Pacific Classic Betting Odds and Preview

by Patricia Woo | Aug 31 2009

Our race of the week is the 1 ¼-mile Gr. 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar, which will be held this year on Sunday, Sept. 6. As Del Mar's most prominent race, the Pacific Classic boasts a purse of $1M and is a significant stepping stone on the path towards the Breeders' Cup Classic in November. With heavy hitters like Colonel John, Einstein and Rail Trip among the expected starters, the Pacific Classic promises to be a thrilling race that horse bettors and racing fans alike will not want to miss.

Long established as a horse that liked synthetic race tracks, Colonel John made his 4-year-old debut on turf - a triumph in the $85K Wickerr Stakes at Del Mar on July 31 that marked a return to winning form after a pair of disappointing races that capped off his 2008 season. And without stablemate and $6M Dubai World Cup champion Well Armed in the lineup, trainer Eoin Harty seems inclined to give his charge another opportunity to demonstrate his versatility. "We don't have to ship," Harty said after Colonel John's Wickerr Stakes win. "He likes it [at Saratoga] and he is training here." Horse bettors keen on getting a handle on Colonel John's fitness after his months-long absence will be paying close attention to the bay colt's performance on Sunday.

Another horse with the ability to excel on all track surfaces is Einstein, a 7-year-old trained by Helen Pitts. This multiple Grade 1-winner has earned titles over the Pro-Ride at Santa Anita Park (the Santa Anita Handicap on July 3) and grass at Churchill Downs (The Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes on May 2) this year, and came tantalizingly close to a surface sweep in his third-place Stephen Foster Handicap on June 13 over Churchill Down’s conventional dirt track. Should he perform as well as expected in the Pacific Classic, Einstein may be on track to compete in the richest race of the Breeders' Cup divisions, the Classic.

With a captivating win in the $750,000 Gr. 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park on July 11, Rail Trip appeared on the radar of many horse bettors. He had strung together a series of allowance wins at Hollywood Park and Santa Anita Park from 2008 to early 2009 but fell just short in his first two attempts at graded stakes races, the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap and the Californian Stakes. The Ron Ellis-trained 4-year-old gelding has won at the 1 ¼-mile distance before, and combined with his steady improvement, Rail Trip is now considered a top contender for not only the Pacific Classic but the Breeders' Cup Classic in November.

Others scheduled to line up for the Pacific Classic include Eddie Read Stakes champion Global Hunter, Swaps Stakes hero Misremembered, Longacres Mile Handicap runner-up Awesome Gem and Hollywood Gold Cup runner-up Tres Borrachos. Having just won the $250,000 Gr. 2 San Diego Handicap on Aug. 2 over the Del Mar track, 5-year-old Informed should also be a factor in the race.

Who do you think will win the 2009 Pacific Classic? Bet on horse racing at Del Mar at the Bodog Racebook!