Del Mar has a supremely wealthy racing historical past plus an extremely enjoyable connection to Hollywood stars, however when racing followers of my era consider Del Mar, we consider the Pacific Traditional.
The 1 ¼-mile, Grade 1 FanDuel Racing Pacific Traditional Stakes has been a spotlight of the summer season season since its inaugural operating gained by Finest Pal in 1991. Different notable winners embody Free Home (1998), Sweet Trip (2003), Pleasantly Excellent (2004), Lava Man (2006), Sport On Dude (2013), Shared Perception (2014), Beholder (2015), California Chrome (2016), Speed up (2018), and Flightline (2022).
This 12 months’s Pacific Traditional Aug. 31 at Del Mar is a part of the Breeders’ Cup Problem “Win and You’re In” sequence. The winner of the Pacific Traditional will earn an expenses-paid spot within the beginning gate for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Traditional, proper right here at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
Stand up to a $200 sign-up bonus whenever you join and guess the Pacific Traditional at Del Mar with 1/ST BET! Go to 1st.com/guess/cheatsheet and use promo code BEST200 to get began. After you have signed up, you may stand up to a $200 join bonus. That manner, when you get to know the Pacific Traditional horses on this useful Cheat Sheet, you may cease by 1st.com/guess/cheatsheet and place your bets on Saturday, Aug. 31. Plus, you may benefit from 1/ST BET’s different promotions at 1st.com/guess/promotions. So it doesn’t matter what horse you decide, your greatest guess is with 1/ST BET.
Whereas the 2024 version of the Pacific Traditional lacks a real celebrity like a Cigar, who misplaced to Dare and Go in 1996, or a Flightline, rising expertise Dr. Venkman and standout older feminine Adare Manor heads a strong solid of 9 entrants.
Let’s check out this 12 months’s Pacific Traditional area.
1. Il Miracolo (5-1 morning-line odds)
Jockey: Mike Smith
Coach: Antonio Sano
Proprietor: Alexandres
Profession document: 21 begins – 4 wins – 6 seconds – 4 thirds
Profession earnings: $776,635
Earnings per begin: $36,983
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 122
Pedigree: Gun Runner – Tapit’s World, by Tapit
Age: 4
Colour: Chestnut
Working model: Press the tempo/stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating details: A number of graded stakes winner Il Miracolo ships in from the East Coast for coach Antonio Sano off of what was, in line with Equibase Pace Figures, a brand new 14-point career-best effort when second to Subsanador within the $250,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes Aug. 17 at Monmouth Park. The 122 determine he earned in that race off a 15-week freshening is not less than 9 factors greater than the very best quantity earned by anybody else within the area. Can he repeat that kind of effort on simply two weeks of relaxation? That’s the key query for Il Miracolo, who has competed very successfully in opposition to high quality competitors all through his profession however has been overwhelmed by 6 ½ lengths or extra in his 4 begins in opposition to Grade 1 competitors like he’ll face within the Pacific Traditional. Il Miracolo is worthy of a protracted look in a Pacific Traditional with much less firepower than previous editions, however the fast turnaround plus his document of only one third-place end in 4 earlier begins in Grade 1 races leaves me doubtful of his win probabilities. The Gun Runner colt is flexible sufficient to set, press or stalk the tempo and a top-three end is properly inside attain. Corridor of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who’s tied with Garrett Gomez for the winningest jockey in Pacific Traditional historical past with 4 victories, picks up the mount on Il Miracolo. Smith’s 4 wins within the Pacific Traditional got here aboard Got here Residence (2002), Richard’s Child (2009, 2010), and Shared Perception (2014).
Wager Il Miracolo within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
2. There Goes Harvard (15-1)
Jockey: Hector Berrios
Coach: Michael McCarthy
Homeowners: Cannon Thoroughbreds
Profession document: 17 begins – 4 wins – 5 seconds – 2 thirds
Profession earnings: $484,590
Earnings per begin: $28,505
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 109
Pedigree: Will Take Cost – Soul Crusader, by Fusaichi Pegasus
Age: 6
Colour: Chestnut
Working model: Nearer/stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating details: There Goes Harvard capped a three-race successful streak with a victory within the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at this 1 ¼-mile distance at Santa Anita Park. The issue is that was greater than two years in the past in Could 2022 and the 6-year-old by Will Take Cost is unplaced in 5 subsequent begins. He returned from a layoff of 14 months-plus Could 27, 2024, within the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes on the grass and ran fourth, overwhelmed by 2 ¾ lengths in a strong comeback race. There Goes Harvard subsequent completed ninth within the Grade 2 Eddie Learn Stakes, additionally on turf, fading late after he encountered some hassle within the stretch. His career-top Equibase Pace Determine got here on grime within the aforementioned Hollywood Gold Cup and he has completed within the high three in eight of his 11 tries on the floor. It must also be famous that There Goes Harvard’s velocity figures this 12 months have been strong, 106 and 107, in defeat. He might take a step ahead with a return to the grime in his third begin after a protracted layoff and the truth that he was supplemented to the race for $10,000 signifies he should be giving all the correct indicators in morning train/exercises. An intriguing wild card for this 12 months’s Pacific Traditional.
