Richard Baltas is back. The trainer scored with favored Ag Bullet Sunday afternoon in the co-featured Osunitas Stakes at Del Mar. Veteran Mike Smith rode First Peace to victory in the Wickerr Stakes — the second $100,000, one-mile test on the turf — scoring his 81st stakes victory at Del Mar.
Ag Bullet was the first entry and win at Del Mar since 2021 for the 63-year-old Baltas, a three-time training champion at the seaside oval. Under Umberto Rispoli, Ag Bullet took the lead shortly after the start and finished 31⁄2 lengths ahead of Hang the Moon in the race for older fillies and mares. Ag Bullet has won three of her last four starts with all the wins coming with Rispoli, who has won five races on the turf in the first two days of the summer meeting.
“I love it here at Del Mar and I like the turf course a lot,” said Rispoli. “I know this place has a lot of history and it’s such a beautiful place. It reminds me of a place where I used to ride in Italy, Livorno.
Just like here, you could go across the street there and swim.” Rispoli said he was happy to win the race for Baltas. And the trainer said he was happy to win his 21st stakes at Del Mar for co-owners Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran.
“They been with me a long time and stayed with me,” said Baltas. As for Ag Bullet, the 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy danced a bit in the gate before the start, then took control. “I really think that she’s relaxing more,” Baltas said.
“The trick with her is g.