Journalism © Zoe Metz
JOURNALISM THE LATEST 3-YEAR-OLD TO STEP UP INTO PACIFIC CLASSIC
Over the years the top horses in the handicap division have made up the bulk of the fields in the G1 Pacific Classic. That’s who the race was designed for when it was first formulated back in 1991. It would later evolve into an important stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
On a few occasions a filly or mare has entered the race. Six in total over the years, but only one has made it to the winner’s circle. That was Beholder in 2015.
The spice in the stew, the ones that ‘make things interesting’ are the 3-year-olds. Those that are coming off a nice run in the Triple Crown or those that matured late and are just now beginning to round into form. When they enter the Pacific Classic they often find themselves competing out of their age group for the first time.
Nineteen sophomores have run over the 34-years of the Pacific Classic, six have won the race. They were Best Pal in the inaugural year (1991); General Challenge (1999); Came Home (2002); Dullahan (2012); Shared Belief (2014), and Arabian Knight (2023).
Some notable 3-year-olds that ran in the Pacific Classic but did not win were Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem in 2002; Tiznow in 2000 and Dramatic Gold in 1994.
Add to the list this year’s 3-year-old entry, Journalism, the stout bay colt by Curlin who has captured the racing world with his courageous, come-from-behind victories in the Preakness and the Haskell. He’s considered the second best 3-year-old in the country behind Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty.
“Running out of his own stall took precedence more than anything else,” trainer Michael McCarthy says about the much anticipated decision to run in the Classic. “He’s obviously at the head of his class, him and Sovereignty, but you’re looking at a horse that is still giving up experience, you’re giving up age, you’re giving up maturity.”
McCarthy noted that the lack of a good 3-year-old dirt race here at Del Mar left them with only one other option if they wanted to stay in his age group. That was to put Journalism on a plane and fly back to Pennsylvania and run in the Pennsylvania Derby on September 20 at Parx.
“It’s nice to have a home game,” Journalism’s primary owner Aron Wellman claims. “He’s been on the road since late April when he shipped out to Kentucky for the Derby. He ran in all three legs of the Triple Crown then another cross-country trip back to Jersey for the Haskell. So the thought of putting him on a plane just wasn’t all that appealing to us.”
Three-year-olds in the Pacific Classic get a weight break of six pounds, from the 124 for the older horses. The first year the race was run in 1991, 3-year-olds got an eight-pound break and Best Pal, a 3-year-old, won the race. Racing officials decided the next year to make a seven-pound allowance and it remained that way until 2009 when they cut it to a six-pound break.
Bob Baffert has trained his share of good 3-year-olds and he’s brought a few to the Pacific Classic and won, with General Challenge and Arabian Knight.
“I think the 3-year-olds this time of year,” Baffert notes, “the good ones, they’re old enough to handle the older horses. Like (American) ‘Pharoah’, they dance every dance.”
“Definitely the time of year is part of it,” trainer John Sadler says about stepping 3-year-olds up against the older horses. “You’re not going to find people running their 3-year-olds against older in the winter. But as the summer into the fall approaches it’s a natural progression. The advantage the 3-year-olds down here get is the weight which can be significant, especially at a mile and a quarter.”
We’ll know by late afternoon Saturday whether Journalism is one of those exceptional 3-year-olds capable of running beyond his years and defeating the likes of Fierceness or Nysos. Judging by what we’ve seen of him so far, there’s certainly chance he might.
The G1 Pacific Classic is Race 10 on the 11-race card Saturday. Probable post time is 6 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Fierceness (John R. Velazquez, 3-1); Indispensable (Paco Lopez, 15-1); Journalism (Umberto Rispoli, 9/5); Lure Him In (Hector I. Berrios, 20-1); Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso, 12-1); Nysos (Flavien Prat, 8/5); Tarantino (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1), and Ultimate Gamble (Kazushi Kimura, 20-1).
PACIFIC CLASSIC UPDATE: FIERCENESS SETTLES IN AT DEL MAR
Fierceness is settling in nicely leading up to this Saturday’s $1-million, G1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The son of City of Light, winner of over $4.5 million in earnings, arrived at Del Mar Wednesday night and quickly made himself at home in the Jonathan Thomas barn.
“We took him out to the track yesterday (Thursday),” says Sophie Green, assistant trainer for Todd Pletcher. “He just went around once and then back today (Friday). He loves it. He likes new surroundings. He likes looking at new things. He can stand for hours and look.”
He’s an imposing figure as he stood in the middle of the barn area surveying the grounds. He’s in perfect condition, which you would expect for a horse running in Del Mar’s marquee race.
“It’s tough race,” Green concedes. “It’s a good race. He’s not been up against the likes of a Journalism or Nysos, but hopefully he runs his best.”
Journalism also took a spin around the track Friday and trainer Michael McCarthy says all systems are go for Saturday.
Nysos continues to impress the early birds out at Del Mar in the mornings. He galloped once around the track Friday and appears to be in top form going into the race.
There has already been a rider change in the Pacific Classic. Edwin Gonzalez will not make the trip out from Florida to ride Lure Him In and, instead, Hector I. Berrios gets the mount.
