Knightsbridge © Zoe Metz Photo
WIDE OPEN FIELD OF 11 LINE UP IN PACIFIC CLASSIC #36 SATURDAY
This year’s edition of the G1, $1 million Pacific Classic is everything you would want in a big, marquee race. A large field, an excellent betting race, plenty of horses shipping in and a filly trying to beat the boys. It will all come together Saturday at Del Mar.
The 11-horse field is led by the morning line favorite Knightsbridge, who is coming into the race off of an impressive showing last month at Monmouth Park. The son of Nyquist rolled to a 10 ¼ length victory in the G3 Monmouth Cup on Haskell Day, posting the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year at 122.
“Reports are he’s been doing well,” trainer Bill Mott says from his base at Saratoga. “I’ve seen videos of him galloping and he looks good. No negatives so far.”
But there is a looming question for Knightsbridge. Can he get the mile and a quarter of the Pacific Classic?
“It’s a new challenge, going 10 furlongs,” Mott contends. “That can be a deal breaker. I’ve never seen him do it before. A lot of people think they can go a mile and a quarter in the Kentucky Derby and they don’t do it. It’s the American Classic distance, it sorts them out pretty good.”
Knightsbridge is one of two horses in the field who has not tried the 1 ¼ miles the other being the filly Om N Joy.
Five horses in the field have actually won at the distance, one of those being Hit Show, who ships in for the race. He won the Dubai World Cup at 1 ¼ miles last year.
“We feel we’re in a good spot with him with how he’s physically doing and training,” trainer Brad Cox says. “He likes the mile and a quarter, he’s been in Southern California before when he ran third in the ‘Big Cap’ and he’s ready to run.”
Hit Show is coming off a runner-up finish in the G2 Suburban at Saratoga on July 4th, albeit 10 lengths behind the winner Phileas Fogg.
“I thought he ran well,” Cox states. “There was a runaway winner in there, but we were the best of the rest. We got to get a setup. We got to hope there’s some speed in there and there appears to be. And you need some racing luck.
“I’d like for them to go really, really fast up front,” Cox adds, “and then all of them get tired around the quarter pole and he has fresh legs and runs them down.”
Saffie Joseph, Jr.’s pair of runners are expected to be up on the pace early. Forged Steel came out west and wired the field in the G2 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita on Memorial Day. Navajo Warrior went wire-to-wire in his last two outings; the G3 Pimlico Special at Laurel Park on the Friday before the Preakness and the G3 Cornhusker at Prairie Meadows last month. Both runners have won at the 1 ¼ mile distance.
Full Serrano is oh-fer-two at the 1 ¼ mile but he came close when he got rundown in the final strides by Mixto in the 2024 Pacific Classic. The Argentine-bred is a versatile horse who can set the pace if it’s there for the taking or sit back and wait.
“The ideal set up for him is to lay close where the fractions aren’t killer,” trainer John Sadler replies. “The key for him to run that distance is how the race is run and we have a good outside post. He has plenty of time to organize himself before the first turn.”
Japan’s Finger won his lone 1 ¼ mile race, the Tokyo Derby, last out. The connections plan to use the same front running tactics in Saturday’s Pacific Classic.
“We’ve asked the jockey to take the lead no matter what happens,” says liasson Mitsuoki Numamoto. “Even if Knightsbridge or Forged Steel are coming, we’ll go up front.”
One would think Finger’s biggest challenge will be negotiating left-hand turns since in Japan they run clockwise with right hand turns, the opposite of American racing. But apparently that’s not an issue.
“They actually work left-handed one day, and right-handed turns the next,” Numamoto points out. “For example, on Monday they might work left-handed and then on Tuesday they will work right-handed. That’s why most Japanese horses are used to both right-handed and left-handed turns.”
The filly Om N Joy and her trainer Aggie Ordonez are hoping to continue a trend from last weekend when the filly Luster won the prestigious King’s Plate over the boys at Woodbine and Survie, the Irish-bred daughter of Churchill, beat the boys in the G1 Christophe Clement Turf at Saratoga. Om N Joy takes on the boys Saturday in the Pacific Classic.
“I’m thrilled for the opportunity,” trainer Aggie Ordonez states. “I hope she can strut her stuff. I hear a lot of conversation about it and I think it’s great for horse racing. People have their thoughts and that’s cool.”
Om N Joy would be the first filly or mare to run in the Pacific Classic since Beholder back in 2016 and Ordonez would be the first female trainer to win the race. The daughter of Om is a closer with a ferocious kick in the late stages of races. If she gets the trip and the pace to run at, she could put a jolt into the proceedings.
Original Sin is one of the six shippers in the Pacific Classic.
“He shipped down there nice with no problems,” trainer Brendan Walsh notes. “We’re ready to go.”
The son of Curlin is coming off of a ninth-place finish in the G2 Suburban.
