Del Mar's Saturday card offers much more than Pacific Classic

DEL MAR, Calif. - The Saturday program at Del Mar is the richest of the summer meeting. Aside from the Pacific Classic, there are three graded stakes on turf – the Grade 2 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs, the Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles, and the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile.

Motorious, who has won or been placed first in the last three runnings of the Green Flash Handicap, drew post 6 of 10 in this year’s race. Motorious will be the 124-pound highweight. The Green Flash has a record purse of $200,000 this year.

Last year, Motorious finished second to Reef Runner, who was disqualified and placed second, a controversial decision.

The Green Flash is the fifth race on an 11-race program. The final three races are the Del Mar Oaks, Pacific Classic and Del Mar Mile.

The $300,000 Del Mar Oaks drew 10, including Kensington Lane, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks at Saratoga on July 4, and Green Carrera, winner of the Sandringham Handicap for 3-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot in Britain on June 19.

Kensington Lane was transferred from trainer Donnacha O’Brien of Ireland to Phil D’Amato in California after the Belmont Oaks. Green Carrera is trained by O’Brien’s brother, Joseph, but is scheduled to remain in California after Saturday’s race.

The $300,000 Del Mar Mile drew 12, with the notable absence of Formidable Man, the winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 25.

Trainer Michael McCarthy said on Sunday that Formidable Man is likely to run in the Grade 3 Mint Millions Invitational at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 7, a $2 million race at a mile on turf.

“I like the idea of running for $2 million,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy will start Detain, the sharp winner of an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf on July 17.

Other leading runners in the Del Mar Mile are King of Gosford, who won the 2025 Shoemaker Mile, finished third this year in the Shoemaker and won the Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar on July 19; the speedy Cabo Spirit, who was second by a nose in the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes on July 26; and Sinsel, a two-time Group 1 winner in Brazil who has yet to start in the United States.

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