made a run in the final furlong, but was held at bay by a length. Trainer Mick Ruis’s horses do tend to move forward second out, the seven-furlong distance should suit, and perhaps the blinkers will help her keep finding late if she makes a late run in this spot. However, with horses who have upside off of even more impressive debut efforts, rounding out an exotic may be her ceiling.
5. Bottle of Rouge: She was six lengths adrift of Himika on debut in June, but came back to win impressively on August 6, battling early and drawing off to win by 6 ¾ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong race at Del Mar. That sharp win at 6 ½ furlongs gives her appeal—form at that distance tends to bode well for handling seven furlongs, and she is the only horse in the field who has tried an extended-sprint trip on the dirt. Though, she might not be quite as fast as her stablemates early, meaning to be more than an exotics candidate, she’ll have to prove she can pass enough horses without actually being part of the early pace like she was last out.
6. La Wally: On debut, she tracked just behind a contested pace, rallied in the final furlong, and got up to win by a nose. Trainer Mark Glatt tends to keep his horses in form after maiden wins, and she has a chance to work just the kind of trip she got last out—she has a near-outside draw again and there are a few in the field who can hit the gas and give her pace to chase again. She’ll have to move forward if the Baffert brigade actually does build on their recent efforts, but she has the building blocks to be the most credible horse not to come out of that barn.
7. Bourbon and Ginger: She attended the pace, took over in the lane, and held off Grandma Mary to win her debut on August 2, and now steps up to stakes company. She should be pressing or stalking the pace from the far outside draw, but she’ll be doing it against better horses. She needs to move forward a lot, however, and though trainer Ricahrd Mandella shines in graded-stakes races, his last-out maiden winners can be hit-and-miss, and this filly may be overbet given her connections.

Del Mar Debutante: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the Del Mar Debutante:

1. Himika (2-1)

Trainer Bob Baffert has a strong three-deep group in the Del Mar Debutante. And, though there is good reason that Explora will be the likely favorite, that also leaves room for actual value on Himika, the most proven horse in the field. Himika is the only horse with two wins, and the only horse with a victory in stakes company. Though she hasn’t stretched out past six furlongs yet, the fact that she is by Curlin out of an Into Mischief mare suggests she’s going to want this distance and then some.

Himika’s running style also makes her appealing. Though speed often carries in these two-year-old sprints, in both of Himika’s races, she stalked the pace and then took complete command in the lane. With a few in this field who can show speed, Himika should be able to work that kind of a trip again: draft off the contested pace and take over. And, though she is drawn near the inside, she has already proven that to be no problem: she drew the fence in both of her starts so far and was able to work out a stalking trip.

The biggest question about Himika is the jockey one: though Juan Hernandez was aboard for both of Himika’s wins, he defects to Explora instead. But, Kazushi Kimura takes the call—he has gotten some live mounts for Baffert in recent times, including riding the winner of this race, Tenma, for him last year.

2. Explora (8-5)

A relative bargain buy among Baffert horses—just $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale this year, pinhooked after being sold for just $22,000 as a yearling—Explora shined on debut, setting a pressured pace and clearing off to win by 4 ¾ lengths in her debut August 17 at Del Mar. Juan Hernandez rode her that day, and though he was the last-out rider for all three Bob Baffert horses in this race, this is where Hernandez decides to end up.

It helps Explora’s case that, even though she was racing for the first time, she won so well from a relatively inside post, allaying concerns about the rail draw this time. She also did that in fast enough fashion that if she moves forward from that debut, she could prove mighty hard to catch in the lane. She is the favorite in a two-year-old race, so it pays to be thoughtful … but she also very much fits the profile of a Baffert horse getting ready and good at the right time for this.

3. La Wally (10-1)

Among the non-Baffert horses in this race, Mark Glatt trainee La Wally is the most interesting contender. She belongs on exotics, and for anyone going narrow elsewhere and looking to spread a bit with the babies, she is the price to spread to in this race.

She didn’t win her maiden race by much—just a nose after a late run. But, the extra distance should still be right in line with her pedigree. Though she’s got a sprint-leaning underside (including being from the family of turf sprint superstar Ag Bullet), the Constitution on top balances that out, and seven furlongs should be within her abilities. And, she should be ready to pull off the same kind of trip Antonio Fresu gave her last out—track a few lengths off from the near-outside gate and reel in a contested pace down the lane. Though she does need to take a step forward off her win, with most of the field preferring to at least be in close range of the pace, La Wally could be able to work out the winning trip by doing a thing she has already done.

Del Mar Debutante Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: The Del Mar Debutante happens Saturday, September 6, 2025, at 4:00 Pacific Standard Time, at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. It is the sixth of 11 races on the card, and one of two graded-stakes races on Saturday of closing weekend.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: Bob Baffert has won the Del Mar Debutante 11 times between 1995 and 2024. He can extend that record if Bottle of Rouge, Explora, or Himika wins in 2025.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Del Mar Debutante Stakes?

A: Off of an impressive maiden win, and with Bob Baffert’s “A” rider Juan Hernandez aboard, Explora, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite and is expected to hold as favorite in the race. However, respect if there’s a swing toward 2-1 second-choice Himika, another Baffert horse. She is the only two-time winner in the field, and the only horse with a stakes win (or even any win over a field not restricted to maidens).

Q: Who is the best Del Mar Debutante Stakes jockey?

A: Gary Stevens, Bill Shoemaker, and Victor Espinoza lead with five wins each. None of them will return for the 2025 edition. Among jockeys entered in 2025, Mike Smith leads with three victories. He can win for the fourth time with Bottle of Rouge.

Q: Who won the Del Mar Debutante Stakes in 2024?

A: Tenma won the Del Mar Debutante in 2024 for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Kazushi Kimura. They unite in 2025 behind Himika. Baffert also sends out Explora with Juan Hernandez in the saddle and Bottle of Rouge with Mike Smith riding.

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