Two-year-old Thoroughbreds who compete at Del Mar during the seaside track’s prestigious summer meet frequently go on to enjoy abundant racing success.

Need examples? The last dozen years have seen Kentucky Derby winners I’ll Have Another, California Chrome, American Pharoah, and Nyquist compete at Del Mar during the summer of their juvenile years. The same goes for 2023 Preakness Stakes victor National Treasure, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Baccarat and Grade 1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap this year.

The 2024-‘25 Road to the Kentucky Derby is just around the corner, with the first qualifier taking place at Churchill Downs Saturday. There’s a strong chance 2025 Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown contenders competed during the recently concluded 2024 Del Mar summer meet, so let’s review five of the most promising juveniles we saw in action:

Bullard

Through the years, Michael McCarthy has trained some top-notch horses such as 2018 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and 2019 Pegasus World Cup winner City of Light, 2021 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer, and, more recently, 2024 Kentucky Derby starter Endlessly.

Could Bullard be the latest star for McCarthy? The colt by 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner certainly looked like a bright prospect when rallying strongly to win his debut, dashing three-quarters of a mile on Sept. 1 at Del Mar.

Bullard wasn’t expected to win; bettors favored the experienced Kalea Bay at odds of 3-5 while making Bullard the 3.40-1 second choice. But after settling at the back of the pack through an opening quarter-mile in :21.93, Bullard launched a determined late charge and gained more than three lengths through the final eighth of a mile alone to defeat Kalea Bay by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:10.32.

Kalea Bay pulled six lengths clear of the third-place finisher, so Bullard’s performance was stronger than it first appears. According to the Equibase GPS result chart, Bullard ran his final eighth of a mile in a sharp :12.17, suggesting he has potential for stretching out to one mile or farther. Keep a close eye on this $675,000 yearling acquisition from the family of Belmont Stakes winners Rags to Riches, Arcangelo, and Jazil.

Citizen Bull

Citizen Bull winning career debut Aug. 17. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Citizen Bull is bred for success. He’s a son of five-time leading North American sire Into Mischief — the sire of Kentucky Derby winners Authentic and Mandaloun — out of a mare by Distorted Humor, the sire of 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Funny Cide plus 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer.

This classy pedigree is very likely one reason why Citizen Bull sold for $675,000 as a yearling. Trained by six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, the bay colt is starting to deliver on that lofty purchase price.

Citizen Bull debuted in an Aug. 17 maiden special weight race sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar. After running a close second through an opening quarter-mile in :22.10, he edged past Smash It to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:03.42. Smash It, in turned, pulled seven lengths clear of third-place finisher Kalea Bay.

This fine debut preceded a start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity dashing seven-eighths of a mile. Fast early quarter-mile fractions of :21.85 and :44.35 left Citizen Bull in sixth place early on, but down the homestretch he rallied steadily to finish third behind stablemate Gaming.

Citizen Bull gives the impression he’ll shine in longer races with slower early pace fractions. Given a chance to race forwardly in races going one mile or farther, he may develop into a serious Road to the Kentucky Derby contender.

Gaming

The most exciting juvenile to emerge from Del Mar this summer is Gaming, who was purchased for $250,000 back in March. Both his sire, Game Winner, and broodmare sire, Johannesburg, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male, so it’s safe to say Gaming is bred to excel from an early age.

Gaming started as the favorite in his Aug. 11 debut sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar. The result? A powerful victory. Setting quarter-mile fractions of :21.87 and :44.71 did nothing to tire the Bob Baffert-trained youngster, as Gaming powered away down the homestretch to win easily by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:17.42.

Gaming was equally sharp when making his stakes debut in the Del Mar Futurity. Facing a deep field including Citizen Bull, McKinzie Street, and Grade 3 Best Pal Stakes winner Getaway Car, Gaming saved ground in fifth place early on, advanced up the rail and shifted outside to seize command, and won by 1 3/4 lengths. He completed seven-eighths of a mile in 1:23.02.

With an unblemished record and a Grade 1 win under his belt, Gaming ranks as California’s leading 2-year-old for the time being. It’s a title he’s unlikely to relinquish without a fight.

McKinzie Street

McKinzie Street has shown strong form at Del Mar for trainer Tim Yakteen. The colt by four-time Grade 1 winner McKinzie is arguably the second-fastest juvenile in California right now.

Prior to beginning his racing career, McKinzie Street went through the auction ring three times: as a weanling, as a yearling, and as a 2-year-old in training. Each time he brought a higher price: $120,000, $150,000, and $290,000.

If McKinzie Street was offered for sale at auction today, he would surely bring a higher bid than $290,000. He debuted in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race on July 28 and led all the way through quick fractions of :21.97 and :44.93 to win by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:04.02. The runner-up, Emerald Bay, pulled five lengths clear of the rest and returned to win his next start.

This strong debut prompted a start in the Del Mar Futurity. Sent off as the 6.80-1 fourth choice, McKinzie Street outran expectations against a quality field, closing from a couple of lengths behind the hot early pace to finish second to Gaming. McKinzie Street actually gained a bit of ground on Gaming through the final eighth of a mile and finished only 1 3/4 lengths behind.

It’s hard to knock anything McKinzie Street has done so far. If he can successfully stretch out to distances beyond one mile, he’ll be a serious player on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Smash It

Smash It is the only horse on this list who did not debut at Del Mar. He got started with a runner-up finish in a June 14 maiden special weight race at Santa Anita Park.

But Smash It made his summer at Del Mar count, packing in three starts. The first two, on July 20 and Aug. 17, yielded runner-up finishes behind Getaway Car and Citizen Bull, respectively. As mentioned previously, Smash It finished only three-quarters of a length behind Citizen Bull while pulling seven lengths clear of the rest.

Smash It finally got a win under his belt on Sept. 7. Favored to win a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight race, the chestnut gelding led at every call to defeat the Baffert-trained first-time starter Into Midnight by three-quarters of a length in 1:03.14, missing the track record by 1.28 seconds.

A Louisiana-bred son of 22-time stakes winner Star Guitar, Smash It is gradually progressing in the right direction for trainer Todd Fincher. Every start has been better than his last, so don’t be surprised if Smash It keeps improving through the fall and winter.