Inclement weather is once again expected be a problem in Southern California Nov. 21. With the National Weather Service forecasting heavy rains, Del Mar announced the cancellation of the Friday card in a social media post on X.
Friday's cancellation follows the cancellation of the Nov. 15 card, also due to rain. To make up for the Friday card, Del Mar will add a race day Monday, Nov. 24.
It was also reported Nov. 17 by Daily Racing Form's Brad Free that Del Mar's Bob Hope Stakes (G3) was canceled and will not be brought back this year due to a lack of 2-year-old winners. Originally scheduled for Nov. 9, the 7-furlong race was postponed to Nov. 21 when it failed to draw sufficient entries. When the Nov. 21 card originally drew, the race only drew three entrants and was scrapped.
"It's disappointing, obviously, to not have a stakes race go, which is extremely rare here," Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens told Free. "It's a dose of reality with 2-year-olds on the dirt right now. It's been a frustrating category all summer. ... We're dealing with a very limited pool of 2-year-old winners."
