DMR Futurity – G1
$300.00 For Two Year Olds
7 Furlongs – Dirt
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club -September 6, 2026

Futurity. Future. It’s in the name. It is what everyone thinks about when they look at their promising two year olds. Races with Futurity in the name are theoretically meant to offer a glimpse into what the promising two year olds who show up have to look forward to later in their careers. Breeders Cup star? Next year’s Derby winner? With some youngsters being precocious and some being slower to develop it’s not quite as simple to predict on track success as the Futurity moniker implies but it’s fun to speculate and it’s fun to dream if you are lucky enough to be an owner of a horse good enough to make it to the gate in one of these premier two year old events. As we round the final turn of summer into Labor Day we find twelve slated to start hoping to notch a G1 win and begin to establish themselves as a future star. 

1. Drink And Drive (Serenity Stables/G. Corrales) Purchased for $75.00 before ever starting he has one win in three races. That win was a MSW at Woodbine in June. He followed up that wire to wire maiden win with a seventh place in the G2 SAR Special where he finished two lengths behind winner and stablemate Sacred Star after setting the pace early. He broke from post 10 on that day but gets post 1 today.

2. My Life For Hire (Mb Stables/F. Geroux) Purchased privately for $250.00 following his maiden win at PARX. He has since made two starts for his new trainer with both being solid third place finishes in both the G3 Sanford at Saratoga and G3 Best Pal at Del Mar where he will race again on Saturday. His running style thus far would seem to indicate he will like the extra furlong and opponents can not take much comfort in his sharp 1:10.4 work at Del Mar just a week ago. 

3. Tropical Storm (Winning Link Stables/K. Kimura) Homebred broke his maiden at first asking and then posted a fourth place finish in an allowance race at Woodbine. He has not been seen since that second start in June and makes his stakes debut in a very ambitious spot so the trainer must like what he has been showing him in recent farm works. No public works since July.

4. Echo Ridge (Alydar Stables/U. Rispoli) He won his second start at Churchill Downs in May and then was entered in two graded races. He finished a good closing fourth in the G3 Sanford but then disappointed finishing eleventh of twelve in the G3 Best Pal. He comes back on the same track as that eleventh place finish but the resume is short enough that you can overlook that race and backers can look at the much better Sanford run. Of concern is that he finished behind My Life For Hire in both of those stakes efforts. 

5. Palantir (D J C Racing Stables/J. Bravo) He makes his first foray outside of statebred competition but has done virtually nothing wrong with two wins in three starts. He broke his maiden at Santa Anita in June and followed that up with a win in the Graduation Stakes for CA breds here at Del Mar at the beginning of August. His recent works are very sharp and there is nothing to suggest that he will find the waters too deep outside of fellow CA breds. 97 SRF speed figure from his Graduation win is the highest in the field. 

6. Von Richthofen (Mb Stables/J J Hernandez) The second entry from this barn is another private purchase having been picked up for $150.00 at the beginning of August. He broke his maiden at first asking in late April with an impressive four length score. His only other start was his first start for his new barn where he finished a near miss third in the ELP Juvenile after poking his head in front and contending for the lead the entire way. Obviously has talent. 

7. Unprovoked (Williams9/A. Fresu) Has the most experience in the field with five starts. He has a win and a third to his credit and comes out of an allowance race at Saratoga that was run at today’s seven furlong distance. He made the lead late in that race but faded to fourth by the time they hit the wire. That effort may have done him good as the trainer shows confidence by following up with his first stakes test in a G1. His 1:10.3 work at Del Mary in July was his last public work and shows that he likes the track. Dark horse?

8. Blood Moon Rising (Nakamura Stables/D E Centeno) He has two wins in his four races but of most significance is the fact that he is unbeaten following being gelded on the Fourth of July. While he may no longer have a certain type of fireworks to look forward to he definitely made fireworks on the track since he won the ELP Juvenile after the gelding. That race makes him the only horse in the field thus far to have won at today’s seven furlong distance. 

9. Sim Racer (Blazin D/F. Pennington) Began his career with a win in a $40.00 maiden claiming race and since then has not been off the board in three straight stakes efforts. He won the Victoria Stakes north of the border up north right after being gelded. He followed that stakes win up with a solid closing second place finish in the G3 Best Pal here at Del Mar a month ago. That $40.00 would have been a bargain for anyone shrewd enough to have picked him up but alas his breeder seems to have a nice two year old who has to be considered a contender to take down this G1.

10. Berserker Fast (TwinTowersRacing/J. Rosario) He was an impressive first out winner in a MSW at Keeneland in April. Since then he has been seen in three stakes events where he has yet to hit the board. Like several others here he comes out of the G3 Best Pal at Del Mar where he finished seventh after proving that he is aptly named having set the pace until the last call including a :22 flat opening quarter when he blazed out of gate 10 to take the early lead. Unfortunately he draws that same post again which may force his hand. Has speed. How will he use it?

11. Luka Mars (Night Rider Stables/J J Castellano) Made his debut in August at Ellis Park and finished a solid third where he gave up experience to most of the field. The only other first timer in that race finished last so credit must be given to his third. Comes into his second start in this G1 as the only maiden in the field so, again, giving up a lot of experience to his rivals. Works fast and has a top trainer who must see something under the hood that he likes. 

12. Saigon (Serenity Stables/M. Franco) He has won his last two starts and has not been off the board in his three race career. His last race was a stakes win having taken down The Riverside Rush in early August. That win saw him earn a 96 SRF speed figure which is the second highest in the field. Like his stablemate he was purchased for $75 from John Henry on 4/2. Unfortunately draws post 12 in his first graded stakes effort but he drew post 11 in his Riverside Rush win so he may be able to overcome the outside draw again.

It is very hard to predict two year old races when horses are developing so quickly and trainers are learning different strategies and adds to get the best out of their young horses. With that excuse out of the way I will make Palantir the pick based on his Graduation win and fast works on this track. Take the second and third finishers from the Best Pal behind him: Sim Racer and My Life For Hire. I think Saigon will find it rough to fully overcome post 12 but I will place him in fourth. 

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES