Sweet Azteca will return to Del Mar on Sunday with a chance to make history in the 55th running of the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Stakes, where the six-year-old mare will seek a third consecutive victory in the six-and-a-half-furlong feature.
Rancho Bernardo Stakes 2026
The $100,000 contest will be Race 5 on a 10-race programme, with the feature scheduled for approximately 4 p.m. local time. A field of six fillies and mares will line up for the sprint, with Sweet Azteca carrying the weight of expectation after two emphatic victories in the race in 2024 and 2025. Del Mar’s official 2026 media guide confirms the race’s distance, purse and Sunday scheduling.
Trained by Richard Baltas, Sweet Azteca has developed into one of California’s most accomplished female sprinters. The Sharp Azteca mare has won eight of her 10 starts and arrives after extending her record with a third consecutive success in the Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos in July.
Her previous two Rancho Bernardo victories have already placed her among the race’s notable performers. Another success would give Sweet Azteca three straight editions, matching the feat achieved by Track Gal in the 1990s. Track Gal also owns the stakes record of 1:14.20, set in 1995, adding another piece of history to the afternoon.
Juan Hernandez, who partnered Sweet Azteca to victory in last year’s running, will take the mount again. The pairing has already produced a memorable result at Del Mar, and another polished performance would strengthen the mare’s standing as one of the leading sprinting mares on the California circuit.
Sweet Azteca has also shown that she is not entirely restricted to sprint distances. In 2024, she captured the Beholder Mile at Santa Anita, although most of her career has been built around shorter races. Her latest campaign has followed a carefully managed schedule under Baltas, who has handled her return to racing after a lengthy break.
The main challenge is expected to come from Thermal, a five-year-old daughter of Nyquist trained by John Sadler for By Talla Racing. Thermal arrives after a decisive victory in a stakes sprint at Lone Star Park and has been working well since returning to California.
Hall of Fame rider Joel Rosario will take the ride on Thermal, adding further interest to a contest that brings together two experienced sprinting operations.
Sweet Azteca’s record at Del Mar, her familiarity with the distance and her two previous Rancho Bernardo victories give Sunday’s feature a clear historical angle. Yet the presence of Thermal ensures the defending champion will have a serious task as she attempts to add another chapter to an already impressive record.
There will be no finish order to report until the race is run on Sunday. The result will determine whether Sweet Azteca becomes the first three-time consecutive winner of the Rancho Bernardo in its modern history.
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