#Del Mar Handicap

It's full speed ahead this summer at the Del Mar racetrack. While the schedule of activities in 2021 was abbreviated because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this season will have a calendar that is chock-full of events, which visitors are more accustomed to seeing. "We're raring to go," said Chris Bahr, Del Mar's director of events and promotions. "Not…

Winning connections celebrate after the inaugural running of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club's $150000 Pitons Cup on Friday. Photo courtesy of Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club Dec. 16 (UPI) -- On a horse racing weekend when "new" was the watchword from Japan all the way to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Instilled Regard and War Story provided a hint of…

The horse everyone will be watching and quite possibly betting next Saturday put in another eye-catching work Saturday morning at Del Mar, not so much for the speed at which he glided around the track, but at how effortless it appeared. Flightline set fractions of:12.80, :24.60, :36.40, and stopped the clock at:59.60 for the five furlongs. Not bad…

The Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Saturday evening is looking to be a significant race in the Autumn racing calendar in California and beyond. The race is over the track and trip that the Breeders Cup Classic will be contested over in three months' time. As a result, trainers will be looking to see how their charges are likely to handle this course…

A busy weekend of Breeders' Cup challenge series races already is underway as Santa Anita Park kicked off its fall meet Friday with three "Win and You're In'' races. Hopefully, your handicapping is about complete for Santa Anita's opening day, which features the $300000 American Pharoah Stakes (G1) for 2-year-olds. Post time for this one is 8 p.m.…

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) - Trainer John Sadler woke up feeling confident on Pacific Classic day, believing he had the best horse in the field. "The toughest thing all day was getting into the parking lot," he said. Accelerate never gave Sadler reason for concern, living up to his name with a record 12 1/2-length victory in the $1 million race at Del…

OZONE PARK, N.Y.- For the past two seasons, George Krikorian's War Like Goddess has displayed superiority amongst her staying female counterparts at graded stakes level on grass. In Saturday's Grade 1, $500000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the talented bay mare will target a new task when facing males for the first time for Hall of Famer Bill Mott. The…

MEET THE MAN WHO RIDES FLIGHTLINE FOR A LIVING You're a true horseman when every time you see a quality horse you wonder'What would it be like to ride him.' The man to answer that question about Flightline, this Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic favorite, is Juan Leyva, assistant trainer to John Sadler and exercise rider for Flightline. "He's not like…

G1 RUNHAPPY FUTURITY, G1 TVG DEBUTANTE BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE The Del Mar racing office has released a list of probables for next weekend's Grade 1 stakes races to decide the champion 2-year-olds of the soon-to-conclude summer meet and set the stage for the run to the Breeders' Cup in November at Keeneland. Six fillies are probable for Saturday's TVG…

Joe Bravo / 14 Edwin Maldonado / 13 TRAINERS / WINS Bob Baffert / 14 Philip D'Amato / 13 Doug O'Neill / 13 Peter Miller / 12 Jonathan Wong / 12 Saturday • $1 million Grade I Pacific Classic, 3-year-olds and up, 1¼ miles • $300000 Grade II Del Mar Handicap, 3-year-olds and up, 1-3/8 miles (turf) • $300000 Grade II Del Mar Mile, 3-year-olds and up, 1…