Best Pal Stakes

Nine juveniles are expected to line up for the GIII Best Pal S.--the lone U.S. graded event on the docket Sunday-- at Del Mar and a full third of them are by freshman sire Bolt d'Oro. Kaleem Shah's Arman (Bolt d'Oro), $600,000 OBS March acquisition, was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his smashing five-furlong debut at Churchill Downs June 23 and is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the six-furlong affair. Muir Hut Stables' Agency (Bolt d'Oro), a $400,000 OBS March graduate, also broke his maiden on debut, going five...

Pappacap (Gun Runner), who broke his maiden in Florida, made the trip to the left coast to try to become his freshman sire's first black-type winner in Saturday's GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar. The Rustelwood Farm homebred wired the field in his five-panel debut at Gulfstream May 14 and displays a pair of speedy works at this oval in the interim. Fellow Florida-bred Bet on Mookie (Uncaptured) is a California resident in the Peter Miller barn. Second on debut on the Santa Anita main track May 23, the...

Weston became his sire (by War Front)'s first winner at Santa Anita in June, and the Spendthrift freshman's first stakes and graded stakes winner Saturday, while also providing young trainer Ryan Hanson with his first graded trophy. The bay defied 21-1 odds to run away with a 4 1/2-furlong heat June 21 over the much pricier Ambivalent (Constitution), and was backed as the best local hope to defeat heavily favored Wesley Ward trainee Roderick (Into Mischief). Bouncing out abruptly, Weston was shuffled back in the early scramble for position but...