“He was slated to ride the favorite in the feature at Gulfstream Park Saturday,” trainer Sam Wilensky explains. “It’s his home track and he decided to stay home rather than come all the way to Del Mar.”
Berrios is one of the top riders at the seaside oval and Wilensky says he has the utmost confidence in him. The two go back to the days when Berrios used to ride fulltime in South Florida.
DEBUTANTE WINNER, TENMA, RETURNS TO DEL MAR IN G3 TORREY PINES
The G3 Torrey Pines, part of the Pacific Classic undercard on Saturday at Del Mar, will feature the return of Tenma against a flashy Cal-bred testing open company for the first time.
Tenma is arguably the best 3-year-old filly on the West Coast. She won five of her first six races, breaking her maiden at Del Mar last year and following up with a squeaker of a win in the G1 Del Mar Debutante nearly three weeks later.
The daughter of Nyquist then threw in a clunker in the G2 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita, which cost her a run in the Breeders’ Cup. Instead, she returned in the G2 Starlet at Los Alamitos and won handily.
Tenma opened her 3-year-old campaign with a six-and-a-half-length win in the G3 Las Virgenes which sent her off as the odds-on favorite in the G2 Santa Anita Oaks where she proved to be the best. That led to her lone trip out of California and a run in the G1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. She forced the pace only to fade to fourth.
“Probably should have run her in the Eight Belles; it would have been a better spot,” Baffert notes. “She came out of it a little bit light. I was going to try her on the turf but when I breezed her I wasn’t really pleased.”
Tenma’s been off since the Oaks on May 3, getting a well-deserved break.
“She’s still maturing and needs to fill out a little bit more,” Baffert contends. “In her training she’s been very aggressive so I’ve been trying to get her to slow down a bit. She needs a race and I have nowhere to run her. I didn’t want to ship her.”
Tenma is the even-money favorite in the Torrey Pines and her stablemate Howin is 9/5 on the morning line.
“They’re owned by the same people (Baoma Corp),” trainer Bob Baffert says, “and I don’t like the idea that they drew next to each other.”
Howin has been working with Desert Gate and Buetane in the mornings, two of Baffert’s top 2-year olds. The daughter of Gun Runner ran second to another stablemate, Cash Call, in the G3 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita in June.
“I think Howin has improved since then,” Baffert notes. “She’s doing very well,”
Last out she won an entry level allowance race at Del Mar.
The Torrey Pines also marks the return of Om N Joy, an impressive winner of the $150,000 Fleet Treat Stakes at Del Mar last month. It was her fourth straight win and smart enough to give her conditioner, Aggie Ordonez, the confidence to step her up into open company and a graded stake.
“She full of energy,” Ordonez states. “She seems to be just getting better. She’s beginning to look like an older horse. She’s filling out and her last work was sensational.”
The daughter of Om worked five furlongs in :59 on August 17. She came back with a four-furlong maintenance work on Sunday (4f, :50.00).
Om N Joy broke her maiden in March at Santa Anita and hasn’t lost since. She won the $125,000 Evening Jewel in April, the $125,000 Melair in May and then the Fleet Treat. All were restricted to Cal-breds.
“I know it’s a big leap,” Ordonez adds. “That’s some serious competition. It almost seems like a different sport that those guys are playing, that are spending that kind of money on horses. But I know physically she’s not going to present like a Cal-bred, but like a good looking, nice horse. Nobody’s told her she’s a Cal-bred.”
And a good Cal-bred can hold their own. Remember Best Pal or California Chrome or The Chosen Vron. They all stepped out of Cal-bred company and captured graded stakes.
Seven 3-year-old fillies will go to the gate in the G3 Torrey Pines Saturday. It’s Race 6 on the 11-race program. Probable post is 4 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Tenma (Juan Hernandez); Howin (Drayden Van Dyke); A Thousand Miles (Kazushi Kimura, 20-1); Lolo Le Plume (Mike Smith, 12-1); So There She Was (Antonio Fresu, 20-1); Om N Joy (Kent Desormeaux, 5-1), and Allihies (Serafin Carmona, 15-1).
MOTORIOUS LOOKS TO GO BACK-TO-BACK-TO BACK IN G3 GREEN FLASH
Eleven of the quickest horses on the grounds will vie for a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint this fall at Del Mar when they lock horns in the G3 Green Flash Saturday, part of the tremendous undercard for the Pacific Classic. The five furlong dash on the grass is as contentious as ever, leading one trainer to speculate that the Green Flash will not be a Grade 3 for long.
Motorious is back for another try, hoping to go back-to-back-to-back in the same race, much like his stablemate Gold Phoenix did in the G2 Del Mar Handicap last year. The English-bred is coming off a sparkling 2025 debut in the G3 Daytona in June at Santa Anita.
“He was just doing so good I needed to run him,” trainer Phil D’Amato says. “With his late kick he just opened up on the field. That’s hard to do, opening up and winning by daylight.”
Motorious won the 2023 Green Flash and then finished fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint behind Nobals. He returned last year and won the Green Flash again, but this time missed by just a neck to Starlust in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar last fall.
