DEL MAR, Calif. – A strapping mare trying 1 1/4 miles for the first time, facing colts and geldings for the first time, singlehandedly transformed Del Mar’s top summer race from marginal significance to one of the most compelling stakes of the season. Whether or not Adare Manor will win the Grade 1 Pacific Classic as the 9-5 program favorite is a matter of opinion, but the 5-year-old mare is the star on Saturday when she meets males at 1 1/4 miles for a $1 million purse. The Pacific Classic was not on Adare Manor’s itinerary, trainer Bob Baffert acknowledged. “The plan when I brought her down here was like last year – run in the Clement Hirsch, then go back [to Santa Anita] and run in the Zenyatta, then run in the Breeders’ Cup [Distaff] like we did last year.” As summer unfolded, the Pacific Classic became increasingly attractive for Adare Manor. First, she scored an impressive victory in the Hirsch, her third Grade 1 and 10th win from 18 starts. Meanwhile, a muddled male handicap division failed to produce a genuine leader. Baffert and owner Michael Lund Petersen quietly contemplated the Pacific Classic for Adare Manor, and ultimately decided to go for it. “She likes the track, she’s doing well, and they’re all pretty close. There’s not a Flightline or [American] Pharoah or Justify” in the field, Baffert said. :: DRF's Del Mar Handicapping Packages: Get everything you need to play the races with confidence. There are eight males with modest ability. None are Grade 1 winners, none are fast on numbers. It’s a modest group. Rivals for Adare Manor include her stablemate, upset candidate Reincarnate; Dr. Venkman, winner of the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap; and East Coast shipper Il Miracolo. Others entered are Katonah, runner-up in the San Diego; Full Serrano, a South American import who won his U.S. debut in an entry-level allowance; late supplement There Goes Harvard; and outsiders None Above the Law and Mixto. The Pacific Classic, a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, is race 10 on Saturday on a card with five graded stakes, including a pair of Grade 2s on turf – the Del Mar Handicap is race 5, the Del Mar Mile is race 11. The Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap, a turf sprint, is race 9. The Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on dirt is race 4. Adare Manor will be the first female in the Pacific Classic since 2016, when Beholder finished second following her 2015 Pacific Classic blowout. Adare Manor is not Beholder, at least not yet, but Adare Manor’s large size compares favorably to her male rivals. She will not be intimidated. Baffert, who has won seven Pacific Classics, is more optimistic about the distance. “I’m just thinking of the [mile and one-quarter] distance,” he said. “I’ve always thought she’s a mile and an eighth, mile and a quarter type of mare. She’s a big mare, a long-striding mare. She covers a lot of ground. She’s more mature, bigger, a stronger mare, and all her races have been spaced out, hitting the bullseye.” Adare Manor, seventh last year in the BC Distaff, is 3 for 4 with a second this year. Juan Hernandez rides Adare Manor, who gets a five-pound gender allowance (119 to 124) and on figures is consistently faster than her rivals. Although favorites have won the Pacific Classic eight of the last 11 years, Baffert’s second starter commands attention despite a misfire last month. :: Get Del Mar Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day. Reincarnate was odds-on in the Grade 3 Cougar II at 1 1/2 miles on dirt, but he merely ran around the track and finished a distant second to since-sidelined Midnight Mammoth. Baffert gives Reincarnate a pass. “For some reason, he didn’t bounce out the gate, he just went around there nonchalantly. I would draw a line through that. Kazushi Kimura rides Reincarnate, who worked fast since raced and whose efforts in Santa Anita graded stakes this year at the Pacific Classic distance give him a shot. He was second in the Grade 2 Gold Cup two back and third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap four back. Reincarnate is expected to be a pace factor. Dr. Venkman, the 5-2 second choice, is relatively new to the division. He won the San Diego last out at 1 1/16 miles in his fifth career start and first route. Dr. Venkman, 3 for 5, is trained by Mark Glatt, his rider is Antonio Fresu. The waters are deeper and the distance farther Saturday. “Even though he passed the two-turn test with flying colors, [now] in just his second two-turn race we’re asking him to go a mile and a quarter,” Glatt said. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem. But until you see it, you don’t necessarily believe it. I think we’ll be all right.” Il Miracolo, the only shipper, wheels back two weeks after finishing second in the Grade 3 Iselin at Monmouth Park. Antonio Sano trains the 4-for-21 gelding, a two-time Grade 3 winner. “It’s a very short time from his last race,” Sano admitted, adding a qualifier. “He’s a big horse. Every time, only one-paced. It’s no problem for the distance. A mile and a quarter is good for my horse.” Mike Smith rides Il Miracolo, who is making his first start at the distance. Katonah, winner of a $150,000 stakes last summer at Pleasanton, finished a solid second last out behind Dr. Venkman in the San Diego. It was the first start for Katonah in more than a year. “I thought it was phenomenal,” trainer Doug O’Neill said. “He was fit as a fiddle, you can tell from his effort, and we just kept him in a nice, strong maintenance mode [since]. Very optimistic we’re going to see a winning effort.” Tiago Pereira rides Katonah. O’Neill also entered Mixto, a 1-for-13 longshot who has placed in three graded races. His rider is Kyle Frey. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Full Serrano is trained by John Sadler and owned by Hronis Racing, connections who have won four of the last six Pacific Classics. Grade 3-placed in Argentina, Full Serrano had an inside-speed bias in his favor winning an entry-level allowance in his U.S. debut with an 85 Beyer. Sadler was initially reluctant to commit to the Pacific Classic. Full Serrano changed his mind. “He trained his way into it,” Sadler said, noting the series of sharp works since raced. Although Full Serrano set the pace in his comeback, Sadler does not see him as a front-runner. “I think he’s a nice enough horse, he’ll have versatility depending on the race situation.” Full Serrano has won 5 of 15 and will be ridden by Reylu Gutierrez. There Goes Harvard was supplemented to the Pacific Classic for $10,000. He is cross-entered in the Del Mar Handicap. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.