DEL MAR : Racing Goes International This Weekend

Foreign horses will add an international flavor to the upcoming weekend of Grade II stakes races here.

Sunday’s Del Mar Handicap and Monday’s Del Mar Derby are replete with foreign intrigue, or at least intriguing foreign horses. Only Saturday’s Del Mar Debutante will not have a foreign entry.

The Handicap, 1 3/8 miles on the turf for $250,000, had the Irish-bred Approach The Bench, the winner of the Grade I Eddie Read Handicap August 7. He is owned by John Mulhern, trained by Richard Cross and ridden by Corey Nakatani.

Bobby Frankel-trained Regency will be making his U.S. debut, coming off Group II victories in France. His last start was in Deauville on August 11. He will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux.

A third entry with foreign roots could be Stavros Niarchos’s Caesour, a Kentucky-bred whose nine previous races have been in France.

He has two victories, a second and a third, all on the turf, where the Handicap will be contested. His jockey will be Eddie Delahoussaye.

Four of the 10 horses invited to Monday’s $300,000 Derby, a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 3 year olds, have foreign touches.

Bluegrass Prince, making his U.S. debut, is from the stable of Rodney Rash, who also has Triple Crown runner Powis Castle in the field. He has been running in England, where he won the Group III Diamond Stakes in June.

Frankel’s Eagle Eyed, owned by Juddmonte Farms, raced in France in 1993, but has been at Santa Anita, Golden Gate and Arlington this year. He was winner of the Arlington Classic, a Grade II race, under Nakatani.

Marvin’s Faith, Irish-bred, has campaigned strictly in California. He won the La Jolla Handicap on August 14 by a nose over Unfinished Symph, another Derby entrant.

Fumo Di Londra, invited but considered an unlikely entrant, raced in Italy, Germany and England before coming to trainer Ron McAnally’s stable earlier this year.

The only “accent” in Saturday’s $250,000 Debutante for 2-year-old fillies will be southern. Ten of the 16 entries were bred in Kentucky.