California’s signature summer race, the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes Saturday at Del Mar, drew a competitive and large field of horses ages 3 and older vying for a fees-paid berth to the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

The 1 ¼-mile Pacific Classic is one of the most prestigious races in U.S. Thoroughbred racing, and since its first running in 1991 has provided several moments that will endure in the sport’s history, including Dare and Go’s upset of Cigar in 1996, Candy Ride’s track record in 2003, the mare Beholder’s domination of males in 2015, and Flightline’s overpowering win in 2022.

This year’s field lacks a superstar but features a diverse group led by Knightsbridge, who enters off of a dominant win in the Monmouth Cup Stakes last month; 2025 Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show; graded stakes-winning filly Om N Joy; Japanese invader Finger;  and Full Serrano, runner-up in this race two years ago. 

The 36^th Pacific Classic will be televised live on both FanDuel TV and on FS1 as part of an “America’s Day at the Races” show, with a scheduled post time of 9:30 p.m. ET.

Scheduled as Race 10 on the program, the Pacific Classic kicks off the late Daily Double at Del Mar and is the middle leg of the late Pick 3, both of which offer an attractive 15% takeout.  It’s also included in the late Pick 4, Pick 5, and $2 Pick 6.

Read on for information about all of the Pacific Classic runners plus some gambling insights.

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1. Om N Joy (20-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Kent Desormeaux

Trainer: Aggie Ordonez

Owners: Baker Stables, Scanlan Racing, and Michael Golovko

Career record: 18 starts – 6 wins – 1 second – 5 thirds

Career earnings: $696,703

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 108

Pedigree: Om – Margie’s Minute, by Hard Spun

Age: 4

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: One female has won the Pacific Classic in its history – Hall of Famer Beholder, who won by 8 ¼ lengths in 2015 (she also finished second to California Chrome in 2016). Om N Joy is not in Beholder’s class, to say the least, but she’s put together a successful career and is arguably in peak form this summer. The California-bred comes into the Pacific Classic off of a runner-up finish by a half-length to Eunomia in the Aug. 1, 1 1/8-mile Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Presented by Oak Tree Racing Association on this track, where she rallied late to close a significant gap but came up short. Prior to that, Om N Joy won the 1 1/16-mile Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita Park by 3 ¾ lengths with another strong rally. This filly has been especially good in Southern California and proved she could run well at longer distances in her two recent outings after mainly competing in sprints and one-mile races earlier in her career. To repeat: she’s not Beholder, but this isn’t a vintage Pacific Classic field either. Om N Joy is worth a long look as a horse to use in exotic bets at the very least with regular rider and Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux in the saddle.

BENOIT photo

2. Forged Steel

Jockey: Edwin Gonzalez

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owners: C2 Racing Stable, Mathis Stable, and TCC Stables

Career record: 19 starts – 5 wins – 3 seconds – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $436,130

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 107

Pedigree: Vekoma – Scorecard, by Tale of the Cat

Age: 4

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: East Coast-based Forged Steel turned his first trip to Southern California into a career peak in late May, leading from start to finish to defeat four opponents in the 1 ¼-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes by 9 ½ lengths at Santa Anita Park. The Vekoma colt had competed on dirt and turf prior to the Gold Cup with little distinction but had shown improvement starting in early 2026 with two allowance wins and a third-place finish in the 1  ½-mile Temperence Hill Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The Hollywood Gold Cup field was subpar compared with historical standard, and while this year’s Pacific Classic field lacks a true superstar racehorse, it’s a tougher group. After his Gold Cup win, Forged Steel shipped to Saratoga for the July 4 Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life, where he buckled at the start and was unable to gain early position near pacesetting Phileas Fogg, tiring to finish fifth and 12 lengths behind that foe but only two lengths behind runner-up Hit Show. Provided he gets off to a better start Saturday, Forged Steel should be part of what projects to be a solid early pace in the Pacific Classic. He’s an underlay at 5-1 odds on the morning line despite the Gold Cup win and a series of good workouts at Saratoga since the Suburban.

