​2022 Bing Crosby Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The 2022 Bing Crosby Stakes has drawn a field of 10 to compete for $400,000 and the ultimate prize for a one-turn dirt horse: a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1). Grade 1 winners like Drain the Clock and Get Her Number headline the field, though with iron horses like Diamond Oops and rising stars like Shaaz and Principe Carlos, the race should be a fascinating preview of the sprint division’s future.

This is the place to get to know the contenders and the history of the race, and to get to know how to bet the race online!

Bing Crosby Stakes 2022 Information

Race Date: Saturday, July 30, 2022
Track: Del Mar
Post Time: 5:30 p.m. PDT
Distance: Six furlongs (dirt)
Age/Sex: 3+
Where to Watch: TVG
Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Bing Crosby Stakes Odds

On July 27, Del Mar drew the field for the 2022 Bing Crosby Stakes. Although the live odds in the race will fluctuate until post time, the morning line odds give you a good idea of which horses will be well bet and which others will be long shots. These are the horses in post-position order, including their morning-line odds, their trainers, and their jockeys.

Keep in mind that prices will drift until post time, since pari-mutuel wagering means that the real odds are based on the actual bets that people place on each horse. This means that it is a smart move to watch the tote board on race day. The tote board can give you clues about whether you will get an overlay (a better price than their actual win chances) on the horse, or whether an unexpected horse is gaining a lot of wagering interest.

Bing Crosby Stakes Prep Results

The major local prep races for the Bing Crosby Stakes include other graded stakes on the Southern California circuit. The most recent of those was the Triple Bend (G2). American Theorem comes into the Bing Crosby off of a win in that race, Principe Carlo was second by just a nose, and third-place Get Her Number returns as well. American Theorem and Get Her Number have not run since the Triple Bend, though in the meantime Get Her Number returned to win a third-level allowance at Churchill Downs.

The San Carlos (G2) also often sends runners to the Bing Crosby, though in this year’s field only Principe Carlos contested that race. He finished second, two and a half lengths behind Cezanne, who did not enter the Bing Crosby.

The rest of the field prepared in a broad range of races. Desmond Doss has won two straight stakes, the Bertrando and the Thor’s Echo, against California-bred company. Howbeit prepared in the Oak Tree Sprint at Pleasanton, and Diamond Oops last raced in a local allowance. Though Shaaz is California-based, his most recent start was a third in the two-turn Steve Sexton Mile (G3) at Lone Star in Texas. Among shippers, Drain the Clock was last seen running fourth in the Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream, Letsgetlucky last ran second in the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) at Oaklawn, and Bagboss has won two straight allowances at Churchill.

Bing Crosby Stakes Contenders

Desmond Doss: A consistent presence in California-bred company, he steps forward to face open foes. Expect him to show speed from the rail. His best few races are close to what he needs to be competitive here, but with a lot of pace outside in a big field, he will have to work harder for it than he ever has.

Shaaz: He came up short in a two-turn race in his graded debut in May, but now cuts back to one turn. Never has this seven-figure son of Uncle Mo gone quite this short, but his six-and-a-half-furlong debut at Santa Anita was promising and his dam’s only victory came at the flat six-furlong trip. He also has some tactical versatility, which helps.

Bagboss: All eight of his starts have come in either maiden or allowance company. He has found his best going a flat six furlongs in his last two, with allowance wins at Churchill in both May and June. Speed-wise he does not need a huge step forward to run a competitive race, and he is tactical enough to work out a trip if he is good enough.

Drain the Clock: He will have to take a serious step forward from his try in the Smile last out, where he ran off the board at odds-on. However, that was just his first start back from Dubai. He has back for that would make him competitive here, including a close second three back in the Gulfstream Sprint. His win in the Woody Stephens last year also suggests he is not just a Gulfstream horse.

Principe Carlo: A fixture in the California-bred ranks for a while, he has graduated to open company in his last two, showing good tactical speed and finishing second in both the San Carlos and the Triple Bend. Perhaps he is better at those seven-furlong trips than this six-furlong trip; however, he has one win and three seconds in seven starts going six, all against weaker.

Howbeit: He has taken the occasional shot in graded company, and even finished third in a three-year-old G3 sprint in 2020. He finally got over his first- and second-level allowance conditions last year, but disappointed in the Pat O’Brien last August, was off for almost a year, and lost his rider in the Oak TreeSprint last out. Even so, if the early pace gets hot a run back to his N2X win a year ago at Del Mar gives him a shot.

