Liam the Charmer © Benoit Photo On the sidelines for a year, Liam the Charmer made a successful return to competition Thursday, overtaking Ann Arbor Eddie at the finish line to win Del Mar’s feature...

Prime Attraction © Benoit Photo DAY 22 PRIME ATTRACTION COULD PLAY MAJOR ROLE IN TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC A glance at all the “1”s and “2”s in the past performance lines for Prime Attraction leads to...

Accelerate © Benoit Photo Hronis Racing’s Accelerate, the top-ranked older handicap Thoroughbred in the West, will face seven rivals as the 8-5 morning line favorite Saturday in Del Mar’s signature event of the summer season,...

Living on Prayer © Benoit Photo For the second consecutive day and the sixth time in the first 21 days of the meet, a single Pick Six bettor hit the wager and took home the...

Vexatious © Benoit Photo Given a flawlessly-timed ride by jockey Rafael Bejarano, Vexatious rallied from last place to overhaul favored Queen Blossom in the final sixteenth and win the featured $75,754 CTT & TOC Stakes...

DAY 21 EIGHT ENTERED IN TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC; ACCELERATE (8-5) IN POST 5 Accelerate will break from post position No. 5 in a field of eight in quest of completing the “California Triple” in Saturday’s...

Yuvetsi © Benoit Photo Hronis Racing’s Yuvetsi, a 9-1 outsider under jockey Tyler Baze, shook off 2-5 favored Anonymity turning into the stretch and continued on to score a convincing triumph in the featured Grade...

Accelerate © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 20 ACCELERATE, ‘LIEUTENANT, UNIQUE BELLA IN FINAL CLASSIC WORKS John Sadler-trained Accelerate, the likely morning line favorite for Saturday’s $1 million TVG Pacific Classic and race-nominated The Lieutenant...

Instagrand © Benoit Photo Two-year-old Instagrand, a $1.2 million purchase last March, offered further proof that he is a star in the making Saturday with a brilliant victory in the featured Grade II $200,000 Best...

Dr Dorr and Mubtaahij © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 19 TRAINERS OF TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC HORSES PLAY IT CLOSE TO THE VEST With less than 72 hours remaining before the deadline, at 10 a.m....

Cordiality © Benoit Photo Cordiality, consistent and classy, performed to her 6-5 favoritism Friday with an easy victory under jockey Tyler Baze in the featured $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares. Perfectly...

Catalina Cruiser © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club DAY 18 15 NOMS FOR TVG PACIFIC CLASSIC; FINAL WORKS BEGIN Fourteen older males and champion 4-year-old filly Unique Bella have been nominated for the 28th running of...

Skye Diamonds © Benoit Photo Skye Diamonds, the latest in a career-long series of successful claims by trainer Bill Spawr, will seek to add to her resume when she tries for a second consecutive victory...

Ike Walker © Benoit Photo Ike Walker, a six-year-old gelding who dearly loves competing at Del Mar, scored his fifth victory in seven starts at the seaside track and twelfth over-all during a 42-race career...

Unique Bella © Benoit Photo DAY 17 UNIQUE BELLA IN THE PACIFIC CLASSIC? FIRST STEP HAS BEEN TAKEN Of the eight names on nomination forms for the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic secured by the...

Instagrand © Del Mar Thoroughbred Club OXO Equine’s Instagrand, who appeared every cent worth his $1.2 million purchase price in breaking his maiden by ten lengths in fast time in late June, figures to be...

Divisor © Benoit Photo Kentucky-bred Divisor gamely fought off the stretch-long challenge of Show Me Da Lute to win Del Mar’s feature race Wednesday, a one mile contest over the main dirt track. With Santiago...

Cordiality © Benoit Photo Cordiality, a bang-up third versus open stakes company in the Grade III Wilshire at Santa Anita in late June, will face eight fellow older California-bred fillies and mares Friday in the...

Geovanni Franco aboard Johnny Strong © Benoit Photo DAY 16 FORTUNATE FRANCO RECOVERS FROM SPILL TO WIN ONE DAY LATER The name, Geovanni Franco, registers as Italian. The birthplace listed in the Del Mar jockey...

Bellafina © Benoit Photo Kaleem Shah’s Bellafina, an $800,000 purchase last March, completed a sweep of Del Mar’s Sunday stakes doubleheader for jockey Flavien Prat as she led from wire-to-wire to win the Grade II...