Desert Gate pulled away by five and a half lengths to win the $126,000 Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on Sunday, Sept. 6. The victory gave trainer Bob Baffert his 196th career stakes win at the seaside track.
The chestnut 3-year-old, a son of Omaha Beach owned by the "Three Amigos" partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, went off as the 4-5 favorite. He covered the mile in 1:36.25 on the main track and paid $3.60 on a $2 win bet.
Jockey Juan Hernandez, who has now won the Shared Belief four straight years aboard a Baffert-trained horse, settled Desert Gate behind early speed before pulling clear in the stretch.
"Those other two horses (Mo Koko and Decisive Win) outbroke me, but I wasn't worried," Hernandez said after the race, according to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. "I was happy with my spot. He finished strong."
Janavar Thoroughbreds' Mo Koko finished second, two and a quarter lengths ahead of Harris Farm's Start the Ride in third.
The win was Baffert's sixth stakes victory of the 2026 summer meet and his 15th in the Shared Belief. It was Hernandez's 13th stakes win of the meet, leaving him two shy of the single-season record of 15 set by Flavien Prat in 2020.
Baffert said Desert Gate, who broke behind the early speed, showed his versatility. The Hall of Fame trainer told the track he can now pick his spots with the horse going forward.
Vanta closes strong in Juvenile Fillies Turf
In the $102,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf, Vanta closed with a rush to score by two and a half lengths on the turf course in 1:36.30. Jockey Umberto Rispoli rode the filly for trainer Jeff Mullins. She returned $4.00 on a $2 bet.
WSS Racing's Blockade finished second, a length ahead of Amerman Racing's Ogle in third.
Both stakes capped a busy Futurity Day card under overcast skies. As we reported Thursday, the headliner Hughes was the marquee attraction in the Del Mar Futurity earlier on the card.
Del Mar closes its 2026 summer meet Monday, Sept. 7, with a 1:30 p.m. first post on the 32nd and final day of racing.
