2025 Del Mar Oaks

Ricardo Gonzalez aboard Velocity after winning the 2025 Del Mar Oaks

The highlight race at Del Mar on Saturday was the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1) presented by Keeneland Sales for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the Jimmy Durante turf course. Conditions were excellent in San Diego County with sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60's for the 12,427 fans in attendance. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) 9th place finisher Thought Process was sent off as the 11-10 favorite in the field of 11 off her win in the San Clemente Handicap (G2). In to challenge her included 8-5 second choice Lush Lips, winner of the Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs after finishing second in the Edgewood (G2), and 10-1 third choice Will Then. third in the San Clemente Handicap after finishing 5th in the Edgewood.

Down the stretch in the Del Mar Oaks

Jockey Kazushi Kimura sent 14-1 Casalu to the lead out of the chute through fractions of 23.22, 46.98, and 1:11.48 while pressed by Thought Process and stalked by 52-1 Edge of Mali. Turning for home, Casalu tired allowing Thought Process to inherit the lead through 1 mile in 1:36.20. 35-1 Velocity, 6th early under Ricardo Gonzalez, rallied past Thought Process at the 1/16 pole and held off late-running Lush Lips to win by 1/2 a length in 1:48.45. It was another 3/4 length back to favorite Thought Process third.

Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 3 Velocity Gonzalez 72.00 19.80 6.00 5 Lush Lips Gaffalione 5.40 2.40 10 Thought Process Rispoli 2.10 Winning Time: 1:48.06 $1 Exacta 3-5 128.70 $2 Quinella 3-5 76.80 $1 Trifecta 3-5-10 236.70 $1 Superfecta 3-5-10-2 1,706.50 Results Chart

Left: Velocity in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Mike McCarthy said, "That's as good of a ride as you'll ever see. I thought she got the perfect trip there. A seam opened up on the fence. It was good. She's had a wonderful couple of weeks down here. She was on her toes in a great way walking around the paddock, coming out through the tunnel. I liked everything I saw today."

Right: Velocity in the paddock before the race. Winning jockey Ricardo Gonzalez said, "To be honest I thought she was going to be better on the dirt. But I had a wonderful trip. I was following Antonio (Fresu on Edge of Mali) all the way around. Just waiting for a little seam, and once I saw it, she went right through it. She was there for me. She relaxed very well. She finished up very well. This is such a fun race to race, especially here in Del Mar."

Left: Second place finisher Lush Lips in the paddock before the race. Trainer Brendan Walsh said, "She ran super. It went the way we planned it. We didn't expect something else to be on the inside. She ran a great race."

Right: Third place finisher and beaten favorite Thought Process in the paddock. Jockey Umberto Rispoli said, "She relaxed well. I think the last sixteenth was too much. I think she's a true miler."

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