Cary Grant Stakes 2018 at Del Mar

Del Mar Racetrack - Nine California-bred Thoroughbreds with a preference for sprinting, including the defending champion, Edwards Going Left, will match quickness in Sunday's 42nd running of the $100,000 Cary Grant Stakes at seven furlongs over Del Mar's main track.

Regular rider Tyler Baze has the call from trainer John Sadler aboard Edwards Going Left, who was a game half-length winner of the Cary Grant last fall over Solid Wager, one of eight rivals in Sunday's renewal of the contest. Drayden Van Dyke will pilot Solid Wager.

The Cary Grant is at seven furlongs on the main track for 3-year-olds and older.

Edwards Going Left, a 4-year-old son of Midnight Lute owned by Hronis Racing and trained by John Sadler, rallied from nex-to-last of seven after a half-mile to a half-length victory Solid Wager in the 2017 edition of the Cary Grant. Solid Wager is also entered for a rematch in the race.

Solid Wager missed the Cary Grant (formerly On Trust) Stakes in the initial fall racing season at Del Mar in 2014. But the seven-year-old gelded son of Birdonthewire has been a party to the last three, posting two wins and a second.

The victories in the seven-furlong sprint for older horses, were by a half-length from off the pace in 2015 and 2016. The runner-up result was by a half length to Edwards Going Left while displaying a strong closing kick last year.

Solid Wager will be back, as will Edwards Going Left, for Sunday's running of the $100,000 event. It will be the 47th start for the Peter Miller trainee in a career which has produced nine victories and earnings of more than $680,000 for owners Gary and Cecil Barber.

"He's doing well and he loves the seven-eighths distance and he's good here at Del Mar," Miller said Friday morning. "He fires every time, tries hard and even though he doesn't win that often he's been a great horse for us."

Also entered in what appears to be an intriguing betting race are Tough But Nice, Geovanni Franco; Touching Rainbows, Flavien Prat; Brandothebartender, Joe Talamo; Minoso, Gary Stevens; Shades of Victory, Martin Pedroza; Ann Arbor Eddie, Mario Gutierrez, and Gracian Fire, Rafael Bejarano.

Likely to attract support is Touching Rainbows, a good third behind Ransom the Moon and Roy H (Breeders' Cup Sprint winner) in last summer's Grade I Bing Crosby. Subsequently, he was third in the Green Flash and ninth in the Eddie D., both races on grass.

Tough But Nice and Brandothebartender come into the Carry Grant off victories in their last starts.

First race post time Sunday is 12:30 p.m. with nine races on the program.