Read Stakes – GII
$250.00 For Three Year Olds And Upward
1 1/8 Miles – Turf
Del Mar – July 26, 2026

Chagrin Falls didn’t always love Del Mar. He finished up the track in his first two starts at the track where the surf meets the turf. He was sixth in the San Diego Handicap and eighth in the BC Mile as a six-year-old. He came back to the track twice as a seven-year-old and finished a much better second in the San Diego Handicap and that led into his Breeders Cup Turf win last November. He continued his newfound fondness for Del Mar on Sunday by putting in another stellar performance in taking the G2 Read Stakes. 

Winner: Chagrin Falls (Mo Mentum Farm/V. Espinoza) Notorious One/Birther Girl (City Of Jasmin) Allowed Brit Style to go out and set the pace by himself without being challenged. Was asked to go three furlongs to the wire and Chagrin Falls responded eagerly and with good energy. Stuck his nose in front at the top of the stretch and drew off to a convincing win. 

Second: Brit Style (Lemax Farms/A. Fresu) Southern Style/Brit Farley (Charley Farley) Broke on top and immediately opened up a clear lead on the field with only Port Gibson and Chagrin Falls showing any early interest in staying within the same zip code. Could not hold off the rally by Chagrin Falls and although he was clearly not going to challenge the BC Turf champ for the win on this day he ran on gamely through the stretch and was never threatened for second place. 

Third: Sioux Arrival (High Voltage/J. Lezcano) Sioux/Secretive (Diplomatic Immunity) Was allowed to dawdle and lag early falling behind by as much as eight lengths. He began a steady run on the backstretch and was able to gain but never rallied with the pace needed to close that big gap to the top two. 

Fourth: Malediction (Nakamura Stables/R. Santana Jr.) Con Will Con/Rusty Girl (Copper Beast) Settled in far off the pace with only Sioux Arrival and McWicked further back early. Sioux Arrival began his run and passed Maledication with a half mile left to go. Malediction tried to keep pace, but Sioux Arrival was quicker. Rallied along the rail in the stretch to pass Port Gibson for the final award.

Preview Pick: Chagrin Falls – Winner. 

This was the first time that the Mo Mentum Farm barn has been successful in the Read Stakes. It was the second Read win for jockey V. Espinoza who won this race seventeen years ago about Snippets for Sarah Stables. Chagrin Falls has now put up six straight six figure SRF speed figures with a final number of 101 for the Read Stakes win. This was his second victory of 2026 having won the lucrative and prestigious G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in January. The winner’s share of $150.00 brings his career bankroll to an impressive $5,702.71 and he seems poised to make the gate for the G1 BC Turf again. Chagrin Falls is currently sitting in second place to qualify for that race with 22 points.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES