San Diego, CA
Jockeys Umberto Rispoli, Hector Berrios shine on Del Mar’s opening day
Jockeys Umberto Rispoli and Hector Berrios have at least several things in common.
One, they are formidable forces on the turf.
Two, they each won one of the opening day features with strong stretch rides in one-mile turf tests as Del Mar commenced its 85th season Saturday afternoon before a sellout crowd of 22,284. Defending jockey champion Juan Hernandez finished second in both races after winning three races earlier.
But the biggest news of the day for bettors was a single winning ticket in the Pick Six worth $254,450.80. Although favorites won seven of the 11 races, two long shots in the Pick Six — Schwarzmeier ($68.40 in the eighth) and Atitian ($72.20 in the 11th) — eliminated all but one winning bet.
“We had a terrific opening day,” said Del Mar president and chief operating officer Josh Rubinstein. “The racing was superb. Overall, what a great start. great start. I’m proud of our team working around the clock to get the facility into incredible shape.”
The handle of $23.9 million was up 10 percent over a year ago.
As for Berrios and Rispoli, each won two turf races Saturday with Berrios also taking the finale with Atitian.
Berrios and Iscreamuscream held off Zona Verde in a stretch duel to win the $200,000 San Clemente Handicap. Two races earlier, Rispoli rallied Formidable Man from eighth to victory over the final quarter mile to pick up his second turf win of the day in the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes.
Favorite Iscreamuscream trailed only briefly on the backstretch in the San Clemente, then out-finished Zona Verde and the charging Medoro in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length.
“When she felt the other fillies, her speed kicked in,” Berrios said of Iscreamuscream.
Said trainer Phil D’Amato: “I thought she might be stalking, but she ended up on the lead and showed her class. I think she will take a step forward off this two-turn race.”
Early Saturday morning, Rispoli was seen walking the Del Mar track. The reconnaissance served him well: he moved Formidable Man five-wide on the far turn before pulling away down the stretch to a 1½-length win over Guy Named Joe. Favored King of Gosford was third entering the stretch but finished sixth in the field of 11.
It was Rispoli’s third win in the Oceanside Stakes.
“It went good today,” said Rispoli. “I’ve done well in this race before and things went well today. He broke well. We got squeezed a little after that, but not too bad. Then he went outside and he had room to run. It was all good after that.”
Trainer Michael McCarthy didn’t have the same confidence as the field entered the far turn.
“He was a little bit farther back than I thought he would be,” said McCarthy. “But he was rolling there in the last quarter mile. I wasn’t crazy with what went on in the first half mile. Obviously, he was excited.”
McCarthy said Formidable Man could be headed to the Del Mar Derby.
Day No. 2
Sunday’s 11-race card will feature two, $100,000 stakes races on the turf and the return of three-time trainer champion Richard Baltas to the entry box.
Baltas, who last fielded horses at Del Mar in 2021 will have morning-line favorite Ag Bullett in the Osunitas Stakes for older fillies and mares at one-mile on the turf.
Baltas, who had one starter on Saturday in a claiming race, shared the 2017 summer meeting trainer title with D’Amato then won back-to-back fall meeting titles in 2019 and 2020. Baltas, 63, hadn’t fielded a horse in California since May of 2022 when he returned to Santa Anita last December.
Baltas is excited to be back at Del Mar.
“Everybody gets excited here,” he said. “They’re all in a better mood. There are more fans, which is great for the sport. There’s great turf racing here. And it’s fun.”
Ag Bullet hasn’t raced since finishing ninth in a Grade II stakes race at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby weekend. Before that race, the 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy had won four of her five previous starts with the last two under Rispoli, who will be aboard Sunday.
Joining Ag Bullet in the nine-filly Osunitas field are two other strong 4-year-olds — Bob Baffert’s Chilean import Richi (Hernandez) and the John Shirreffs’ trained Justique (Mike Smith), who won the 2022 Desi Arnaz Stakes during Del Mar’s fall meeting.
Smith will also be aboard First Peace, the morning-line favorite of the Wickerr, a one-mile test for older Cal-breds. It will be Smith’s 12th straight ride (three wins, five seconds, two thirds and a fourth so far) on the 4-year-old son of Funtastic. Antonio Fresu will ride expected second-favorite Almendares. The pair teams to place second in the graded Del Mar Derby last Sept. 3.
Notable
Newcomer jockey Reylu Gutierrez scored his first Del Mar win with the John Sadler-trained Schwarzmeier in a stretch duel with favorite Mirahmadi.
• Favorites won seven of the 11 races: 1. Atomic Drop (Antonio Fresu, $4.80); 2. Getaway Car (Hernandez, $4.60); 4. De’ Medici (Hernandez, $5.00); 5. In Theory (Hernandez, $7.40); 6. Cayucos (Kyle Frey, $3.20); 9. Formidable Man and 10. Thorne House (Tiago Pereira, $5.60).
• Trainer Mark Glatt had three wins Saturday (Atomic Drop, Tigerhon in the third and Thorne House). Baffert and McCarthy each had two winners apiece.
Originally Published:
Here is some of the dining news from across San Diego County, as well as some upcoming events for foodies.
Cala café opens in La Jolla: From 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Amy de Leon will host the grand opening of her new restaurant Cala La Jolla Café in La Jolla’s historic Arcade building. Cala will offer what she calls an “omakase” coffee and matcha experience, breakfast and lunch menus and fresh-made pastries. De Leon, a real estate agent, also owns a coffee shop on the UC San Diego campus. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 7910 Girard Ave., La Jolla. 858-333-8610, calalajolla.com.
