Express Train, consistently in the top flight on the dirt, repelled challenges from both inside and outside to score in the $251,500 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar July 17.
There are a couple of major 1 ¼-mile stakes coming up at Del Mar in the next four months. The first one arrives Aug. 21 in the form of the TVG Pacific Classic, which can propel horses to the Nov. 6 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which offers $6 million in purse money.
Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes on the nation's top contenders for the 2021 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.