Katsumi Saito

3. Finger

Jockey: Keita Tosaki

Trainer: Hiroyasu Tanaka

Owner: M’s Racing

Career record: 8 starts – 4 wins – 4 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $1,303,486

Top Equibase Speed Figure: n/a

Pedigree: Gun Runner – Estilo Talentoso, by Maclean’s Music

Age: 3

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: With the retirements of Nysos and Journalism, the California ranks of top older horses took a big hit earlier this summer – so it makes perfect sense for connections of this Japanese runner to ship overseas and take aim on the Pacific Classic. Finger has not finished worse than second in eight career starts and comes into Saturday’s race off of two consecutive stakes wins at Ohi Racecourse in Tokyo, the 1 1/8-mile Haneda Hai in late April and the 1 ¼-mile Tokyo Derby on June 10. He set the pace in both victories and responded well when asked at the top of the stretch by regular jockey Keita Tosaki to draw clear of his challengers. Both of these races were run clockwise (opposite from the standard in U.S. racing) and on the secondary racing circuit in Japan. Based on video replays, Finger appears to have a steady, cruising style without much turn of foot. On the other hand, he’s competed in fields of 13 horses or more in seven of his eight starts and does have a stakes win going counterclockwise, a 1 ½-length score at Funabashi Racecourse back in January. Finger is the definite wild card in this year’s Pacific Classic and at the very least should be part of the early pace. Japanese invaders have shone at Del Mar in recent years, including twice on dirt with Marche Lorraine in the 2021 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Forever Young in last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. Can this colt do the same?

Eclipse Sportswire

4. Subsanador (12-1)

Jockey: Mike Smith

Trainer: Richard Mandella

Owner: Wathnan Racing

Career record: 20 starts – 9 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $1,024,824

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 119

Pedigree: Fortify – Save the Date, by Hurricane Cat

Age: 7

Color: Chesnut

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: Subsanador came back from a 1 ½-year layoff back in March and in three starts since has shown little of the stakes-winning form he displayed in summer and fall 2024. He finished fourth twice in stakes at Santa Anita Park and Oaklawn Park before being eased in the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes May 25 and finishing last of five in a race Forged Steel won on the front end. In his defense, Subsanador had troubled starts in all three races, and he’s posted some solid workouts at Del Mar since his Gold Cup flop. This horse (one of two entrants owned by Wathnan Racing along with Hit Show) owns the highest career Equibase Speed Figure in the field, a 119, and he also owns a win over $5 million earner National Treasure, both coming back in 2024 in route stakes races. There’s enough back class to make this Argentine-bred an appealing longshot in this wide-open edition of the Pacific Classic, but he’ll need to get off to a clean start in order to post the upset under Hall of Famer Mike Smith. Smith is a four-time winner of this race, as is fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella.

Eclipse Sportswire

5. Malarchuk (10-1)

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Owners: ERJ Racing or Reddam Racing

Career record: 10 starts – 3 wins – 5 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $320,910

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 109

Pedigree: Nyquist – Seize the Ring, by Tiznow

Age: 5

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker

Analysis: This Nyquist horse moved from trainer Chad Brown’s oversight and a career spent running at the allowance level to Michael McCarthy’s barn earlier this year, and since then has finished second in two stakes races, the 1 1/8-mile Casa Ford Sunland Park Stakes and the 1 ¼-mile Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Santa Anita Park. In the Gold Cup, Malarchuk pressed front-running Forged Steel early but faded on the far turn and was just able to hold second while finishing 9 ½ lengths behind the winner. Such an effort does not inspire confidence heading into a Pacific Classic that includes Forged Steel and several more accomplished horses, even if overall this year’s edition lacks a true star. Forged Steel has a good pedigree for handling a mile and a quarter and his midpack, stalking style could help him get first run on the closers if the early pace is cooking Saturday evening. It will be interesting to see how jockey Umberto Rispoli, one of Del Mar’s leading riders, works with Malarchuk as he gets aboard for the first time. He’s a horse to consider using in exacta/trifecta bets but an outsider to win.

