Bob Baffert holds 2 aces in pursuit of his twentieth victory in the Del Mar Futurity

Bob Baffert holds 2 aces in pursuit of his twentieth victory in the Del Mar Futurity; Hughes (pictured), the favorite

DEL MAR, California (Special for Turf Diario).— Nineteen out of thirty. The number is staggering, even when it comes to Bob Baffert, who for decades has been accustomed to collecting records, stakes, and champions. From 1996 to the present day, the trainer has won the Del Mar Futurity (G1) 19 times, one of the most traditional 2-year-old colt races in the United States.

This Sunday he will attempt to reach 20. And, judging by how the field ultimately came together, it will be difficult for him not to have a massive opportunity to achieve it.

Only 5 colts will line up in the gate to compete for US$300,000 over 1400 meters, and the most striking detail is that they belong to only two stables: Baffert will send out Hughes (Into Mischief) and Domus (Uncle Mo), while Doug O'Neill will be responsible for the other three contenders. More than a race, it is practically a team match.

And such a scenario reopens a discussion that has hovered over California racing for some time: the huge concentration of top juveniles in very few hands, particularly around Baffert.

It was not always like this. Between 1966 and 1995, there were 31 winners of the Del Mar Futurity—the 1971 edition was split—and they were conditioned by 28 different trainers. Wayne Lukas secured 3 victories and Ron McAnallytwo. No one dominated; everyone could dream.

Since 1996, the map changed completely. In the last 30 editions, barely 10 trainers managed to win it, with Bafferttaking 19. Richard Mandella and O'Neill appear far behind, with 2 each.

These were neither minor victories nor merely the product of sheer numbers. Passing through his list of winners were Silver Charm (Silver Buck), American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike), Midshipman (Unbridled's Song), and Game Winner (Candy Ride), among other champions. Furthermore, those 19 triumphs belonged to horses from 14 different ownership groups, a clear demonstration of the pulling power his barn exerts among high-spending owners seeking major juvenile stakes in California.

The 2026 version seems tailor-made for the tally to keep moving forward. Hughes, acquired for US$675,000, is undefeated and comes off resolving the Best Pal Stakes (G3) with authority. He is a son of Into Mischief, and his numbers place him clearly above much of the opposition.

Yet he is not even guaranteed to be the best of the team. Domus, a homebred son of the remembered Uncle Mo, also arrives undefeated and with enough credentials to suggest that the Futurity might be reduced to a duel between Baffert's two colts.

What is curious is that, just a few days ago, the picture was completely different. David Jerkens, racing secretary at Del Mar, was expecting to count on 8 or 9 runners. However, defections quickly followed one after another.

One of the most notable was Inshallah, the expensive son of Flightline who had made a magnificent impression when breaking his maiden, and whom John Sadler decided to save for the American Pharoah Stakes (G1) on October 3 at Santa Anita. Potential out-of-state shippers from Kentucky and other local names also fell by the wayside.

Del Mar had specifically tried to avoid this scenario during the meet by implementing races for juveniles coming from designated sales, aiming to generate winners and develop 2-year-olds from other barns without forcing them to immediately face Baffert's heavy artillery.

The idea worked only halfway. There were winners for other trainers, but none ultimately dared to make the leap into the Futurity.

The situation raises concerns because it is not repeated with such intensity across the rest of the weekend's juvenile races. The Del Mar Debutante (G1) will feature 10 fillies, and the juvenile turf events also gathered larger, more varied fields. The Futurity remained the exception. And a symptom.

Of course, none of this falls on Baffert. His job is to secure the best horses possible and win with them, something he has been doing better than anyone for decades. But his success also exposes an uncomfortable reality for California: fewer and fewer seem willing to take him on in the arena where he has historically been strongest.

On Sunday, Hughes and Domus will try to deliver his 20th Del Mar Futurity. If either succeeds, it will be another extraordinary record for Baffert. Though, for Del Mar, perhaps the most important detail lies elsewhere: finding someone willing to run against him.