Queen Maxima shortens back up to sprinting which she was so successful with earlier this year. Trainer Jeff Mullins tried her at a mile last time out and she finished sixth. She was riding a five-race win streak going into the Osunitas.
“She’s not a miler,” Mullins admits. “I wish I hadn’t run her in the mile now. Sometimes the mile dulls their speed.”
Still, Mullins is pleased with how she’s working up to the race. The daughter of Bucchero will be going against the boys in the Green Flash but it’s not by design.
“Nowhere else to run her,” Mullins noted. He’s not happy being hung outside in the 11-hole though she does have Motorious just to her inside.
First Peace will be making his first start of 2025. Last year’s $100,000 Wickerr Stakes winner at Del Mar hasn’t raced since he won the G2 Eddie D at Santa Anita in September.
“He just needed some time off,” trainer Mark Glatt explains. “I don’t think he’s a great five-furlong horse but he’s ready to run. It looks like they’re going to smoke up front early on in the race so perhaps it will set up for a horse that comes from a bit off the pace, which he’ll mostly likely be doing.”
A trio of shippers add some spice to the dash. No Nay Hudson comes into town for trainer Wesley Ward for a second straight year. He ran in last year’s Green Flash and just missed winning it.
“We thought he should have won the race,” assistant trainer Blake Heap recalls. “He got to the front and kind of gave up once he had no target in front of him. They nailed him late at the wire.”
Heap believes coming to Del Mar earlier than they did last year will only help No Nay Hudson.
“Last year he came in the day before the race,” Heap explains. “So he didn’t have time to see the track. So this time he’s been here a little while. He’s worked here and he’s settled in good.”
Coppola is another shipper who could have an impact on the Green Flash. He arrives from the Midwest where he resides in the Dale Romans barn. After splashing around in the deep end with some of the best sprinters in the country earlier this year, Romans gave the son of Into Mischief a class break and he responded, winning the $100,000 William Garrett at Horseshoe Indianapolis before running second in the $250,000 Turf Sprint Preview at Ellis Park.
“It’s five furlongs which we know he likes,” Romans says about why he shipped into Del Mar for Saturday’s race. “He likes the firm ground which we expect to get and a Breeders’ Cup run if he takes us there. It’s a competitive field, a big field. But he’s fast and he’s run with these types before.”
Reef Runner also ships in for the Green Flash. He’s been running in Florida. He was brought out West for the surface.
“He kind of likes a pool table,” trainer David Fawkes contends. “He doesn’t want that long grass. He runs good at Gulfstream, which is a similar surface. There are three ‘Win and You’re In’s’ coming up. Kentucky Downs has one but if it rains we’re finished. There’s one at Saratoga where I’ve been there and done that. So we wanted to try this.”
The G3 Green Flash is named after an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs at sunset off the California coast. It’s the ninth race on Saturday’s 11-race card. Probable post is 5:30 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail out with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Beyond Brilliant (Ricardo Gonzalez, 20-1); No Nay Hudson (Kazushi Kimura, 12-1); Coppola (Vincent Chenimaud, 10-1); Sorrento Sky (Umberto Rispoli, 12-1); Virat (Hector I. Berrios, 15-1); Book Smart (Edwin Maldonado, 20-1); Boss Sully (Armando Ayuso, 8-1); Sumter (John Velezquez, 15-1); First Peace (Mike Smith, 5-1); Motorious (Antonio Fresu, 5/2); Queen Maxima (Juan Hernandez, 9/2), and Reef Runner (Paco Lopez, 15-1).
TRIO OF HANDICAPPING SEMINARS ON TAP FOR LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Three handicapping seminars will be conducted over the upcoming Labor Day weekend, each of them starting at 12:30 in the Plaza de Mexico.
The first one will take place on Saturday in a session hosted by Frank Scatoni. His guest for the day is Jason Avila, a serious horseplayer and Racing Manager who’ll pass along his insights on the Saturday card.
On Sunday, Dan Smith will serve as host for the assembly and his handicapping expert will be Racing Radio host and handicapper Jon Lindo. Smith will come right back on Monday with a holiday gathering where his handicapper will be Mike Shutty of Horse Racing Nation, the man who created the handicapping tool called the Super Screener.
COOLING OUT: Here’s your chance to meet up close and personal the San Diego State Aztecs Men’s Basketball team. The 2025 squad will be at Del Mar Sunday. Most of the players will be at the track mingling with the fans and participating in several events throughout the day…Jockey Antonio Fresu has cut the deficit of wins between him and leading rider Juan Hernandez to just five. Two weeks ago he was 10 wins behind. Meanwhile, trainer Mark Glatt has pulled to within two victories of leading trainer Bob Baffert in the trainers’ standings…D. Wayne Baker notched his first win of the summer meet at Del Mar Friday when his filly Union Heiress broke her maiden in Race 3…Notable workouts on Thursday: Baeza (5f, :59.40); Nevada Beach (5f, :59.80); Roll On Big Joe (5f, :59.20), and Sammy Davis (5f, 1:00.20). A total of 96 horses put in official works on Friday.