A field of 13 horses could line up for the 36th running of the Pacific Classic at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Saturday, Aug. 22, making it one of the deepest editions of the track's signature $1 million race in years.
Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens said on Aug. 13 that 16 horses were nominated, with 13 listed as strong possibilities. "It looks like we will have a full field," Jerkens told the San Diego Union-Tribune. The average field size over the race's 35-year history is 8.5 horses.
Entries were to be drawn Sunday, Aug. 16, with the race televised on FS1.
The likely favorite is Knightsbridge, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who posted a 122 Beyer Speed Figure in a 10¼-length victory in the Grade III Monmouth Cup. That figure is the highest by a dirt horse globally in 2026 and the highest since Flightline's 2022 campaign, according to Del Mar's stable notes. Mott said Aug. 14 that Knightsbridge has "done a little more each time" and called his last race "a good one."
The field also features Hit Show, the 2025 Dubai World Cup champion trained by Brad Cox with career earnings exceeding $9.5 million, and Finger, the Tokyo Derby winner who arrived at LAX on Friday, Aug. 14, for the cross-Pacific trip.
Hall of Famer Richard Mandella is sending Subsanador, a 7-year-old Argentine-bred who drilled a mile between races at Del Mar on Aug. 6 in 1:37.25. Mandella used the unconventional workout to simulate race-day stress before a crowd, then followed it with a bullet five-furlong work on Friday, Aug. 14, in 58.80 seconds, fastest of 42 at the distance. Mandella also trained Dare And Go, who upset the great Cigar at 39-1 in the 1996 Classic before 44,181 fans, still the largest on-track crowd and longest-priced winner in race history.
One notable absence: Nysos, the probable favorite heading into the meet, was withdrawn after a routine diagnostic scan showed subtle imaging changes. It was the second straight year the horse was pointed to the Classic only to miss it.
The 2026 edition moved a week earlier than the Aug. 30, 2025, running. Jerkens said the shift accommodates the Santa Anita schedule and Breeders' Cup prep races while avoiding a conflict with the Travers Stakes on Aug. 29.
The Grade I Pacific Classic, first run in 1991 at the urging of Del Mar co-founder John Mabee, carries records that speak to its stature. Candy Ride, owned by Rancho Santa Fe's Sydney and Jenny Craig and trained by Ron McAnally, holds the track record of 1:59.11 set in 2003. Flightline won the 2022 edition by 19¼ lengths, the largest margin ever, despite jockey Flavien Prat easing him from the eighth pole. Bob Baffert has won seven Classics, more than any other trainer.
The mile-and-a-quarter dirt race carries a $1 million purse. Post time and full entries will be available after the Aug. 16 draw at dmtc.com.