Wager There Goes Harvard within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
3. Dr. Venkman (5-2)
Jockey: Antonio Fresu
Coach: Mark Glatt
Homeowners: Dan Agnew, Clint Bunch, Mark Cohen, and James Hailey
Profession document: 5 begins – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Profession earnings: $358,500
Earnings per begin: $71,700
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 113
Pedigree: Ghostzapper – Concept of Change, by Archarcharch
Age: 4
Colour: Bay
Working model: Press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating details: Dr. Venkman stretched out from sprinting to 2 turns for the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap and gained the Grade 2 race by a size over one in every of his major Pacific Traditional challengers (Katonah) July 27 on this observe. That was the Ghostzapper gelding’s first stakes win after ending second in each the Perryville Stakes final fall at Keeneland and the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes June 1 at Santa Anita Park in his 4-year-old debut, each at seven-eighths of a mile. Dr. Venkman has flashed a ton of potential in simply 5 begins and has proved fairly quick with a career-best 113 Equibase Pace Determine and a 108 for the San Diego victory. The Pacific Traditional will problem him to increase that velocity one other three-sixteenths of a mile, however he’s 3-for-3 at Del Mar and his pedigree – by Horse of the 12 months and Breeders’ Cup Traditional winner Ghostzapper and out of a dam who gained at 1 1/16 miles on grass – suggests excelling at longer distances is a really actual chance. He’ll in all probability be the favourite or second betting selection on this race and on or close to the lead getting into the stretch, so he’s a significant win candidate for coach Mark Glatt, who completed second within the Pacific Traditional together with his lone earlier starter, Sharp Samurai in 2020.
Wager Dr. Venkman within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
4. Reincarnate (8-1)
Jockey: Kazushi Kimura
Coach: Bob Baffert
Homeowners: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan
Profession document: 15 begins – 3 wins – 5 seconds – 3 thirds
Profession earnings: $607,900
Earnings per begin: $40,527
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 109
Pedigree: Good Magic – Allanah, by Scat Daddy
Age: 4
Colour: Grey or roan
Working model: Press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating details: Corridor of Fame coach Bob Baffert’s probabilities to increase his document for wins within the Pacific Traditional to eight relaxation upon Adare Manor and stablemate Reincarnate, a a number of stakes winner as a 3-year-old in 2023 who’s winless in 4 begins this 12 months. Whereas Reincarnate has not visited a winner’s circle because the Los Alamitos Derby seven begins in the past in July 2023, it has not been all unhealthy for the Good Magic colt. He completed third within the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap Offered by Yaamava’ Resort & On line casino in his 4-year-old bow and two begins again he earned a career-top 109 Equibase Pace Determine when second within the Hollywood Gold Cup at this 1 ¼-mile distance. He’s little doubt quick sufficient on paper to be aggressive and he might even have a significant say within the tempo of the Pacific Traditional. It’s robust to foretell whether or not he’ll get guess down due to his coach or will likely be one of many few alternatives to wager on a Baffert-trained horse and get a good worth, however it’s a must to respect Reincarnate’s probabilities. Baffert’s Pacific Traditional victories had been with Normal Problem (1999), Richard’s Child (2009, 2010), Sport On Dude (2013), Collected (2017), Most Safety (2020), and Arabian Knight (2023).
Wager Reincarnate within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
5. Katonah (8-1)
Jockey: Tiago Josue Pereira
Coach: Doug O’Neill
Proprietor: R3 Racing
Profession document: 12 begins – 4 wins – 3 seconds – 2 thirds
Profession earnings: $270,180
Earnings per begin: $22,515
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 113
Pedigree: Klimt – Ctimene, by Consolidator
Age: 5
Colour: Chestnut
Working model: Stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating details: The chestnut Klimt gelding dominated the Pleasanton Mile Stakes July 9, 2023, in his stakes debut, successful by 3 ¼ lengths in his 11th profession race to earn a career-best 113 Equibase Pace Determine. Katonah didn’t race once more for greater than a 12 months however his comeback runner-up end at 20.70-1 odds within the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap absolutely dispelled any notion that his first stakes win was a fluke. Exterior of the lengthy layoff between races, he’s been fairly constant over the past two years as his solely unplaced end got here in his first strive on turf. Apart from that, he’s picked up 4 wins, two seconds, and a 3rd in seven grime begins since January 2023 and he’s eligible to enhance within the Pacific Traditional in his second race after 12 months off. Coach Doug O’Neill, who claimed Katonah for proprietor R3 Racing for $50,000 in 2021, gained the Pacific Traditional in 2006 with one of many sport’s all-time nice claims, Corridor of Famer Lava Man. Jockey Tiago Periera gained the race in 2021 aboard Tripoli.
