The $1 million Pacific Classic (G1), the most prestigious race of the summer season at Del Mar, takes center stage on Saturday featuring 3-year-old star Journalism taking on highly-regarded older horses Nysos and Fierceness.
The 35th edition of the 1 ¼-mile Pacific Classic looks to have a most competitive field, and it’ll take some careful handicapping for those who bet horse racing to make a winning score.
Journalism, the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) winner, was made the 9-5 second choice on the morning-line Tuesday in a field of eight. Also the runner-up to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1), Journalism takes on older horses for the first time.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Journalism leaves from post 6 under regular rider Umberto Rispoli.
Nysos, trained by seven-time Pacific Classic winner Bob Baffert, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite, with Fierceness the 3-1 third choice. The rest of the field is in double digits odds – Midnight Mammoth at 12-1 and Ultimate Gamble, Tarantino, and Lure Him In each at 20-1.
Nysos, who leaves from gate 4 under Flavien Prat, returned to the races after being sidelined for 15 months. He was 3-0 at the time, returned in May and was beaten a neck by Mindframe in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) and then won two straight, the Triple Bend Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita in May and the San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar on July 26.
Fierceness ships in from Saratoga, where last out he faded to fifth in the Whitney Stakes (G1). Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old who ran second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar, has three Grade 1 wins and was voted 2-year-old champion.
In some races, he’s been dazzling, in others not even close, so it remains a question which Fierceness shows up.
The winner earns a fees-paid automatic berth to the $7 million BC Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 1 as the Pacific Classic is a BC “Win and You’re In" race. Journalism has already clinched a spot in the Classic field with his victory in the Haskell.
Nysos is 2-for-2 at Del Mar and 5-for-6 overall. He’s a stalker and should be close to the lead, with Fierceness also likely to be up front. Journalism has shown his versatility and should be running toward the front in the stretch.
Aaron Wellman, the primary owner of Journalism said over the weekend that his colt is “all set to go ... he’s looking for a fight so we’re going to put him in the ring.’’
After Fierceness worked over the weekend at Saratoga, Pletcher said: “He’s in good form. He ran very well in the Breeders’ Cup Classic there last year. We like the timing from the Pacific Classic to the Breeders’ Cup Classic more than we like waiting for the Woodward or the Lukas Classic on the 27th of September.”
Memorable Pacific Classics include Flightline's remarkable 19 ¼-length romp in 2022 (his 1:59.28 clocking is the second fastest in the race), Accelerate’s 12 ½-length tour de force in 2018, and Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome’s five-length win in 2016 over champion mare Beholder, who won the race in 2015 by 8 ¼ lengths.
All were favorites and all won convincingly, but last year it was 22-1 Mixto, the second longest shot in the field of eight, pulling off the upset.
Is there a longshot capable of beating three of the top horses in the country?
Indispensable, trained by John Sadler, could fit the bill. The 4-year-old is coming off an entry-level allowance race last month at Del Mar.
“He’s run three times here,” said Sadler. “Two wins and a second and he seems to run his best races here. He got a good rating the other day when he won so we’ll step him up in class and see how he does.”
1 Fierceness (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher), 3-1
2 Midnight Mammoth (Armando Ayuso, Craig Dollase), 12-1
3 Ultimate Gamble (Kizushi Kimura, Mark Glatt), 20-1
4 Nysos (Flavien Prat, Bob Baffert), 8-5
5 Indispensable (Paco Lopez, John Sadler), 20-1
6 Journalism (Umberto Rispoli, Michael McCarthy), 9-5
7 Lure Him In (Edwin Gonzalez, Sam Wilensky), 20-1
8 Tarantino (Edwin Maldonado, Peter Eurton), 20-1