“It was just a mess of a race,” Walsh claims. “There was no pace and he just never got into the rhythm we wanted to get him into. It just didn’t go to his liking at all. Hopefully things will be better on Saturday.”
If Subsanador wins the Pacific Classic it may change the way people train horses in the future. Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has utilized some old school training tactics to get his horse ready. He worked Subsanador between races two weeks ago, something you almost never see these days. Then on Wednesday, three days before the race, he gave the Argentine-bred a three-furlong ‘blowout’, another tool Mandella uses quite often to get his horses ready.
Malarchuk and British Isles round out the field. Both can be tactical but both can go to the lead should they choose. British Isles has a win at the 1 ¼ mile distance when he won the G1 Santa Anita Handicap earlier this year.
“He worked good the other day,” trainer Richard Baltas states. “He’s fit. That being said it’s a great field. A lot of good horses shipping in. A lot of speed in the race which would be good for us.”
The 36th running of the G1 Pacific Classic is Race 10 on the Saturday card. It’s a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland in the fall. Probable post time is 6:45 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Om N Joy (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1); Forged Steel (Edwin Gonzalez, 6-1); Finger (Keita Tosaki, 8-1); Subsanador (Mike Smith, 12-1); Malarchuk (Umberto Rispoli, 10-1); Original Sin (Juan Hernandez, 15-1); Hit Show (Florent Geroux, 6-1); British Isles (Diego Herrera, 12-1); Navajo Warrior (Micah Husbands, 8-1); Full Serrano (Joel Rosario, 8-1), and Knightsbridge (Junior Alvarado, 5/2).
EURO SHIPPERS LAND IN DEL MAR FOR SATURDAY’S G1 OAKS
The G1 Del Mar Oaks has always attracted some of the best 3-year-old fillies in the country. This year, it’s attracting horses from across the pond. Two Euros head up the 10-horse field that kicks off the late stakes pick three on Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar.
Kensington Lane made her U.S. debut on July 4th and promptly won the G1 Belmont Oaks at Saratoga, fending off two fine fillies in Faithful Departed and Fitz Right through the lane. She was trained that day by Donnacha O’Brien, her trainer in Ireland and son of Aidan O’Brien.
But when the connections decided to come out to the west coast, Kensington Lane landed in Philip D’Amato’s barn at Del Mar.
“She came here about a month ago and she’s done nothing wrong so far,” D’Amato claims. “She’s been training like a consummate pro.”
The other Euro invader is Green Carrera, who is trained by Donnacha’s brother Joseph and was last seen winning at the prestigious Royal Ascot meet. The English-bred arrived at Del Mar Saturday.
“She settled into her routine very quickly,” O’Brien’s assistant Mikey Hamill noted. “She’s eating and drinking and we’re very happy with her.”
Green Carrera changed ownership after winning at The Curragh in Ireland in May prior to winning the Sandringham Handicap at Ascot in England in June. She returned to Ireland and ran second at Killarney last month.
“It’s a very quick track and you’re always turning,” Hamill says of Killarney. “I imagine she’s sharpened up lots from it. The form from that race has worked out quite well with four horses coming out and winning.”
While the two Euros will likely top the wagering, the Del Mar Oaks is not without some good “American” fillies. Tam Tam is one of the better fillies in training and comes into the race off of a 5 ¾ length win in the $250,000 Tepin at Churchill Downs in June.
“I think we had a little bit of an excuse in the Regret,” trainer Philip Bauer says of Tam Tam’s race before the Tepin, “so it was nice to see her return to her best. We felt good going into the race but when she ran like she did it was a bit of a sigh of relief. It gave us confidence to pursue this venture here.”
Bauer says Tam Tam handled the ship and has settled in well.
“We’re a different outfit, everything is private,” Bauer explains. “We’re looking to make decisions that will help us in the long run. Getting a Grade I , win or placing, would be major for this filly moving forward as far as broodmare value. They’re giving away a lot of money next month at Kentucky Downs but we felt the Grade I was the better target for us.”
Trainer Brendan Walsh is bringing a pair of fillies to the Del Mar Oaks. Raiding Party ran third in the G2 San Clemente last out, the local prep for the Oaks on opening weekend.
“It wasn’t the greatest trip,” Walsh states. “She ended up going wide and we could have used a little more pace. The extra furlong on Saturday will suit her well and she’s had the experience of a run over the track which I feel will be an advantage for her.”
Walsh will also start Define, who made her U.S. debut last month and broke her maiden at first asking.
“I thought she ran very well,” Walsh contends. “She couldn’t have been more impressive. The owners were keen to give her a shot at this race and she had been running well in England before she came to us.”
Define arrived in Walsh’s barn earlier this summer.
D’Amato is doing Walsh one better with three entries in the Oaks. In addition to Kensington Lane he’ll start Inbox, runner-up in the San Clemente and Peanutbutterbombe, who had a troubled trip and still ran fourth in the San Clemente.
