California’s freshman sire class of 2017 sits poised to be one of the most competitive groups in recent memory, not only among its own ranks, but for the state’s overall leading juvenile sire title.

Eight stallions have 10 or more foals in their debut crop. Four of the stallions are Grade 1 winners.

The most prolific of the newcomers, and the one whose yearlings were best received at auction, is Smiling Tiger. The 9-year-old son of Hold That Tiger stands the 2017 breeding season at Harris Farms in Coalinga, Calif., for an advertised fee of $4,000.

Following a solid performance in the Pacific Classic Stakes, Richard’s Kid could have been considered a flight risk to try the Breeders’ Cup Classic instead of testing the Marathon.

The division’s de facto leader, Richard’s Kid will indeed pass on the Marathon, but instead of the Classic, the horse’s next stop will be the breeding shed. The 8-year-old Richard’s Kid was retired on Tuesday after he was found to have sustained a slight tendon tear.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Lady of Fifty and Richard’s Kid, graded stakes winners at Del Mar during the summer, have been retired, their respective trainers said Tuesday.

Lady of Fifty, winner of the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar last month, will be sold as a broodmare prospect at Keeneland in November, according to co-owner and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

Richard’s Kid, who won the Grade 3 Cougar II at Del Mar in July, has been retired after the presence of heat was found in a tendon, trainer Doug O’Neill said.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – Game On Dude is the best horse in the Pacific Classic. But he is not racing on his best surface.

The way Del Mar’s richest race of the season falls on Sunday centers on Game On Dude. If he runs to what he is capable of doing at his absolute best, he will win. If Polytrack again proves his Kryptonite, he will not.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – It was quiet. Too quiet. The draw for the Pacific Classic, which became the soap-opera story of the summer one year ago, was a far more sedate affair Wednesday night at a local resort, with the two human participants in last year’s steel-cage death match both opting to sit this out.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – Richard’s Kid revived his career with a gutty win in the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar on July 26. Had Richard’s Kid lost, a start in the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes on Aug. 25 would have been illogical, according to trainer Doug O’Neill.

“He had to win that,” O’Neill said. “We wanted to see it for it to make sense.”

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DEL MAR, Calif. – Richard’s Kid will attempt to become the first three-time winner of the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 25 after ending a year-long losing streak with a win in Friday’s $100,500 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar.

Richard’s Kid won the 2009 and 2010 runnings of the Pacific Classic, and was third in the 2012 running.

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DEL MAR, Calif. - Richard’s Kid ended a year of frustration, and a span of 10 losses, with a thrilling defense of his title in Friday’s $100,500 Cougar II Handicap at Del Mar.

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Richard’s Kid ($10.80) closed from sixth in a field of seven to win the Grade 3 Cougar II Handicap over 1 1/2 miles by a half-length over even-money favorite Sky Kingdom. Pacesetter Blueskiesnrainbows was third.

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DEL MAR, Calif. – The durable Richard’s Kid has not won in 10 starts, the longest losing streak of his 45-race career.

An 8-year-old, Richard’s Kid will forever be known as a two-time winner of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 2009 and 2010. Whether he merits a fourth career appearance in that race on Aug. 25 will be better known after Friday’s $100,000 Cougar II Handicap over 1 1/2 miles on the Polytrack surface at Del Mar.

BALTIMORE – The Grade 3, $300,000 Pimlico Special on Friday appears to be a tale of two horses. Last Gunfighter has been in the zone since last fall and seeks his sixth straight win. Richard’s Kid, meanwhile, is attempting to recapture some of his former glory as a multiple Grade 1 winner and a $2.3 million earner.