Best Pal Stakes

Seven two-year-olds with designs on the climactic Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 2 will display their talents Saturday in the 49th running of the Grade II $200,000 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs.

Fore Left, trained by Doug O’Neill, is the lone stakes-winner in the line-up, having won the Tremont Stakes at Belmont Park after breaking his maiden in his career debut at Santa Anita. Mario Gutierrez has the call on the Twirling Candy colt.

With the exception of the Bob Baffert-trained We’re Still Here, all other entrants have won maiden events.

Wrecking Crew (Mike Smith) has a victory over the Del Mar track, scoring at 2-5 July 27. Also successful in maiden company this summer at Del Mar were Collusion Allusion (Joe Talamo) and Thanks Mr. Eidson (Norberto Arroyo, Jr.)

Raging Whiskey (Abel Cedillo) won at Santa Anita in early June and then was third in the Sanford Stakes at Belmont Park in mid-July. Schrodinger(Flavien Prat) won his race debut at Los Alamitos in good fashion at 2-5, while We’re Still Here (Drayden Van Dyke) has been runner-up in two maiden efforts.