ARCADIA, Calif. – California, here they come, right back where the Breeders’ Cup started.

For the third time in the last five years, fourth time in the last 10 years, and ninth time since its inaugural running in 1984, the Breeders’ Cup returns this fall to Southern California. With the opening of Santa Anita’s autumn meeting on Friday, and a plethora of important stakes races at Santa Anita and Belmont Park this weekend, the countdown has commenced to the 15-race Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 2-3 at Santa Anita.

DEL MAR, Calif. – The rivalry between the barns of trainers Bob Baffert and Doug O’Neill has been the focal point in the days leading up to the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sunday, but the steel-cage match has been several months in the making.

DEL MAR, Calif. – A little more than a week ago, Buddy Johnston and trainer Don Warren were hoping to shoot for consecutive wins in the Pacific Classic with Acclamation, last year’s champion older horse. He is sidelined, at least temporarily, but on Tuesday morning, both men were at least contemplating running their second-stringer, Norvsky, in the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic on Sunday.

“We’re thinking about it,” said Johnston, who bred Norvsky and is his co-owner. “But we’ll probably run in the mile.”

DEL MAR, Calif. – At 7, Rail Trip is good enough to have earned a trip to the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in November. He secured an automatic berth for the Dirt Mile with a win in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 28.

His race plans for that autumn day may be subject to change.

Sunday, Rail Trip starts in the $1 million Pacific Classic, three years after he finished third in the race as the favorite. A win would force owner Samantha Siegel and trainer Ron Ellis to reevaluate plans for the autumn. The Breeders’ Cup Classic would become the new goal.

DEL MAR, Calif. - The Pacific Classic may draw a field of 10, including Hollywood Gold Cup winner Game On Dude and Richard’s Kid, the winner of the 2009 and 2010 Pacific Classic. Both are trained by Bob Baffert, who will also start Jaycito.

DEL MAR, Calif. - Richard's Kid, who won the Cougar II Handicap over 1 1/2 miles here on July 27, and Rail Trip are 7, and share the role of senior candidates for the Pacific Classic.

Owned by Samantha Siegel and trained by Ron Ellis, Rail Trip worked seven furlongs in 1:29 at Hollywood Park on Tuesday. A gelding, Rail Trip won the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap over 1 1/16 miles here on July 28, his first stakes win since the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Hollywood Park in June, 2010.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Everything was going fine for Include Me Out in the Grade 1 Vanity Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 16, until she was past the sixteenth pole, leading by about two lengths.

“She pulled herself up,” trainer Ron Ellis said.

Include Me Out eased up just enough to be caught by Love Theway Youare and lost the race over 1 1/8 miles by 2 1/2 lengths.

Ellis insists that is not a true indication of Include Me Out’s ability.

“You can’t judge her off her last race,” he said.

DEL MAR, Calif. - You might not be able to wipe the smile off trainer Ron Ellis’s face for quite awhile, such was the emotionally uplifting and satisfying victory by Rail Trip on Saturday in the San Diego Handicap.

“He looked great,” on Sunday morning, Ellis said.

Ellis said Rail Trip “really needed to win, he needed to have that swagger.”

“It’s going to be interesting to see how he acts coming out of this,” Ellis said.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Rail Trip may only have been the fifth choice in the Grade 2, $200,000 San Diego Handicap, but there could not have been a more popular winner on the card at Del Mar on Saturday, because his victory culminated a tumultuous, 24-month odyssey and left his connections positively beaming.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Rail Trip is more than two years removed from his last stakes win, the Grade 2 Californian Stakes at Hollywood Park. Nearly three years have gone by since his only start on the Del Mar Polytrack surface, a game third in the 2009 Pacific Classic.

Those two facts make his appearance in Saturday’s $200,000 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar all the more intriguing. A 7-year-old with two losses earlier this year, Rail Trip has a chance to prove he is back to his best, the form that led to a win in the 2009 Hollywood Gold Cup.