Dr Post among eight expected for Pacific Classic
This is by far the quietest week of the Del Mar summer season, with no graded stakes. The richest race of the weekend is Sunday’s $150,000 Solana Beach Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Next week is another matter, with seven graded stakes from Friday through Sunday. The Aug. 21 program has five graded stakes, led by the $1 million Pacific Classic, the richest race of the summer season.
The Grade 1 Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles has a probable field of eight – Classier, Cupid’s Claws, Dr Post, Express Train, Royal Ship, Sherriff Brown, Tizamagician, and Tripoli. The winner receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
Dr Post won the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup at 1 1/8 miles for jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Todd Pletcher on July 17. Rosario will be aboard again in the Pacific Classic. Rosario was the leading rider at Del Mar from 2009-11, and will ride at this meeting for the first time on Aug. 21.
The first stakes next week is the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Stakes for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs on Friday. Scotish Star, a Group 1 winner in Argentina last October, is a probable starter for the $100,000 Rancho Bernardo.
Trained by Richard Mandella, Scotish Star was second by a neck to the graded stakes-placed Stellar Sound in an allowance race in her American debut on July 29. Mandella said Scotish Star lost a shoe during the race.
Thursday at Del Mar, Scotish Star worked a half-mile in 46.60 seconds, the fastest of 51 works at the distance.