Horse racing: Del Mar hosts quality stakes racing this weekend

DEL MAR LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 14Flavien Prat / 12Umberto Rispoli / 10Victor Espinoza / 6Ricardo Gonzalez / 6

TRAINERS / WINS

Bob Baffert / 8Philip D’Amato / 8Doug O’Neill / 6Vladimir Cerin / 4John Sadler / 4

WEEKEND STAKES

DEL MAR

Friday

• $250,000 Grade II Hollywood Turf Cup, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/2 miles (turf)

Saturday

• $400,000 Grade I Hollywood Derby, 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles (turf)• $250,000 Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/16 miles (turf)• $100,000 Grade III Jimmy Durante Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 1 mile (turf)

Sunday

• $400,000 Grade I Matriarch Stakes, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile (turf)• $100,000 Grade III Cecil B. DeMille Stakes, 2-year-olds, 1 mile (turf)

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Peter Miller, 55, issued a statement recently that he’s stepping away from training for an undisclosed length of time and will let his longtime assistant, Ruben Alvarado, take over his large stable. Miller’s hiatus, which he says is temporary and begins after Sunday’s races, comes on the heels of six of his horses dying since last December. “I know that there may be some speculation related to this decision; however, I want to make it very clear that it is not a result of any regulatory action, secret agreement or hidden agenda of any kind. This is strictly a personal decision,” Miller said. Miller said he wants to spend more time with his family, concentrate on his health and pursue other interests.

• Del Mar will spotlight some quality stakes racing this weekend with its annual Turf Festival, which it inherited after Hollywood Park closed in 2013. The weekend lineup, which began with Thursday’s Grade III Red Carpet Handicap, includes seven stakes races on the grass. The two centerpieces are Saturday’s $400,000 Grade I Hollywood Derby for 3-year-olds and Sunday’s $400,000 Grade I Matriarch Stakes for fillies and mares. Trainer Chad Brown has won nine Turf Festival races, with an emphasis on the Grade I events. He’s won the Derby and Matriarch three times each. He’s expected to have another large contingent of horses this year.

• Headed by 6-5 morning-line favorite Maxfield, Friday’s $750,000 Grade I Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs drew a competitive field of eight, including 8-5 second choice Midnight Bourbon. Dr Post (5-1) and Happy Saver (8-1) could also threaten the top pair in the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and older. The Clark is the nation’s final Grade I race for older horses on dirt before voting is done for the Eclipse Awards, which will be announced Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita.