Del Mar Picks | San Diego Handicap 2024

Aaron previews the 2024 San Diego Handicap (G2) from Del Mar Thoroughbred Club & gives his top win pick from the local prep for the Pacific Classic (G1).

Can Arabian Knight make a successful return to the races after most recently finishing 4th in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)?

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The press release:

Jockey Juan Hernandez is looking forward to another summer meet at Del Mar and why wouldn’t he. He’s in search of his fifth riding title at Del Mar and if it weren’t for arch-nemesis Flavien Prat he would have more. Hernandez won both titles last year (summer and fall). He won the summer title in 2022 and the fall in 2021, while Prat came out on top in the fall of 2022 and the summer of 2021.

Prat will not be riding at Del Mar this summer. He rides full time at Saratoga. There’s always the possibility he’ll make a cameo appearance at the seaside oval toward the end of the meet like he did last year when he came west to ride (and win with) Arabian Knight in the G1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic.

That leaves Hernandez to grapple with riders Umberto Rispoli, Antonio Fresu, Hector Berrios and Kyle Frey, the recently concluded Los Alamitos meet riding champion. There are also veteran riders Edwin Maldonado, Geovanni Franco and Mike Smith.

“I like the competition,” Hernandez says. “I’ve always thought the competition makes you better. We have two or three new guys. Good quality. I like it. I’m really excited to start the meet. I’m going to keep working hard in the mornings and afternoons and hopefully we can get a good start.” \

Then there are the newcomers Kazushi Kimura and Jeremy Laprida and the return of Joe Talamo and Abel Cedillo, winner of the Del Mar fall meets in 2019 and 2020, who is fully recovered from the neck injury he suffered at the beginning of last year’s summer meet.

Hernandez is the one to beat, though. He racked-up three wins on opening day to assume his place back on top of the jockey standings. His dominance is a direct result of hard work and the guidance of agent Craig O’Bryan.

“He’s helped me a lot from day one,” Hernandez says. “He’s introduced me to a lot of people and finds me good horses. He also gives me some good tips like how to talk to the trainers and owners and how to ride better.”

The two have a perfect working relationship. 

“He does his job and I do my job,” Hernandez states. “He pretty much picks all the horses I ride. Then on race day, after the races, we’ll sit down and go over the horses that I ride. He’ll ask what I think of the horse, do I like to ride him or not. If the horse wins, he’ll tell me what’s the next step, what’s the next race coming up.”

It also helps to be one of the first to get a call from top trainers like Bob Baffert. Last summer, Hernandez won the Wickerr Stakes with Du Jour, the G1 Clement Hirsch on board Adare Manor, the G3 Rancho Bernardo with Eda and the Shared Belief with Mr. Fisk, all Baffert trainees.

“He rides with a lot of confidence,” Baffert says. “He’s a pretty chill kind of guy. Very cool and calm. It’s like he really appreciates his situation, the position he’s in. He doesn’t take it for granted. Loves what he does and worked hard all his life to get to this position.” 

Hernandez made 39 trips to the winner’s circle at Del Mar last summer, eight were stakes victories. Of course, with success comes opportunity and Hernandez has found himself branching outside of California more and more these days, riding for Baffert at Oaklawn Park earlier this year. He won the G1 Arkansas Derby aboard Muth and the G1 Apple Blossom on Adare Manor. 

“Traveling is nice but it’s nicer when you win,” Hernandez says with a smile. “It’s hard when you go somewhere and finish second. Winning the big races put you on the map with the other big trainers.”

Hernandez has plans to do more riding outside of California but says this is his home and this is where he will remain fulltime.

“I love Del Mar, this is a really nice place,” Hernandez says. “We have everything here. We have the racing four days a week, we have good food and good weather. I think everybody loves Del Mar like me.”