Board & Brew opens in Midway District: This sandwich-and-draft beer quick-service restaurant chain has opened a new location near the USS Midway Museum. Founded in 1979, the company now dozens of locations in California, Arizona and Texas. Shop hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 825 N. Harbor St., Suite 109, San Diego. boardandbrew.com.
Vincenzo debuts pasta program: Vicenzo Cucina & Lounge in Little Italy has introduced an in-house pasta program powered by its new artisan pasta-making machine that guests can see churning out different varieties of pasta in the restaurants’ front window. The handmade pasta wil be served with lunch and dinner entrées. 550 W. Date St., Suite A, San Diego. vincenzosd.com
Urban Plates new summer menu: Urban Plates, with 22 locations statewide including Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla, has unveiled new drinks and dishes this month for its summer menu. New dishes include a BBQ jalapeño cheesebuger, Southwest grilled chicken salad and a superfood grilled chicken salad. There’s also a new lineup of refreshing fruit-based “cooloer” drinks priced at $4.50. They include strawberry basil lemonade, pineapple coconut lime, organic lemonade and dragon fruit and strawberry. urbanplates.com
Del Mar festival lineup announced: This year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival, returning with seven events Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, has unveiled some of the culinary headliners who will be cooking at the event. They are Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman; cookbook author and TV food show judge Aarti Sequeira; Camelback Mountain executive chef Beau MacMillan; “Top Chef” victor and now chef/co-owner of Huson in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, Buddha Lo; cookbook author and Weelicious.com media platform founder Catherine McCord; L.A.-based chef Jackson Kalb; Pei Wei culinary executive, Food Network host and contestant and cookbook author Jet Tila; Clutch Chicken restaurang group founder and TV cooking show contestant Kelsey Murphy; chef, author TV personality and Morph Hospitality Group co-founder Maneet Chauhan; and James Beard-nominated chef of the Colorado restaurant Mawa’s Kitchen, Mawa McQueen. Tickets are now on sale at delmar.wine
Lion’s Share + Animae family-style collab: On July 9, two downtown restaurants will collaborate on ANIMAENIACS, a family-style dinner for parties of six. The Lion’s Share chef Dante Romero and Animae chef Tara Monsod will create a multicourse meal that draws on Romero’s Mexican heritage and Monsod’s Filipino heritage. The all-inclusive meal will include three beverages per person including cocktails, beer or non-alcoholic, and an after-party. Seatings are available at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. July 9. $1,080 for a party of six. The Lion’s Share, 629 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Reservations at exploretock.com/the-lions-share-san-diego.
Tiki Oasis returns: The annual Tiki Oasis convention, which takes place each summer at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley, has announced its 2026 dates and theme. This year’s 26th convention, titled “Psychadelic Tiki,” will run Aug. 5-9. This year’s convention will include an art exhibition, more than 40 seminars, a 150-vendor marketplace, live entertainment and more. There will also be a sunset luau dinner at The Catamaran Resort. Details at tikioasis.com.
Pam Kragen, Union-Tribune
The San Diego State Aztecs are exuding a vibe that is catching recruits’ attention both on and off the field.
The latest is Travon Garrison, a 1,000-yard receiver at Damien High in La Verne, who announced his commitment to the Aztecs on Tuesday afternoon.
“I thank God for this opportunity. Grateful to all the coaches who helped me through this process. I’m excited to announce my commitment to San Diego State University!” he posted on X.
On3.com posted a picture of Garrison, some family members and SDSU coach Sean Lewis at Snapdragon Stadium. Garrison is wearing sunglasses and a sign in the picture reads, “Speed Limit None,” with the interlocking SD logo forming the “S” in Speed.
Why Travon Garrison committed to SDSU
“I’ve been on campus at San Diego State a lot,” Garrison said in an interview with on3.com. “Every time I go, I feel more comfortable, more at home. The city of San Diego is great, there’s a lot to do, the weather is nice and it feels like a place I can see myself living and growing in for the next few years.”
He added that he “really clicked well” with wideouts coach Matthew Middleton, and that he thinks he will “fit in really well with the offense. It’s very similar to what we run at Damien, so I feel comfortable with it and believe it will allow me to play fast and showcase my strengths.”
BREAKING: La Verne (Calif.) Damien WR Travon Garrison has committed to San Diego State and broke down why he chose the Aztecs
“Everything about SDSU, the coaches and the environment made it the right place for me.”
Intel: https://t.co/GW6CDqLW6Y pic.twitter.com/e2YajRQjGy
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) June 23, 2026
The 6-foot, 185-pound Garrison told the recruiting website that it was a tough decision after making official visits to SDSU and Washington State, which is part of the reconfigured Pac-12 that the Aztecs will officially join on July 1.
“I had to think about what was best for me, but in the end San Diego State felt like home,” Garrison told on3.com. “Everything about the program, the coaches, and the environment made it the right place for me.”
The three-star had an impressive list of offers that, besides SDSU and WSU, included bids from Kansas, UCLA, Washington, Utah, West Virginia and Colorado State.
As a junior, he had 46 passes for 978 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four 100-yard games and one three-touchdown game.
How Garrison could fit in at SDSU
Garrison is at least the fifth wideout from the class of 2027 to commit to the Aztecs, which should make for some lively competition a year from now.
The Aztecs currently have an intriguing wide receiver room. Although the group was hit by injuries last year, when the Aztecs had an impressive turnaround season that ended with a 9-4 record, they do return all three starters and their top four pass catchers.
The most eye-catching development in spring was when Bert Emanuel Jr. switched from backup quarterback to wide receiver. That will allow him to showcase his big-play skills while sharing the field with returning starting quarterback Jayden Denegal. They are both seniors.
The wideout corps is senior-heavy.
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