Grand Slam Smile turned a potentially awkward inside draw into a nonissue Sunday, sweeping past the field and powering to a 5 1/4-length victory in the $100,000 Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar. The 5-year-old mare covered seven furlongs in 1:22.71 on a fast track, giving trainer Sean McCarthy and jockey Juan Hernandez their second consecutive win in the race. BloodHorse's official result lists Big Hug as the runner-up.
The performance was especially authoritative because Grand Slam Smile had to begin from post 1, a concern McCarthy acknowledged in Del Mar's pre-race stable notes. She broke a little slowly, but Hernandez quickly placed her on the lead and the favorite controlled the race before drawing away. Sent off at 11-10, Grand Slam Smile returned $4.20 to win, according to the Associated Press report carried by the Los Angeles Daily News.
It was the mare's 14th career victory and her second Betty Grable score, adding another important dirt success to a campaign conducted primarily on turf. Del Mar's official stable notes said Grand Slam Smile had won the California Distaff over Santa Anita's hillside turf course the previous month, carrying 128 pounds and displaying a new ability to rally from off the pace. She received a four-pound break Sunday and carried 124.
That versatility is the central handicapping takeaway. Grand Slam Smile had already shown in last year's Betty Grable that dirt was no obstacle, and her 2026 form suggested she was arriving at Del Mar in peak condition rather than merely defending a title. The Daily Racing Form noted that she won the Solana Beach last year before switching surfaces and beating the Betty Grable field by 1 1/4 lengths. This time, she improved the margin dramatically while again proving she did not need an uncontested front-running trip.
The victory also confirmed Grand Slam Smile's status as one of California racing's most valuable homebreds. Del Mar reported that the daughter of Smiling Tiger had surpassed $1 million in earnings with her California Distaff victory and entered the Betty Grable with 13 wins and 22 in-the-money finishes from 24 starts. Her owners and breeders, Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams, now have a mare whose résumé includes sustained success against California-bred competition and the adaptability to win on both surfaces.
McCarthy told Del Mar that the Betty Grable was likely to close out her 5-year-old campaign, but not necessarily her career. “She'll run next year,” he said, adding that the plan was to continue into 2027 if she remained healthy and willing. That gives the connections a valuable option: they can target another statebred stakes series, continue to use turf as the primary lane, and return to dirt when the spot and distance make sense.
For now, the message from Del Mar is simpler. Grand Slam Smile handled the inside post, the surface switch and the pressure of defending her title, then separated herself from her rivals when it mattered. The Betty Grable was billed as a test of whether the veteran mare still belonged at the front of the California-bred division; her 5 1/4-length answer was emphatic.
