It may be known as where “the turf meets the surf” but the attention will be on the dirt track at Del Mar on Saturday for the 2022 edition of the Pacific Classic Stakes.
Flightline heads the market and is 1.40 with William Hill. Trainer John Sadler has been careful not to overwork the 4-year-old whose four previous wins – all victories – were spread over a fourteen month period.
He has had a similar break again this time with his latest run – a Grade 1 handicap at Belmont Park. He had no issue that day stepping up to 1 mile and while he will have to go further still in this 1 mile 2 furlong challenge, there is nothing to suggest he will have any issues.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 1st, 2:00 PM (BST)
A winner previously at Del Mar, Flightline will again be partnered by Flavien Prat. Prat won this race in 2019 aboard Higher Power for Sadler, who has saddled three of the previous four winners.
Five rivals remain to challenge Flightline for the bulk of the $1 million purse. Winner of the Dubai World Cup, Country Grammer is strongest according to the market at 4.50.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori to victory at Meydan in March and scooping over £5 million in prize money, Bob Baffert has been preparing the 5-year-old for this race for some time. A run at Del Mar in July was part of those preparations, finishing second with John Velazquez on board then as he will be on Saturday.
Country Grammer was beaten that day by Richard Mandella’s Royal Ship, a 5-year-old who since his debut at Gavea, Brazil, has never competed outside California, only racing at Del Mar and Santa Anita.
Alongside regular jockey Mike Smith, Royal Ship certainly will feel at home, but none of his four wins have come over more than 1 mile ½ furlong. He’s an 11.00 chance.
Express Train at 13.00 – another who has seldom left the two California tracks – and Stilleto Boy at 21.00 are the other two each way hopes.
Victor Espinoza has partnered Express Train to three wins and a second in his last four, one of which was victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. But the only horse to beat him in that run was Stilleto Boy, his first graded race win, in April.
At 101.00, Richard Mandella’s other runner Extra Hope will be needing plenty of hope to claim an unlikely win.
