Hope Road Primed to Repeat in Bayakoa Stakes at Del Mar

Cicero Farms' homebred Hope Road  is well positioned to defend her title in the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going a mile Nov. 30 on Del Mar's main track.

The 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road   has started only in graded stakes company this year and been on the board in all five starts. Her sole win of the season was a bell-ringer, a 2-length win over Scylla  in the Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. Scylla went on to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), while Hope Road finished third in her next start in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).

Hope Road won last year's edition of the Bayakoa gate to wire by half a length, capping a four-race winning streak that also included a 5-length win in the Torrey Pines Stakes (G3). A fourth-place finish in the La Brea Stakes (G1) snapped her win streak. She has maintained her graded stakes form all this year, though, starting with a pair of seconds in the Santa Monica Stakes (G2) and Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1). The Ballerina would finally give her grade 1 status, after three previous tries at the level.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Hope Road has shown the most success at Del Mar among her eight Bayakoa challengers with a 3-2-1 record from seven starts at the seaside track. She will be ridden in the Bayakoa from post 4 by Juan Hernandez.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' 3-year-old filly Warming  is the only other 2025 graded stakes winner in the field. She comes into the Bayakoa off a 1 3/4-length win in the 1-mile Autumn Miss Stakes (G3T) on the turf at Santa Anita Park. Warming, a daughter of Global Campaign , is trained by Graham Motion and will be ridden John Velazquez.

Simply Joking , a 3-year-old daughter of Practical Joke  , will try to regain the promise she showed early in the year. She started the 2025 season with a Silverbulletday Stakes win at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and then ran second in the Fantasy Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park. She has been unplaced in her two starts since then with a 4 1/2-month layoff in between. She is trained by Michael McCarthy and will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Hey Nay Nay Looks to Rebound in Cecil B. DeMille

Another grade 3 stakes on the Nov. 30 Del Mar card is the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) for 2-year-olds going a mile on grass.

A couple of stakes winners headline the seven-horse field, led by Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes (G3T) winner Hey Nay Nay , a son of prominent Coolmore Stud stallion No Nay Never . John Sadler trains the colt campaigned by Hronis Racing and Iapetus Racing. 

Hey Nay Nay was undefeated in three starts heading into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), where he pressed the pace in the early going, got a head in front at the quarter pole, and then drifted out and bumped with Street Beast . He would flatten and finish in 10th. The colt has put in a couple of sharp works at Santa Anita since the Breeders' Cup World Championships, going 4 furlongs in :47 and most recently a 5-furlong bullet Nov. 20 in :59 4/5. He will be ridden by Prat from the outside post.

Motion will saddle the other stakes winner in the field, who is Laurel Futurity winner Proton . The Astern  gelding comes into the Cecil B. DeMille off a second in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes that was part of the Breeders' Cup Friday undercard Oct. 31 and also contested over a mile on the Del Mar turf. Proton will be ridden from post 1 by Hernandez.

A couple of maiden winners in the field could be factors in this race. 

Innergy Racing and Alfred Pais' colt Unrivaled Time  became a winner Oct. 19 by 4 1/2 lengths going a mile on the turf at Santa Anita for trainer Leonard Powell. The colt is by leading North American juvenile sire Not This Time  , who is leading the standings in this division with more than $4.9 million in progeny earnings and by number of winners with 36. Unrivaled Time will be ridden by Diego Herrera.

Calumet Farm also has a couple of homebreds in the field being trained by Doug O'Neill and both are coming off their maiden wins. Track Tiger , a son of Sharp Azteca , comes into the Cecil B. DeMille off a 2 1/2-length win at Del Mar going 5 furlongs on the grass. Stablemate Brigante , a ridgling by More Than Ready, became a winner in his fifth start Oct. 30 going a mile on the Del Mar turf, however, he has already shown ability in stakes company having run third during the summer in the Best Pal Stakes (G3) on the  main track at Del Mar. Brigante will be ridden by Antonio Fresu, while Track Tiger will be ridden by Mirco Demuro.