Coady Media

6. Original Sin (15-1)

Jockey: Juan Hernandez

Trainer: Brendan Walsh

Owner: Calumet Farm

Career record: 9 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $390,235

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 105

Pedigree: Curlin – Beauty and Light, by Unbridled’s Song

Age: 4

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Stalker/closer

Analysis: Toss out his last race, and this Curlin colt is an appealing longshot in a wide-open Pacific Classic. Original Sin won three times earlier in 2026 in races 1 1/16 miles or longer, including in his stakes debut May 30 at Churchill Downs, where he gamely held on to score by a half-length over Who Dey in the 1 1/8-mile Blame Stakes, a race in which Hit Show rallied to finish third. Then, he shipped up to Saratoga for the 1 ¼-mile Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life on July 4, where he was sent off at odds of 21.66-1 and ran to that estimate, finishing ninth of 11, 18 lengths behind wire-to-wire winner Phileas Fogg and eight lengths behind runner-up Hit Show. He’s posted steady workouts at Saratoga since that race and, if he can rebound, has the pedigree and upside to be a factor in the Pacific Classic, especially considering that Del Mar’s leading jockey Juan Hernandez will take the reins for the first time.

Lou Hodges, Jr. /Hodges Photography

7. Hit Show (6-1)

Jockey: Florent Geroux

Trainer: Brad Cox

Owner: Wathnan Racing

Career record: 27 starts – 12 wins – 3 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $9,541,683

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 110

Pedigree: Candy Ride – Actress, by Tapit

Age: 6

Color: Gray or roan

Running style: Closer

Analysis: Despite earning more than $9.5 million on the track, Hit Show has never reached superstar status. He’s a hard-trying, consistent racehorse who can usually be counted on to make a good effort but needs a solid pace and racing luck in order to win. This is especially true in the past two years, where he’s won five times in 12 starts with late rallies and never by more than 1 ½ lengths. One of those wins came in the 2025 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline, held at 1 ¼ miles, where he scored by a half-length over Mixto with international superstar Forever Young two lengths back. In his three races leading up to the Pacific Classic, Hit Show has finished fifth in the Dubai World Cup, third with a poor trip in the 1 1/8-mile Blame Stakes won by Original Sin, and second by a distant 10 lengths to Phileas Fogg in the 1 ¼-mile Suburban Stakes Presented by Subourbon Life. Florent Geroux, who rode Hit Show in his Dubai World Cup starts and to six other stakes wins in his career, will be aboard Saturday, and that’s a big plus. As noted, he’ll need a fast pace to set up his rally and a clean trip as well, but if his odds remain in the 6-1 range the son of 2003 Pacific Classic winner Candy Ride is worth a long look as a win candidate in his first career start at Del Mar, and a must-use horse in exactas and trifectas.

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8. British Isles (12-1)

Jockey: Diego Herrera

Trainer: Richard Baltas

Owners: Slam Dunk Racing, Deborah Baltas, and Cynthia McClanahan

Career record: 26 starts – 4 wins – 6 seconds – 4 thirds

Career earnings: $568,201

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 107

Pedigree: Justify – Purely Hot, by Pure Prize

Age: 5

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Analysis: This Justify gelding made the switch from turf to dirt back in late 2025 and since then has won once in five starts, with that victory coming in the 1 ¼-mile Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel March 7, where he powered clear to prove much the best by 4 ½ lengths. That edition of the Big ’Cap drew a below-average field based on historical standards and consisted of only five horses. While this year’s Pacific Classic field lacks star power, it’s still better than the quartet British Isles defeated this spring, and of a greater concern is his record since that win – sixth by 11 ¼ lengths in the 1 3/16-mile Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland and then fourth by 10 lengths in the Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita won by Forged Steel. He’ll need to rebound to his Big ’Cap form to have any shot at an upset Saturday, and Diego Herrera, who was aboard on March 7, is back in the saddle.

