The 36th running of the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar, one of three final Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” races for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic this year, drew a field of 11 that includes nine graded stakes winners. Om N Joy enters as the first filly or mare to compete in this race since Beholder in 2016 and will face Grade/Group 1 winners Subsanador, Hit Show, British Isles, and 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano. Just two Pacific Classic winners went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic that same year: Accelerate in 2018 and Flightline in 2022. Pleasantly Perfect is the only horse to win the Classic (in 2003) prior to the Pacific Classic (2004). This year’s edition of the Pacific Classic is a wide-open affair with Knightsbridge installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite while the rest of the field is set at 5-1 odds or higher.
Here’s a look at the field from the rail out:
Om N Joy, the lone filly in the field with the longest morning line price on the board of 20-1, finished runner-up by just a half-length in the Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Presented by Oak Tree Racing Association at Del Mar on Aug. 1. The only California-bred in the field, the Om filly is a career 5-for-5 in the money at Del Mar for trainer Aggie Ordonez. Regular rider Kent Desormeaux is back aboard for just his 46th mount of the year. Forged Steel, the first of two Saffie Joseph Jr. entrants, shipped to California in late May to romp by 9 ½ lengths in the 1 ¼-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Santa Anita Park in front-running fashion over fellow Pacific Classic entrant Malarchuk. The Vekoma colt most recently finished a distant fifth in the Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life, a race in which Pacific Classic entrant Hit Show, finished second. Edwin Gonzalez will ride Forged Steel for the first time since a dominant win together at Tampa Bay Downs in March. Finger, a Japan-based Gun Runner colt and only 3-year-old in the field, enters off back-to-back stakes wins, including a 1 ¼-length victory in the Tokyo Derby June 10. Trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka and jockey Keita Tosaki both will be returning to North America for the first time since a fifth-place finish together in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Subsanador, one of two 7-year-olds in the field, was off for 18 months following his win in the Grade 1 California Crown Stakes at Santa Anita due to an ankle injury in October 2024. Subsanador returned to the track in March this year and has yet to finish in the money from three starts, including a fifth-place finish most recently in the Hollywood Gold Cup behind winner Forged Steel and Malarchuk. Mike Smith retains the mount for trainer Richard Mandella. Malarchuk will be making his third start for the Michael McCarthy barn after being previously trained by Chad Brown. The 5-year-old son of Nyquist finished runner-up in the Casa Ford Sunland Park Stakes and Hollywood Gold Cup for McCarthy and will have Umberto Rispoli aboard for the first time. Original Sin ships in from Saratoga for trainer Brendan Walsh after a ninth-place finish in the Suburban Stakes at the Spa on July 4. The Curlin colt won the Grade 3 Blame Stakes two starts back and will have Juan Hernandez aboard for the first time. Hit Show, the 2025 Dubai World Cup winner with more than $9.5 million in lifetime earnings, seeks his ninth career graded/group stakes victory for trainer Brad Cox. The 6-year-old son of Candy Ride finished third in the Blame Stakes and second last time out in the Suburban following his return from a bid in the 2026 Dubai World Cup. Florent Geroux, who has been aboard Hit Show for 14 of his 27 career starts, will be in the irons for the first time since March. British Isles, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel in March, enters off a fourth-place finish in the Hollywood Gold Cup for trainer Richard Baltas. Diego Herrera will be aboard for the first time since their Big ’Cap win. Navajo Warrior, Joseph Jr.’s second entrant, is fresh off a dominant victory in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on July 11. The 5-year-old Candy Ride gelding is a career 10-for-18 lifetime and returns to Del Mar for the first time since a win in a maiden claiming race in October 2024. Since being transferred to the Joseph last August, Navajo Warrior has made six trips to the winner’s circle from eight starts, including back-to-back Grade 3 wins going into this race. Micah Husbands retains the mount and returns to Del Mar for the first time since his win in the Clement L. Hirsch Aug. 1. Full Serrano, the second 7-year-old Argentine-bred in the field, finished runner-up in the 2024 Pacific Classic before going on to win the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile that year. The John Sadler trainee seeks his first win in nearly a year and will have Joel Rosario aboard. Knightsbridge, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, drew the outside post as he stretches out to 1 ¼ miles for the first time. The 5-year-old son of Nyquist most recently dominated the Monmouth Cup Stakes by 10 ¼ lengths in his first start going two turns. The Godolphin homebred trained by Bill Mott will be ridden by Junior Alvarado, who has been in the irons for nine of his 11 career starts.
