Saturday’s Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar drew a large and competitive field vying for the winner’s share from a $1 million purse and an automatic berth to the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland. The Pacific Classic will be televised on FS1 and FanDuel TV with a scheduled post time of 9:30 p.m. ET.

Read on for Pacific Classic trifecta betting strategies from the team at America’s Best Racing, and use ABR’s handy Gambling Calculator to structure your bets.

Mike Curry:

Pacific Classic favorite Knightsbridge (Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO)

I spent much of Tuesday afternoon and evening going through the mental gymnastics of how and why I should try to beat #11 Knightsbridge (5-2 morning-line odds) in the Pacific Classic, but after sleeping on it I came to the realization that he's simply miles the best in this race. The 1 ¼-mile distance is a question, but there’s nobody I trust more than Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott to have this budding star ready.

I considered trying to beat Knightsbridge with Japanese invader #3 Finger (8-1), the Tokyo Derby winner, so he’ll be my key horse for second (plus a small trifecta just in case he gets the job done). I’ll round out my trifecta with longshot closers for the third spot: filly #1 Om N Joy (20-1) loves Del Mar and is in great form; #4 Subsanador (12-1) could turn it around at a big price for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella; #6 Original Sin (15-1) is much better than he showed in his most recent start; and #10 Full Serrano (8-1) also has an affinity for this main track.

Mike Curry’s Pacific Classic trifecta ($32 budget):

$6 trifecta: 11 with 3 with 1,4,6,10 ($24)

$2 trifecta: 3 with 11 with 1,4,6,10 ($8)

Noel Michaels:

The biggest name in the Pacific Classic field will be #11 Knightsbridge (5-2), who is a four-time graded stakes winner including a huge 10 ¼-length win last time over a good field in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup Stakes where he earned a giant 122 Beyer Speed Figure at 1 1/8 miles. Knightsbridge has been kept at middle distances most of his career so far, so the main question for him will be the Pacific Classic’s 1 ¼-mile distance, which potentially could open the door for an upset. The main threats  will come from either Japanese invader #3 Finger (8-1), or from the two Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained horses in the race, #2 Forged Steel (5-1) and #9 Navajo Warrior (8-1). All of those horses should be used in trifectas along with the favorite.

Finger has won four of his last five races including a victory last time in the Japanese Derby at this 1 ¼-mile distance atop a 16-horse field. He will look to build on the successes of other recent Japanese invaders including 2025 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young and T O Elvis, who arrived from Japan earlier this year and made mincemeat out of a Grade 1 field in the $1 million Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford, proving that you have to take these Japanese shippers seriously when they show up in top-level races.

Meanwhile, Forged Steel won the Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes in May at this 1 ¼-mile distance on his last visit to California and will be an overlay here after exiting a loss in the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life when his chances were hampered by a bad start. Navajo Warrior has been red-hot lately with back-to-back triple-digit Beyer figures in victories in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special Stakes and the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap in his last two races. Note that Saffie Joseph has had a ton of success lately shipping to California stakes races with horses like Skippylongstocking in the 2025 Hollywood Gold Cup, Be Your Best in the 2025 Gamely Stakes, and earlier this month when he won the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Presented by Oak Tree Racing Association with Eunomia. Perhaps both Joseph horses won’t be able to make a dent in this race, but at least one of them should. Let’s build trifecta tickets using these four.

Noel Michaels’ Pacific Classic trifecta ($48 budget):

$2 trifecta box: 2,3,11 ($12)

$2 trifecta box: 3,9,11 ($12)

$1 trifecta box: 2,3,9,11 ($24)

Patrick Reed:

#11 Knightsbridge (5-2) earned a high speed figure and also looked like a budding superstar when winning the Monmouth Cup Stakes last month … but I’m gonna play against him. I am suspect of horses coming out of Monmouth Park that day and he only defeated four opponents. Plus, four of his other six wins came at Gulfstream Park against average competition. Now, it’s true that this year’s Pacific Classic field is nothing to brag about either, but having Knightsbridge draw the outside post at a track where he’s never run, at a distance he’s never run at, and at odds that will probably be lower than his 5-2 morning line? I’ll look elsewhere.

Pacific Classic contender Full Serrano (Eclipse Sportswire)

I wasn’t that impressed with the video replays of Japanese shipper #3 Finger (8-1) either, although he has solid American bloodlines and has raced against large fields. So, I’m going to pivot and structure a trifecta bet that, if it hits, should produce a sizeable payout. I’ll use #6 Original Sin (15-1), #9 Navajo Warrior (8-1), and #10 Full Serrano (10-1) in first, add #1 Om N Joy (20-1) and #7 Hit Show (6-1) in second with those three, and then add #2 Forged Steel (5-1), #4 Subsanador (12-1), and Knightsbridge to the third slot. I think the pace scenario shapes up for Original Sin provided he rebounds from his no-show in the Suburban Stakes Presented by Sobourbon Life, plus I love Juan Hernandez taking the reins. Navajo Warrior could be the last speed horse left running in a pace-packed field, and I think Full Serrano’s two races this year aren’t as bad as they appear on paper. 

Patrick Reed’s Pacific Classic trifecta ($36 budget):

50-cent trifecta part wheel: 6,9,10 with 1,6,7,9,10 with 1,2,4,6,7,9,10,11 ($36)

Dan Tordjman:

I’m really excited to bet the Pacific Classic this year, even more than most years. Why? I’m ready to heavily fade the top choice, #11 Knightsbridge (5-2), who’s coming in with way too much hype following a big win over a much softer (and smaller) field last month in the Monmouth Cup. There are also three horses inside of him who need to be near the front early in the race, which is going to invariably force him to either run faster early or lose ground while being caught out wide.

Navajo Warrior wins Cornhusker Handicap (Coady Photography)

I’ve landed on three horses as potential win candidates and one horse who I’m 90% confident is going to finish third at a massive price. So, let’s start there. #1 Om N Joy (20-1) has run back-to-back big races including a runner-up finish in her last start on this track in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Presented by Oak Tree Racing Association. There are others in this race with lots of accomplishments, but Om N Joy has the right running style with an inside rail draw for her to make a move late that gets her into third, maybe second if the early pace is super hot.

My win contenders are #5 Malarchuk (10-1), #8 British Isles (12-1) and #9 Navajo Warrior (8-1). The latter is the most intriguing as he’s one of two entered for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. (who also runs #2 Forged Steel (5-1)). Whereas his barnmate has proved best when on the lead from the start, Navajo Warrior can win (and has won) from off the pace, which again I’m projecting to be pretty fast. I also like seeing Micah Husbands riding this one for Saffie. They teamed up not too long ago to win the aforementioned Clement Hirsch at Del Mar with Eunomia.

Dan Tordjman’s Pacific Classic trifecta ($48 budget):

$2 trifecta: 5,8,9 with 5,8,9 with 1,5,8,9 ($24)

$1 trifecta box: 1,5,8,9 ($24)