Letsgetlucky: He has perhaps the most impressive last-out form line of anyone coming into this race, a narrow second behind divisional leader Jackie’s Warrior. He is versatile enough to win from the lead or off the pace, which helps. However, he has not raced since that career best on April 16, and that came in the slop. This son of Munnings is a slop monster, and has yet to run that well over fast dirt.

Diamond Oops: This seven-year-old has proven his mettle over a range of distances and surfaces. He is 4-for-9 going six furlongs on the dirt, and if he can reproduce his best this versatile runner has a shot. He must improve from a late-flattening third in an allowance at Del Mar just last week, but at least he now shortens up second off the lay.

American Theorem: In just eleven starts, it seems this five-year-old has tried everything under the sun. He cut back to seven furlongs for the Triple Bend last out and sprung the upset, rallying from midfield and getting up by a nose. This field is a little bit deeper, but he can pass horses, he keeps Joe Bravo, and he does have a win over the Del Mar strip.

Get Her Number: A Grade 1 winner as a juvenile, he has taken some time to come back around but has won two of his four outings at age four. Though both of those wins came in allowance company, his win last out at Churchill wasn’t too far off from a speed perspective. These foes are better in general, though, and Get Her Number has not yet cut back to a distance this short.

Bing Crosby Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

In recent years, winners of the Bing Crosby Stakes typically come into the race from money finishes in races like the Triple Bend, San Carlos, or the Kona Gold (G3) (previously called the Potrero Grande). However, it is not impossible for a horse to bounce up from allowance company to win the Bing Crosby. Dr. Schivel did that in 2021, though he was already a Grade 1 winner the year before. But, before him, the last horse to do that was Points Offthebench in 2013, who came into the race off an allowance win and then won his graded debut in the Bing Crosby.

Bing Crosby Stakes Undercard

The Bing Crosby Stakes is part of an 11-race card at Del Mar that also features the $300,000 San Diego Handicap (G2), one of the most important summer races for the handicap division. The Bing Crosby will be run as the eighth race on the card. With full fields and classy horses entered all day long, Bing Crosby day at Del Mar will be an excellent experience to watch and wager!

Del Mar Race Track

Del Mar Race Track is located just north of San Diego and about two hours south of Los Angeles. As Bing Crosby’s famous song says, you can “take a plane, take a train, take a car.” After all, the rail line stops just yards away from the track entrance. Fans can see the ocean from up in the grandstand off past the head of the stretch.

There are several trackside restaurants available, including Red Star Café, Stretch Run Grill, Veranda Café, and 17 Hands. Horsemen and fans alike gather to dine overlooking the paddock or just above the finish line and enjoy both cuisine and racing action.

Del Mar Race Track has a one-mile oval with chutes for 7/8 and 1 1/4 mile races and a seven-eighths mile oval with a diagonal straight away chute for 1 1/16 and 1 1/8 mile horse races. The turf course is a combination of Common Bermuda and Hybrid Bermuda.

More recently, the Del Mar Race Track underwent a major renovation to modernize facilities. Thanks in part to those changes, as well as a widespread advertising campaign anchored by the slogan, “Where the Turf Meets the Surf,” the Del Mar Race Track continues to post records in handle and attendance while offering some of the greatest thoroughbred horse racing in America.

Bing Crosby Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Bing Crosby Stakes?
A: Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time.

Q: Where is the Bing Crosby Stakes?
A: It takes place at Del Mar Race Track in Del Mar, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Bing Crosby Stakes?
A: Both Bob Baffert and Bruce Headley have four wins in the Bing Crosby Stakes. Bob Baffert is still active, and he enters Shaaz in the 2022 edition.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Bing Crosby Stakes?
A: Shaaz is the morning-line favorite for the Bing Crosby stakes at 7-2. However, both American Theorem and Drain the Clock are 4-1 on the morning line, and given their current form none of those three horses would be a surprising favorite in this competitive race.

Q: Who is the best Bing Crosby Stakes jockey?
A: Flavien Prat leads all jockeys with six victories in the Bing Crosby Stakes. Prat does not ride the race this year, as he will be at Saratoga riding Zandon in the Jim Dandy (G2). Among riders who are in this year’s Bing Crosby, Victor Espinoza leads with four wins. He will take the reins on Principe Carlo.

Q: Who won the Bing Crosby Stakes in 2021?
A: Dr. Schivel won the 2021 Bing Crosby Stakes for trainer Mark Glatt and jockey Flavien Prat. Glatt sends out Howbeit in the 2022 edition.