Analysis and Main Contenders:
Because the morning line favorite, who needs the lead, drew the far outside while stretching out in distance, the Pacific Classic appears to be a money-making opportunity. At 12-1 on the morning line, Subsanador is a formidable contender offering a ton of value because of his most recent performances. Following a hard-fought narrow victory in the California Crown at Santa Anita in September 2024, Subsanador was forced to miss the Breeders’ Cup Classic due to an ankle injury in October that year and was subsequently sidelined for 18 months. Subsanador returned to the track this year in March, turning back in distance in the seven-furlong San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita and just did not fire that day, finishing fourth by eight lengths. He followed with another fourth-place finish by eight lengths in the Lake Ouachita Stakes when shipping to Oaklawn Park in May. Last time out, Subsanador finished last by 37 lengths after being eased under Smith in the stretch due to a loose shoe. While his last three starts since returning from injury are certainly not ideal, Subsanador did have an excuse last time out in a race he lost in 2024 before going on to win back-to-back graded stakes. The 7-year-old has been working tremendously since the Gold Cup with five consecutive impressive breezes at Del Mar, including a bullet five furlongs in :58.80 Aug. 13 and another bullet three furlongs in 36.40 Aug. 19, just three days before the Pacific Classic. He is clearly fit, ready to run, and could return to the class and winning form that he showed in his dominant 4-year-old and 5-year-old campaigns. While returning as a Grade 1 winner off such a long layoff is a difficult task for any horse, Subsanador has a Hall of Fame tandem in his corner in Mandella and Smith, who have won at 25% in dirt routes together over the past five years. In the same time frame, they have won at 21% in dirt route graded stakes. Subsanador presents a lot of value if the betting public is dissuaded by his last three performances because this talented horse has the ability to best this field and is impossible to ignore at the price.
While there is a large amount of early speed in this race, Navajo Warrior is versatile enough to win from off the pace despite front-running victories in his two most recent starts and brings enticing 8-1 morning-line odds for proven connections. Navajo Warrior has been steadily improving throughout his career and has hit his best stride as of late, especially since he was transferred to the Joseph barn, winning six of eight starts since the trainer switch. Navajo Warrior was previously based in Southern California and is quite familiar with West Coast racing. He won his last start at Del Mar in a dirt route, despite it being a maiden claiming race. Since joining the Joseph barn, he romped at Saratoga and Oaklawn Park in races that had a 108 and 102 class rating, respectively. As a 5-year-old this year, he has won three straight races from four total starts, with his first win of the year coming in a March allowance-optional claiming race over classic-placed Gosger when he rallied from last while earning a 106 Equibase Speed Figure. Navajo Warrior next won the Grade 3 Pimlico Special Stakes at Laurel Park on Preakness Stakes weekend in gate-to-wire fashion, improving to a 107 speed figure. Last time out, he shipped to Prairie Meadows for the Grade 3 Cornhusker Handicap. Navajo Warrior took command early as the 8-5 favorite under Micah Husbands and proved much the best in a 3 ½-length gate-to-wire victory, matching the 107 speed figure earned in the Pimlico Special. While his graded stakes victories came when setting the pace, he has won pressing or rallying from off the pace, which is crucial in a field filled with early speed.
Knightsbridge profiles as a vulnerable favorite with his best performances coming with an uncontested lead. However, this horse has proved he can compete with top performers with a contested lead when finishing second in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga behind Nysos and ahead of Journalism, who went on to win the San Diego Handicap in his next start before retiring. Prior to his most recent start, Knightsbridge has been a true seven-furlong and one-turn mile horse with incredible performances at those distances. Six of his seven career wins were by a winning margin of more than four lengths and his other win was by 2 ¾ lengths when running on a muddy track for the first time. Last time out, Knightsbridge faced a major test when stretching out to two turns in the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth Cup, and he passed with flying colors in a 10 ¼-length victory, matching a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of a 109, the highest last-out figure of any horse in this field. Knightsbridge will again face a tall task, stretching out another furlong with presumably a well-contested lead. However, Hall of Fame trainer Mott put him in this spot for a reason and it is a telling sign that regular rider Alvarado is leaving Saratoga to head to Del Mar for the day. While he might not win, Knightsbridge should run in the money as the favorite.
The rest of the field (with best Equibase Speed Figures in a similar race: Om N Joy (108), Forged Steel (107), Finger (NA), Malarchuk (109), Original Sin (105), Hit Show (108), British Isles (107), and Full Serrano (117).
Win Contenders in Preference Order:
Subsanador
Navajo Warrior
Knightsbridge