The 70th running of the G1 Del Mar Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile test on the turf, is Race 9 on the Pacific Classic undercard. Probable post time is 6 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Victorious Dream (Juan Hernandez, 12-1); Lookin at Diamond (Julien Leparoux, 15-1); Tam Tam (Junior Alvarado, 4-1); Green Carrera (Umberto Rispoli, 7/2); Define (Kazushi Kimura, 15-1); Inbox (Hector I Berrios, 10-1); Peanutbutterbombe (Antonio Fresu, 12-1); Wild Like the West (Armando Ayuso, 30-1); Kensington Lane (Joel Rosario, 3-1), and Raiding Party (Ben Curtis, 4-1).
MOTORIOUS AIMS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT GREEN FLASH SATURDAY
One of the two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races will kick off the stakes action on Pacific Classic Day at Del Mar Saturday. It’s the G2 Green Flash, a “WAYI” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Upgraded this year from a Grade 3, the five-furlong sprint features some of the quickest grass horses on the grounds.
One of those is defending champion Motorious. The English-bred from the Philip D’Amato barn will be in search of his fourth straight score in the Green Flash, an unprecedented feat that’s not lost on his trainer.
“No doubt it would mean a lot,” D’Amato says, “especially for a good owner like Anthony Fanticola. He’s been with me since I started training. I won a Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with him. (Obviously in 2016).
Motorious won his first Green Flash in 2023, repeated in 2024 and then last year finished second but got bumped up to the winner’s circle when the horse who finished first, Reef Runner, was disqualified.
“He drew a good post (#6) which will help,” D’Amato notes. “Some speed up front wouldn’t hurt. I think if he breaks like he did last time he should put himself in a good spot and hopefully the horses will come back to him.”
As you would expect in a five-furlong turf sprint there’s plenty of early speed in the race. Man O Rose could be one of those front runners. The outstanding Cal-bred is coming back from a five-month layoff which trainer Jeff Mullins says was by design. The son of Stanford has raced mostly in Cal-bred company but the last time he tried open company he won the $100,000 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita in February.
Man O Rose has shown he can run on turf and dirt and a bullet work at Del Mar on August 7 is a sign he’s ready to roll.
Sumter has developed into an outstanding turf sprinter, winning the G3 San Simeon in March down the hill at Santa Anita, he then missed by a nose to Freedom’s Not Free in the G3 Daytona in June. He beat Motorious in a salty allowance race at Del Mar last month.
“He’s been doing good lately,” trainer Richard Mandella states. “It’s only five-eighths so you can’t think too much. When they say go you better get going.”
No Nay Hudson is back in the Green Flash for trainer Wesley Ward. He’s been knocking heads with Motorious in the past two runnings of the race, missing by three-quarters of a length in 2024 and then by a 1 ¼ lengths last year. The 6-year-old has only raced once this year, a seventh-place finish in the G2 Shakertown at Keeneland in April.
The G3 Green Flash is Race 5 on Saturday’s 11-race card. It’s named after an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs at sunset off the California coast. Much like the race, if you blink, you’ll miss it. Probable post for the Green Flash is 4:00 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Monster (Emisael Jaramillo, 15-1); Mescalero (Kazushi Kimura, 15-1); Man O Rose (Edwin Maldonado, 5-1); Incanto (Tyler Baze, 20-1); Sumter (Mike Smith, 4-1); Motorious (Antonio Fresu, 5/2); Virat (Hector I Berrios, 10-1); No Nay Hudson (Juan Hernandez, 5-1); Sorrento Sky (Umberto Rispoli, 8-1), and Saratoga Special (Joel Rosario, 15-1).
WEEKEND HANDICAPPING SEMINARS BACK AT DEL MAR
Racing fans can once again take part in Del Mar’s Free Weekend Handicapping Seminars, held each Saturday and Sunday starting at 1 p.m. on the Kona Stage in the Plaza de Mexico.
The seminars, which run for approximately a half hour prior to the first race post at 2 p.m., offer insights on the day’s racing card from expert handicappers.
Del Mar veteran Dan Smith is the host for the Saturday cards and his guest this week is handicapping star Mike Shutty, the founder of the popular Super Screener, a key handicapping tool.
Sunday programs will be overseen by handicapping ace Frank Scatoni and he’ll have as his guest this week the noted handicapper Chris Carmey, the author of the book “Betting on Horses.”
COOLING OUT: Jockey Joel Rosario is taking full advantage of the time leading rider Juan Hernandez is away from Del Mar this week. Rosario won four of the eight races Thursday to vault into the lead in the jockey standings. He won the first three races on the card and added a fourth victory in Race 6. Rosario has 28 victories to 25 for Hernandez, who is over in England riding at York today. He’s expected back for Pacific Classic Day Saturday…Notable works on Friday: Dirt – Call Sign Seven (3f, :35.60); Imagination (3f, :36.00); Baltic Fire (5f, 1:01.40); Desert Gate (5f, 1:00.00), and He’s a Knockout (5f, 1:02.40).