Del Mar announced Saturday that juvenile champion Citizen Bull returned to winning form with a dominant victory in the Shared Belief Stakes after stepping down from Grade I competition.
The Bob Baffert-trained colt, who had finished off the board in his last three starts against elite competition, captured the one-mile contest by 5 1/2 lengths as the heavy 2-5 favorite in a field reduced to just three runners.
Citizen Bull, a TDN Rising Star, had struggled through a challenging spring campaign that included disappointing performances in the GI Woody Stephens, GI Kentucky Derby, and GI Santa Anita Derby. The victory marked a welcome return to form for last year’s champion 2-year-old colt, who had captured two Grade I races in 2024, including the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Jockey Juan Hernandez guided the Into Mischief colt to an early lead, setting fractions of :22.39 and :45.88 for the half-mile without pressure from competitors Smooth Cruisein or Gaming.
“He’s a good horse,” Hernandez said after the race. “He broke well out of the gate. He gave me speed at the three-quarter pole and that was it. When he recovers well from this race, I think he can go anywhere.”
The win improved Citizen Bull’s lifetime record to 5-0-1 from 9 starts with earnings of $1,556,000.
Baffert indicated the champion’s next target would likely be the Breeders’ Cup Mile. “He was back to a distance he really loves,” the trainer said from the winner’s enclosure. “The Breeders’ Cup Mile is probably where we will be pointing. We were trying to get him back to form after what he went through. I told Juan [Hernandez] ‘Come back with bugs on your teeth.’ It was good to see him put on a show today. You saw the champion Citizen Bull today.”
Citizen Bull is the first winning offspring from his dam No Joke, a daughter of Distorted Humor. The dam is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Moonshine Memories and stakes winner Indian Evening. No Joke has a yearling colt by Mandaloun and a 2025 colt by Life Is Good.
The victory came in a final time of 1:35.12 for the mile on a fast track at Del Mar. Smooth Cruisein (Girvin) finished second, while Gaming (Game Winner) — also trained by Baffert — took third.
Citizen Bull is owned by a partnership that includes SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, and several other partners. He was purchased for $675,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
He's GONE. 🎙️
Citizen Bull & @JJHernandezS19 with an easy victory in the Shared Belief Stakes. pic.twitter.com/oGzadThz2V
— Del Mar Racetrack (@DelMarRacing)
He's GONE. 🎙️
Citizen Bull & August 31, 2025