Jack Coady Photography

9. Navajo Warrior (8-1)

Jockey: Micah Husbands

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owners: BAG Racing Stables, Miller Racing, Dr. Derek Paul, Mathis Stable, Paul Braverman, and Timothy Pinch

Career record: 18 starts – 10 wins – 2 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $632,009

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 112

Pedigree: Candy Ride – Crosswinds, by Storm Cat

Age: 5

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Analysis: Like several other entrants in Saturday’s Pacific Classic, Navajo Warrior comes into the race in very good form racing at a lower level of competition and stands an upset chance if he can maintain his current form while extending in distance. The gelding by 2003 Pacific Classic winner and track record-setter Candy Ride made his first 16 starts at the allowance and starter-optional claiming level and was originally based in Southern California before changing trainers to Saffie Joseph Jr. and moving east in summer 2025. He remained a solid competitor in allowance races until May of this year, when Joseph entered him in the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special Stakes at Laurel Park. Navajo Warrior won that race by 2 ¾ lengths in gate-to-wire fashion and then turned in another strong front-running effort in the 1 1/8-mile Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, scoring by 3 ½ lengths. Young jockey Micah Husbands was in the saddle at Prairie Meadows and retains the mount in the Pacific Classic, and he figures to be aggressive on Navajo Warrior and hustle him to the lead. There are several other contenders in Saturday’s race who prefer to be forwardly placed, but Navajo Warrior is in too good form to dismiss, especially as a trifecta and/or superfecta filler.

Eclipse Sportswire

10. Full Serrano (8-1)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: John Sadler

Owner: Hronis Racing

Career record: 22 starts – 7 wins – 6 seconds – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $1,245,923

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 117

Pedigree: Full Mast – Serra Do Mar, by Jump Start

Age: 7

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace/stalker

Analysis: Full Serrano returns to his favorite track for the first time in 2026, and he’ll need to at least come within striking range of the form he displayed at Del Mar in 2024 in order to win Saturday’s Pacific Classic. Nearly two years ago, he came a half-length shy of winning the Pacific Classic, setting a moderate pace on the front end and battling gamely in the stretch only to yield in the final strides to Mixto. One race later, Full Serrano cut back in distance and scored an upset win in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, with Joel Rosario riding. After a 10-month layoff, the Argentine-bred came back to Del Mar and romped in a one-mile allowance race in September 2025, and followed that up with a close second in the 1 1/8-mile Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita. Since then he’s gone winless in three starts – a fifth in last year’s BC Dirt Mile at Del Mar, a solid third in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes in January, and a fourth by 2 ¾ lengths in the Oaklawn Mile Stakes March 28. Full Serrano’s Equibase Speed Figures have dropped into the mid-90s since his Goodwood run, a worrisome trend. On the positive side, he’s been training well at Del Mar in recent weeks and gets two-time Pacific Classic winner Rosario back in the saddle after a one-race absence. John Sadler has won four editions of the Pacific Classic, all since 2018 and with Hronis Racing either as sole owner or co-owner.

Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

11. Knightsbridge (5-2)

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: Bill Mott

Owner: Godolphin

Career record: 11 starts – 7 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $923,155

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 109

Pedigree: Nyquist – Tyburn Book, by Bernardini

Age: 5

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Press the pace

Analysis: Knightsbridge is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Pacific Classic coming off of an eye-catching, 10 ¼-length win in the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth Cup Stakes July 18, which was his first career start in a two-turn race. Facing only four opponents, Knightsbridge set a solid but relatively unpressured pace and opened up on the far turn and through the stretch to win easily. Overall, this well-bred Nyquist horse has one of the best résumés in the Pacific Classic field, having posted three stakes wins at distances ranging from seven furlongs to one mile prior to his Monmouth Cup score. He also finished second on June 6 to since-retired Nysos in the Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Saratoga, aka the “Met Mile.” In all likelihood, Nysos would be the post-time favorite in Saturday’s race had he not been retired, so it’s not surprising that Knightsbridge inherits that status in advance. Still, he’ll only be making his second start in a route race against 10 opponents rather than four, and he’ll break from the far outside post position as well. Jockey Junior Alvarado will need to ensure his mount gets away cleanly in order to use enough speed to secure an advantageous position early in the race within touch of the leaders. Winning this race might be a tougher assignment for Knightsbridge than his morning-line odds suggest.