Beach View works five furlongs in Pacific Classic prep

DEL MAR, Calif. - From brilliant 2-year-old prospects to older stakes horses, there were notable runners among the 183 horses who recorded workouts at Del Mar on Saturday. Several are expected to start before the current summer meeting ends on Sept. 3.

Beach View, the winner of the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at 1 1/2 miles on July 25, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles on Aug. 18. Beach View won his first stakes in the Cougar II, drawing off by 4 3/4 lengths.

Trained by Leonard Powell, Beach View will start in the toughest race of his career in a field expected to include Accelerate, Mubtaahij, Pavel, Prime Attraction, Roman Rosso, and The Lieutenant.

Accelerate has won two Grade 1 races at 1 1/4 miles at Santa Anita this year – the Santa Anita Handicap in March and the Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May – and will be favored in the $1 million Pacific Classic. Pavel won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs on June 16.

Among 2-year-olds working Saturday, the filly Brill went five furlongs in 59.80 seconds in preparation for a start in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1. She won a maiden race in her debut on July 18. Rowayton, the winner of a maiden race July 21, worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds, the fastest of 74 works at the distance.

Brill and Rowayton are trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. On Saturday Hollendorfer said no definite plans have been determined for Rowayton, but that the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 is a possibility. The Del Mar Futurity is in the plans for Roadster, a maiden race winner on July 29 who worked a half-mile in 47.60 seconds on Saturday for trainer Bob Baffert.

There are four graded stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 18-19. Ashleyluvssugar, who worked a half-mile in 48.80 seconds on Saturday, is scheduled to start in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf on Aug. 18.

Trained by Peter Eurton, Ashleyluvssugar won the 2016 Del Mar Handicap, but was sixth in the race last year. The leading candidates for the $250,000 Del Mar Handicap are Itsinthepost, who has won seven Grade 2 races in the last 18 months, but was ninth in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes here on July 22; and Kenjisstorm, who was second to Itsinthepost in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita in May.

The Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 18 is led by Paved, who won the Grade 2 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita in June, and Got Stormy, the winner of three consecutive stakes at Penn National, Belmont Park and Woodbine since the first of June.

The Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 19 will have a large field. Catapult and Sharp Samurai, the first two finishers of the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 22, and Fly to Mars, the winner of the California Dreamin’ Stakes in course record time of 1:39.50 for 1 1/16 miles on turf on July 28, lead the list of candidates.