Speedy Wilson will try to live up to name in Friday’s Real Good Deal Stakes

DEL MAR — Speedy Wilson, last year’s Cal-bred 2-year-old champion, makes his 2025 debut Friday afternoon at Del Mar in the $150,000 Real Good Deal Stakes.

The seven-furlong race on the main track for Cal-bred 3-year-olds has attracted eight horses.

Also in the field will be Speedy Wilson’s half-brother, Shea Brennan. Both horses are sons of Tough Sunday and are owned by breeder Nick Alexander and trained by Phil D’Amato.

Speedy Wilson (Armando Ayuso) won two of four races as a juvenile, including the $175,000 Golden State Juvenile on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Del Mar in his most recent start.

Shea Brennan (Antonio Fresu) finished first in the $175,000 Cal Cup Derby in January, but was disqualified and placed second. One race earlier, Shea Brennan won the $100,000 King Glorious at Los Alamitos after finishing third in the Golden State Juvenile won by Speedy Wilson.

Among the challengers to the D’Amato stablemates is the Peter Miller-trained Style Cat (Juan Hernandez). The son of Curlin To Mischief won the $125,000 Echo Eddie at Santa Anita in April after finishing second in the I’m Smokin’.

Notable

Favorite Boss Sully ($5.80) won the first-race on Thursday’s eight-race card with Virat second and Sorrento Sky third. Armando Ayuso scored the first of his two wins on Boss Sully, who had run second to Think Tank in his most recent start at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

Baltic Fire ($116.40) and jockey Serafin Carmona survived an inquiry to win Thursday’s seventh race as longest-odds winner of the summer meeting to date. One winning ticket in the longshot-dominated Pick 5 paid ($476,322). There were no winners in the Pick 6.

• Formidable Man, winner of last Sunday’s Eddie Read Stakes, is being pointed toward the Grade II Del Mar Mile on Pacific Classic Day (Aug. 30).

•  Gold Phoenix, who was scratched from Eddie Read the morning of the race after suffering a cut to his leg while in his stall, will likely seek an unprecedented fourth straight victory in the Grade II Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 30.

•  Johannes, who was shipped east from Del Mar Tuesday, figures to be the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the Grade I Fourstardave Stakes on the grass at Saratoga Saturday. Jockey Umberto Rispoli will ride Johannes, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar last November, in the grass race. This will be the first start of 2025 for the turf champion who won five of six races in 2024.

• Friday’s first post is 4 p.m.