Del Mar: Exotics plays for the John Mabee Stakes

A field of nine will vie in Saturday’s $200,000 John C. Mabee S. (G2) at Del Mar. The 1 1/8-mile turf affair is a very competitive race on paper, which leads me to believe that the vertical exotics could yield a healthy return.

Grade 1 heroine #1 Maxim Rate doesn’t always run her best races on the Del Mar strip, but she is a classy miss who looms large on Saturday with a peak effort. A two-time winner at Del Mar from seven appearances at the seaside venue, the Simon Callaghan trainee came off the bench to register a late-running third in the Yellow Ribbon H. (G2) here last time out.

The gray daughter of Exchange Rate has recorded a pair of solid morning drills in the interim, and I envision the five-year-old receiving a fine set up from off the pace in a cast with ample early speed signed on. Bred in the Bluegrass State, Maxim Rate will track the action from the rail while near midpack to the top of the stretch with Juan Hernandez in the stirrups.

I will key on a pair of runners to go with my top choice, including Grade 3 starlet #8 Going to Vegas. The Goldencents four-year-old has won or placed in five-of-six Del Mar assignments to date, and she was the easiest of winners in an allowance tune up on the course in her latest endeavor. Trained by Richard Baltas, the four-year-old draws outside of the other pace in the cast and should enjoy a perfect voyage while picking up top gun Flavien Prat.

#6 Bodhicitta, winner of the 2020 Yellow Ribbon H. (G2) on the surface, will benefit from the likelihood of a swift early tempo on Saturday. Also conditioned by Baltas, the Showcasing chestnut is not overly consistent but she looks to be rounding up to a top showing in her third race off a long absence. Kent Desormeaux has the call atop the one-run closer.

John C. Mabbe exotics wagers

• $10 exacta 1 with 6,8 ($20)
• $1 trifecta 1 with 6,8 with all ($14)
• $1 trifecta 1 with all with 6,8 ($14)
• 50-cent superfecta 1 with 6,8 with 6,8 with all ($6)
• 50-cent superfecta 1 with 6,8 with all with 6,8 ($6)