Roy H Back at Del Mar for Bing Crosby

The grade 1 status of the $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) at Del Mar's marquee summer meet is desirable enough.

Add an automatic berth to the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and it's no surprise a top-quality field of 11 is entered for the six-furlong dirt sprint.

But the favorite, 2017 champion sprinter Roy H, will carry a little more weight for his connections for a variety of reasons.

The main motivation goes back to last year's Bing Crosby, when owners Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen and trainer Peter Miller felt they had the best horse but didn't win.

Late in the turn last year, Drefong, who dropped jockey Mike Smith early in the race and was running loose, floated Roy H out six paths, while the eventual winner, Ransom the Moon, saw a massive inside lane open up. Roy H won his next two starts—the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Sprint—to seal championship honors, but the result of the Bing Crosby still lingers.

BALAN: Ransom the Moon Wins Wild Bing Crosby

"We felt we had the best horse in the race, but circumstances happened. That's horse racing," said Rockingham Ranch racing manager Brian Trump. "It would mean a lot to us to win this race because it was our one chink in the armor last year."

There's also the hope the More Than Ready  gelding will return to form after a relatively flat third-place finish in the Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored By Gulf News (G1), and back home in Southern California, he's trained like he'll fire his best shot Saturday.

"He wasn't himself in Dubai," Trump said. "My personal opinion is that he didn't handle the travel that well. He's a very smart horse and very aware of his surroundings. When I saw him go into the gate, I saw him looking around a lot and hesitating to get into the gate, which he's never done before.

"He'll be on his game. He loves that track."

The last aspect is sentimental. Rockingham and Bernsen were supposed to have two in the Bing Crosby, and it wasn't a forced entry.

Bobby Abu Dhabi was training so well out of his third-place run in the True North Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park June 8 that he deserved a shot, but an apparent cardiac event during his final work for the race July 22 at Del Mar ended his life.

BALAN: Espinoza Injured After Bobby Abu Dhabi's Fatal Incident

"Bobby, much like Roy—they are really great personalities, and it would mean a lot to our stable, our people, who lost a friend as well," Trump said. "It would mean a lot for us to take one home for the team and for Bobby."

But there's no doubt Roy H will have to earn a victory in the Bing Crosby against a tough field. Ransom the Moon is back to defend his title, but he's gone winless in four starts since last year's race and came in fifth last time out in the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont for trainer Phil D'Amato.

"I think the horse is a quality horse. He shows up every time," D'Amato said. "His first race off a layoff (the grade 2 Kona Gold Stakes), he should have won. He got knocked sideways by Pete Miller's other horse (Calculator), so put him in the winner's circle there.

"But he's back where he had the highlight of his career, and we're hoping to do it again."

D'Amato, one of three trainers to enter multiple horses in the Bing Crosby, also has four-time allowance winner Touching Rainbows in the race.

John Sadler has two Hronis Racing runners entered, including St. Joe Bay, who at 42-1 nearly upset fellow Bing Crosby entrant American Anthem in the June 23 San Carlos Stakes (G2) last time out in his first start since Sadler claimed him for $62,500 in May at Santa Anita. Sadler's second entry is multiple California-bred stakes winner Edwards Going Left, who finished third in the March 10 Triple Bend Stakes (G1) last time out.

BALAN: American Anthem Edges St. Joe Bay in San Carlos

The other pair comes from the fresh face of trainer Ari Herbertson, who will look for his first graded stakes win with longshots Annie's Candy and Tribal Storm. They ran first and second, respectively, last time out in the Oak Tree Sprint Stakes July 4 at Pleasanton.

Two-time grade 3 winner Stallwalkin' Dude, grade 3-placed American Pastime, and two-time allowance winner Stone Hands complete the field.

Entries: Bing Crosby S. (G1)

Del Mar, Saturday, July 28, 2018, Race 9

• Grade I
• 6f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 6:20 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Annie's Candy (KY)	Evin A. Roman	119	Ari Herbertson	30/1
2	2American Pastime (KY)	Corey S. Nakatani	119	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	15/1
3	3Roy H (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	123	Peter Miller	2/1
4	4American Anthem (KY)	Mike E. Smith	121	Bob Baffert	5/2
5	5Ransom the Moon (ON)	Flavien Prat	121	Philip D'Amato	6/1
6	6Tribal Storm (CA)	Irving Orozco	119	Ari Herbertson	30/1
7	7Stone Hands (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	119	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
8	8St. Joe Bay (FL)	Tyler Baze	119	John W. Sadler	8/1
9	9Edwards Going Left (CA)	Drayden Van Dyke	119	John W. Sadler	10/1
10	10Touching Rainbows (CA)	Gary L. Stevens	119	Philip D'Amato	10/1
11	11Stallwalkin' Dude (FL)	Martin A. Pedroza	119	David Jacobson	15/1