Del Mar: Anisette, Didia have rematch Saturday in Mabee

The rematch of streaking 4-year-old Anisette and well-traveled 6-year-old Didia stands out Saturday when seven fillies and mares go to the post in the 67th John C. Mabee Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile, Grade 2 turf test worth $250,000.

Their first duel came in October at Santa Anita, where Didia delivered at even money with a 1 3/4-length win over 8-5 Anisette in the 1 1/4-mile Rodeo Drive (G2).

Anisette since has won her last three races spread across 7 1/2 months. They included the American Oaks (G1) on Dec. 26 and the Gamely (G1) on May 27, both at Santa Anita. She added the Yellow Ribbon Handicap (G2) last month going 1 1/16 miles on the Del Mar grass.

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Owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trained by Leonard Powell, the Great Britain-bred daughter of Awtaad is 8: 6-2-0 since she was transferred from Europe to America. Anisette also is 3-for-3 at Del Mar.

Umberto Rispoli will ride Anisette from post 1 on Saturday.

Owned by Merriebelle Stable and trained by Ignacio Correas, Argentina-bred Didia is a daughter of Delambre who is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Diana (G1), losing by only 1 1/4 lengths as the 2-1 favorite July 13 at Saratoga.

A two-time Group 1 winner as a 3-year-old in Argentina, Didia was moved to the Northern Hemisphere in 2022. Since she arrived in the U.S., she has a record of 11: 7-1-1 with her biggest wins coming this year in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (G2) and during Belmont Stakes week in the New York (G1) at Saratoga.

With $1,563,484 in career earnings, Didia will be ridden Saturday from post 6 by Héctor Berrios.

First run in 1945, the race originally was known as the Ramona Handicap before it was named for Mabee, the late Del Mar chairperson and three-time champion breeder whose most famous horse was Hall of Fame gelding Best Pal.

The Mabee will be the eighth of 11 races Saturday with a post time shortly after 8 p.m. EDT. The first post is at 4:30 p.m.