DEL MAR — Eleven horses, including six out-of-state entries led by early 5-2 favorite Knightsbridge, are scheduled to run in Saturday’s Pacific Classic, the $1 million annual highlight of Del Mar’s summer meeting.
The three top-ranked horses and five of the top six early picks will be shipping in for the 1¼-mile test on Del Mar’s main track. The one filly in the field, Om N Joy, also has the longest early odds at 20-1.
Knightsbridge, who will be ridden by Junior Alvarado, arrived at Del Mar Saturday. The 5-year-old son of Nyquist has won seven of 11 career starts. The Bill Mott-trained Knightsbridge is coming off a 10¼-length win in the July 18 Monmouth Cup where he posted a 2026-best 122 Beyer Speed Figure.
Knightsbridge drew the outside No. 11 post in the starting gate.
The early second-choice at 5-1 will be Forged Steel (Edwin Gonzalez). One of two entries trained by Florida-based Saffie Joseph Jr., Forged Steel won the 1¼-mile, Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup on May 25 at Santa Anita. More recently, however, the 4-year-old son of Vekoma ran fifth in the Grade II Suburban at Saratoga on July 4, which was also at 1¼ miles. He will start from the No. 2 gate.
Hit Show (Florent Geroux), one of the last horses to be nominated, is the early third pick at 6-1 and will start from the No. 7 gate. Trained by Brad Cox, who has had success shipping horses to Del Mar, Hit Show has won 12 of 27 career starts, but has only one win in four starts this year.
Three Pacific Classic entries are listed at 8-1.
The Japanese-bred Finger (Keita Tosaki) is a 3-year-old son of Gun Runner who won the first two rounds of Japan’s Triple Crown this year. He passed on the third leg to race in the Pacific Classic. He will start from the third post just outside Forged Steel.
Navajo Warrior (Micah Husbands) is the second Joseph-trained horse in the field. The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride is riding a three-race winning streak. He will start from the No. 9 post.
Full Serrano (Joel Rosario) is the top-ranked Southern California entry in the field.
Trained by John Sadler, the 7-year-old has recovered from the recurring foot injuries that forced him to scratch from the Grade II San Diego Handicap earlier this summer. He can be sensational, however. In 2024, ran second to longshot Mixto in the Pacific Classic, then won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile under Rosario. He will break between Navajo Warrior and Knightsbridge.
Also entered in the Pacific Classic are:
Malarchuk (Umberto Rispoli). Trainer Michael McCarthy, 5-year-old son of Nyquist, No. 5 post. His odds are 10-1.
Subsanador (Mike Smith). Trainer Richard Mandella, 7-year-old Argentine-bred, No. 4 post, 12-1.
British Isles (Diego Herrera). Trainer Richard Baltas, 5-year-old son of Justify, No. 8 post, 12-1.
Original Sin (Juan Hernandez). Trainer Brendan Walsh, 4-year-old son of Curlin, No. 6 post, 15-1.
Om N Joy (Kent Desormeaux). Trainer Aggie Ordonez, 4-year-old daughter of Om, No. 1 post, 20-1.
Sweet three-peat
Sweet Azteca pulled away from upset-minded Thermal coming off the turn Sunday afternoon to win the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Stakes for a third straight year.
Five older fillies and mares were entered in the 61/2-furlong sprint on the main track. But the race was actually a match race between 1-5 favorite Sweet Azteca and the John Sadler-trained Thermal, who held the lead down the backstretch and was still up by a half-length at the half-mile pole.
But Sweet Azteca took control under Juan Hernandez coming off the turn and pulled away down the stretch, beating Thermal by 4 ¾ lengths.
“Juan rode the perfect race,” said Baltas. “I was worried about something happening with her standing in the gate too long, but she didn’t move a muscle. She ran like I knew she would. She did whatever Juan wanted. He said she relaxed nicely for him and wasn’t pulling as hard.”
Harper honored
Retiring Del Mar CEO Joe Harper has been named the 2026 recipient of the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award, which goes annually to a person who has served racing with “integrity, extraordinary dedication and distinction.”
Harper, 83, will step down as Del Mar’s CEO at the end of the year. Harper has been the leader of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club for almost five decades. He will be presented the 22nd Pincay Award during ceremonies at the track next Saturday.
Notable
With two wins Sunday, Joel Rosario pulled to within one win of leading jockey Hernandez’s total of 25. And Hernandez will miss next Thursday and Friday as he flies to England to ride Bacio in the Grade I Nunthorpe Stakes. Hernandez will fly overnight to get back to Del Mar for Pacific Classic Day.
Whynotanotherone (Armando Ayuso) reached the finish line of the one-mile sixth race 5¾ lengths ahead of My Man Joe Roldan, but was disqualified when jockey Ali Husain was thrown from Texas Wildcat on the front straight just after the start. Whynotanotherone was disqualified and My Man Joe Roldan won.