Del Mar is set to welcome one of its strongest summer meetings in recent years, with an influx of elite jockeys, healthy stable numbers and enhanced incentives expected to keep fields competitive throughout the 32-day season. As the famous seaside track prepares to open its gates, officials are optimistic that the quality of racing will remain high despite a slight decline in Southern California’s overall horse population.
Del Mar Summer Meet 2026.
The headline story ahead of the opening weekend is the arrival of several accomplished riders who will strengthen an already formidable jockey colony.
Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario returns for a full Del Mar campaign after years of making occasional appearances for the track’s biggest races. Rosario, a three-time Del Mar riding champion, has built an outstanding career that includes 16 Breeders’ Cup victories, four of them at Del Mar, and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2024.
Joining him is Julien Leparoux, whose career spans more than 3,000 victories and over $207 million in prize earnings. The French-born rider, a two-time Eclipse Award winner and recent George Woolf Award recipient, returns to Southern California after enjoying sustained success at Churchill Downs, Keeneland and New York.
Florent Geroux also makes his Del Mar debut as a regular member of the riding colony. Best known for his partnership with Gun Runner, Geroux boasts eight Breeders’ Cup victories, a Kentucky Derby success and more than 2,300 career wins across two decades in the saddle.
Veteran Joe Bravo is back after spending the past two seasons in South Florida. Popular with racing fans during his previous stint in California, Bravo returns after earlier successes that included victories in the Del Mar Derby and the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes.
Another notable addition is Emisael Jaramillo, who has made an immediate impression since relocating from Florida earlier this year. He claimed the riding title during Santa Anita’s Classic Meet and continued his momentum with multiple graded stakes victories during the Hollywood Meet.
The newcomers join defending Del Mar summer champion Juan Hernandez, last year’s fall meet leader Umberto Rispoli, Antonio Fresu, Hector I. Berrios and Hall of Fame riders Mike Smith, Kent Desormeaux and Victor Espinoza, creating one of the deepest jockey line-ups in American racing.
While several accomplished riders have arrived, Del Mar will also be without Abel Cedillo, Giovanni Franco and Mirco Demuro, who have departed for opportunities elsewhere.
Away from the jockeys’ room, Racing Secretary David Jerkens confirmed that the track has received 2,608 stall applications from 147 trainers for the 2026 meeting. Although Southern California’s horse population has dipped by around seven per cent, Del Mar expects to maintain stable occupancy at levels similar to last summer.
A total of 109 stalls have been allocated to out-of-state trainers, including Jose D’Angelo, Brian Lynch, Sam Wilensky and Vann Belvoir, adding further depth to the local training ranks led by Bob Baffert, Philip D’Amato, Michael McCarthy, Mark Glatt, John Sadler and Richard Mandella.
Some horses will once again be accommodated at San Luis Rey Downs and Los Alamitos to ease pressure on the stable area, while the regular flow of horses shipping in and out for individual races is expected to continue throughout the meeting.
The popular Ship & Win programme also returns for its 16th year, offering financial incentives for horses making their first Del Mar start after arriving from outside California. Eligible runners receive entry bonuses as well as enhanced prize money for top-five finishes, with additional incentives continuing for subsequent starts.
The initiative has attracted more than 3,000 horses since its launch and has contributed significantly to Del Mar’s consistently large field sizes. Officials reported encouraging growth in participation last year, with more visiting horses remaining on the Southern California circuit after competing at the seaside venue.
Enhanced purses will again be available for two-year-old maiden races on dirt, with eligible Ship & Win participants able to compete for considerably larger prize funds.
Del Mar will race from Thursday through Sunday for most of the meeting, with first post scheduled for 2:00 p.m. each race day.
Fans can also look forward to the return of Jockey Photo Day on Sunday, 26 July, marking its first appearance since 2019. Members of the riding colony will meet racegoers for complimentary photographs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Plaza de Mexico as part of one of the venue’s Family Fun Days.
On the racing front, trainer Phil D’Amato expects multiple Grade 1 winner Gold Phoenix to breeze on the turf this weekend before deciding whether to target the Eddie Read Stakes on 26 July or wait for the Del Mar Handicap on 29 August. Meanwhile, reigning Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Super Corredora has resumed training and could return to action later in the meeting after a brief break.
With internationally recognised jockeys, leading trainers, healthy horse numbers and proven incentive programmes, Del Mar enters the 2026 summer season well positioned to produce another memorable festival of racing.
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