California's first serious 2027 Kentucky Derby conversations will begin at Del Mar on Sunday, when the $100,000 Bob Hope Stakes sends 2-year-olds seven furlongs over the main track. The Grade 3 race has attracted 11 nominations, and the early battle is shaped by the contrasting strength of Doug O'Neill's numbers and Bob Baffert's proven ability to move promising juveniles forward.
O'Neill nominated six horses, including Phone Booth, the Reddam Racing-owned California-bred who finished second to Hughes in both the Grade 3 Best Pal and Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. Hughes subsequently won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile but is not nominated for the Bob Hope. Del Mar's official stable notes identify Phone Booth as one of the race's principal contenders and confirm that entries are scheduled to be drawn Wednesday.
Baffert nominated three, with Domus and Emancipate the two specifically identified by Del Mar. Both broke their maidens during the summer meeting, but their recent stakes form makes them less automatic than their trainer's reputation might suggest. Domus won his Del Mar debut by 5 1/2 lengths before finishing fourth in both the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah Stakes, while Emancipate won a six-furlong maiden before finishing fifth in the American Pharoah. Kivo, another Baffert-trained nominee, comes into consideration after winning a Santa Anita maiden on Oct. 11. Those results point toward a race in which early speed must prove it can carry through seven furlongs rather than simply dominate the opening quarter.
The Bob Hope is the 45th running of a race formerly known as the Hollywood Prevue. Its roll of honor includes Nysos, Mucho Gusto and Mastery, making it a useful early gauge even though the race does not offer the formal Derby points attached to later winter preps. Ala Sawab was also nominated, but Del Mar reports that John Sadler's son of Flightline was entered elsewhere Friday after stumbling and dropping his rider at the start of his debut.
The next major checkpoint arrives at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28, when the 22nd Stars of Tomorrow II program puts 12 juvenile races on one card. The Kentucky Jockey Club and Fasig-Tipton Golden Rod headline the schedule as Grade 2 races worth $400,000 apiece at 1 1/16 miles. Churchill Downs announced that each is part of its respective Road to the Kentucky Derby or Kentucky Oaks series, with points of 10-5-3-2-1 going to the first five finishers. The track also reported that last year's Stars of Tomorrow II generated a Fall Meet-best $13.6 million in wagering. Full details are available in the Churchill Downs announcement.
For handicappers, the two weekends present different questions. The Bob Hope is primarily a test of juvenile speed, recent class and pace resilience, with Phone Booth's repeated runner-up finishes offering a stronger foundation than a single flashy maiden win. Churchill's races will ask whether those early-season runners can stretch around two turns and sustain form on a deeper Derby-trail schedule. The answer will not identify the 2027 winner, but it will separate the horses worth following through December from those whose reputations remain built on one afternoon.
