Del Mar has cancelled the GIII Bob Hope Stakes after the race attracted only three entrants, the track confirmed Monday.
The stakes race, originally scheduled for last Sunday and postponed to Nov. 21, will not be rescheduled, according to a report in Daily Racing Form.
“It’s disappointing, obviously, to not have a stakes race go, which is extremely rare here,” Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens told DRF. “It’s a dose of reality with 2-year-olds on the dirt right now. It’s been a frustrating category all summer.”
The cancellation highlights ongoing challenges with juvenile dirt race participation in Southern California.
Ten juveniles were initially nominated for the Bob Hope, including trainer Bob Baffert’s trio of Boyd (Violence), Buetane (Tiz the Law) — both ‘TDN Rising Stars presented by Hagyard’ — and Desert Gate (Omaha Beach). Doug O’Neill-trained Acknowledgemeplz (Bucchero) was also among the nominees.
Southern California’s graded stakes program for two-year-olds has struggled with field size throughout 2025. The GIII Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar in August drew just five runners, while September’s GI Del Mar Futurity and October’s GI American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita each fielded only six horses.
“We’re dealing with a very limited pool of 2-year-old winners,” Jerkens explained.
The cancellation marks a rare instance of a graded stakes race at Del Mar being abandoned due to insufficient entries.
