2018 Bing Crosby Stakes Contenders & Odds at Del Mar

The first, fourth and fifth-place finishers from the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Sprint last November are back at Del Mar Racetrack as part of a deeply talented field of 11 for Saturday's $300,000 Bing Crosby Stakes, the first of six Grade I events during the summer season.

The six-furlong dash is a "Win and You're In" qualifying race for the 2018 Breeders' Cup with the winner receiving an automatic berth in the BC Sprint.

Champion sprinter Roy H, who clinched an Eclipse Award with his triumph in the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Sprint last November at Del Mar Racetrack, returns to the scene of his greatest victory Saturday and races against ten formidable rivals.

Roy H, a six-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready trained by Peter Miller, was an unlucky runner-up in the 2017 Crosby when he was carried extremely wide turning into the stretch, losing by a length and one-half to Ransom the Moon, one of his rivals Saturday. After taking the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, he won the BC Sprint by a length over Imperial Hint to earn his Eclipse Award.

Roy H has continued to prosper this year, winning the Palos Verdes at Santa Anita in February and then running a narrowly-beaten third behind Mind Your Biscuits in the Dubai Golden Shaheen March 31 at Meydan.

Kent Desormeaux has the call on Roy H who will be opposed Saturday by Annie's Candy, Evin Roman; American Pastime, Corey Nakatani; American Anthem, Mike Smith; the aforementioned Ransom the Moon, Flavien Prat; Tribal Storm, Irving Orozco; Stone Hands, Mario Gutierrez; St. Joe Bay, Tyler Baze; Edwards Going Left, Drayden Van Dyke; Touching Rainbows, Gary Stevens, and Stallwalkin' Dude, Martin Pedroza.

It will be the 2018 debut, and the first start since the Breeders' Cup Sprint for American Pastime, a 4-year-old Tapizar colt who was a $135,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale in 2015. American Pastime has three wins in seven career starts and earnings of $255,100.

"Came out of the Breeders' Cup Sprint with bone bruising in the right front foot and some in the left as well," Hess said. "It didn't need surgery. We gave him four months off and let nature take its course. He's been training great since he came back."

Two of American Pastime's last three works, one at Santa Anita, one at Del Mar, were of the bullet variety. A five-furlong breeze on Sunday in :59.60 from the gate, was the fastest of 70 at the distance."

"Obviously it's a super tough race, not really where I wanted to run," Hess said. "I actually thought about going in the Vanderbilt at Saratoga on the same day, which looks like not as deep of a race overall. But I couldn't get him there and I decided I really didn't want to ship.

"I think he is a bigger, better, faster version of what he was as a three-year-old and we'll see what he can do."

Several of Roy H's rivals appear dangerous to the favorite, including American Anthem, a winner of four of his last six outings, including the San Carlos; St. Joe Bay, beaten only a head in the San Carlos; Edwards Going Left, a hard-hitting sprinter who has won seven of 12 races, and eastern invader Stallwalkin' Dude, winner of the Fall Highweight at Aqueduct last November.

Making her racing debut Saturday in the first race will be Chasing Yesterday, a half-sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah from the barn of trainer Bob Baffert. The daughter of Tapit and Littleprincessemma will face six foes in the five and one-half furlong race for maiden two-year-old fillies.

Post time for the first of ten races is 2 p.m.