The Grade II $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes and the Grade II Del Mar Handicap will be supporting features on Del Mar’s 11-race program Saturday which will be highlighted by the silver anniversary running of the Grade I $1 million TVG Pacific Classic.
Post-time for the first race Saturday is 2 p.m.
The seven-furlong O’Brien Stakes, honoring the co-founder with Bing Crosby of Del Mar racetrack, drew a field of five older sprinters, headed by Appealing Tale, a bang-up second to Catch a Flight in the San Diego Handicap. Appealing Tale, to be piloted by Joe Talamo, was beaten a head by Catch a Flight in a game effort.
Opposing Appealing Tale will be Wild Dude (Flavien Prat), upset winner of the Bing Crosby Stakes; Indexical (Mario Gutierrez). Turnover (Martin Garcia) and Kobe’s Back (Gary Stevens).
Big John B, back to defend his title, is the likely favorite in the Del Mar Handicap at a mile and three-eighths over the infield Jimmy Durante Turf Course. The six-year-old gelded son of Hard Spun won the race by five and one-quarter lengths a year ago and enters Saturday’s renewal in sharp form, having won the Cougar II Handicap over the main track. Rafael Bejarano has the call.
Leading the opposition will be the multi stakeswinning Finnegans Wake, to be piloted by Victor Espinoza. Finnegans Wake was third in the Eddie Read Stakes recently but has victories in the Hollywood Turf Cup, San Gabriel, San Marcos and Turf Classic at Churchill Downs. Other entrants are Ashleyluvssugar (Gary Stevens), Ganesh (Flavien Prat), Flamboyant (Alex Solis), Little Jerry (Martin Pedroza), Power Ped (Tyler Baze), Lideris (Mario Gutierrez) and Danas Best (Joel Rosario).
Both the Pat O’Brien and Del Mar Handicap are Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races – the Pat O’Brien a qualifier for the BC Dirt Mile and the Del Mar Handicap a “Win and You’re In” event for the BC Turf on Oct. 31 at Keeneland race course in Lexington, Ky.
Saturday, the Pat O’Brien is carded as the fourth race on an 11-race program, while the Del Mar Handicap is the 8th race. The Pacific Classic will be run as the ninth race.