Wager Katonah within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
6. Full Serrano (12-1)
Jockey: Reylu Gutierrez
Coach: John Sadler
Proprietor: Hronis Racing
Profession document: 15 begins – 5 wins – 4 seconds – 2 thirds
Profession earnings: $77,223
Earnings per begin: $5,148
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 95
Pedigree: Full Mast – Serra Do Mar, by Soar Begin
Age: 5
Colour: Darkish bay or brown
Working model: Press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating details: Full Serrano joined the barn of John Sadler in 2024 after a profitable profession in his native Argentina, the place he gained 4 occasions in 14 begins with a stakes victory and a runner-up end in a Group 3 race to his credit score. The darkish bay or brown 5-year-old by Full Mast made a pleasant first impression in his U.S. debut, surging properly clear Aug. 3 at Del Mar to win a one-mile allowance/non-compulsory claiming race by 2 ¼ lengths. Whereas his South American stakes victory got here on the grass, it was at this 1 ¼-mile distance, so Full Serrano ought to have the stamina to stretch out one other quarter-mile in his second begin for Sadler. The large query is can he deal with the huge leap in high quality of competitors. By way of velocity figures, he would want to extend the 95 Equibase Pace Determine he earned within the August win by about 15-20 factors to be a severe contender. That’s a tall order for Full Serrano’s second begin, however coach John Sadler and proprietor Hronis Racing have had super success on this race. They teamed to win the Pacific Traditional 4 occasions with Speed up (2018), Larger Energy (2019), Tripoli (2021), and Flightline (2022). Hronis Racing raced Flightline in partnership.
Wager Full Serrano within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
7. Adare Manor (9-5)
Jockey: Juan Hernandez
Coach: Bob Baffert
Proprietor: Michael Lund Petersen
Profession document: 18 begins – 10 wins – 5 seconds – 0 thirds
Profession earnings: $2,096,600
Earnings per begin: $116,478
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 113
Pedigree: Uncle Mo – Brooklynsway, by Large Gizmo
Age: 5
Colour: Darkish bay or brown
Working model: Stalker/press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating details: Adare Manor profiles as a contender for the Eclipse Award as champion older grime feminine approaching the ultimate third of the 2024 season with three graded stakes wins, together with a pair of Grade 1s, and a second in 4 begins. The addition of a gifted feminine racehorse to face males within the Pacific Traditional is bound to construct some buzz across the marquee Del Mar stakes, and Adare Manor is worthy of the hype using a three-race successful streak, all by 2 ¾ lengths or extra, into the race. Final spring, the main earner on this area posted back-to-back, front-running runaway victories within the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park in April and Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes in June at Santa Anita Park. She enters the Pacific Traditional off a win on this observe at Del Mar within the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes Offered by Oak Tree Racing Affiliation. Adare Manor is quick sufficient on paper to compete with this group, as evidenced by the 113 Equibase Pace Determine earned within the Apple Blossom, and able to being efficient setting, urgent, or stalking the tempo. The primary concern is distance as Adare Manor has by no means began in a race longer than 1 1/8 miles, however she definitely has the power to hitch Beholder in 2015 because the second feminine winner of this race. An Adare Manor victory additionally would prolong Corridor of Fame coach Bob Baffert’s document to eight wins within the race as he has gained the Pacific Traditional beforehand with Normal Problem (1999), Richard’s Child (2009, 2010), Sport On Dude (2013), Collected (2017), Most Safety (2020), and Arabian Knight (2023). Jockey Juan Hernandez completed second within the 2020 Pacific Traditional aboard Sharp Samurai.
Wager Adare Manor within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
8. None Above the Regulation (20-1)
Jockey: Jeremy Laprida
Coach: Jorge Periban
Proprietor: Hector Castrellon
Profession document: 35 begins – 7 wins – 3 seconds – 4 thirds
Profession earnings: $651,802
Earnings per begin: $18,623
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 108
Pedigree: Karakontie – Legally Blanca, by Northern Afleet
Age: 6
Colour: Grey or roan
Working model: Nearer/stalker
Notable achievements and fascinating details: None Above the Regulation gained the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby Offered by Caesars Sportsbook on grass in 2021. He then endured a 19-race winless stretch whereas nonetheless carving out a considerably productive profession in Southern California with the majority of his earnings coming in stakes races restricted to California-breds, each on turf and grime. The Karakontie gelding lastly returned to the winner’s circle with a three-quarter-length triumph from off the tempo within the one-mile Bertrando Stakes June 22 at Los Alamitos after which closed from off the tempo for third within the California Dreamin’ Stakes at Del Mar. Whereas his velocity figures and up to date type supply some purpose for optimism, None Above the Regulation has but to point out he can compete at this stage in a 1 ¼-mile grime race and profiles as an outsider within the Pacific Traditional. One of the best-case situation would in all probability be a tempo meltdown that permits him to cross a number of tiring rivals to spherical out the superfecta at a large worth.
Wager None Above the Regulation within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
9. Mixto (20-1)
Jockey: Kyle Frey
Coach: Doug F. O’Neill
Proprietor: Calumet Farm
Profession document: 13 begins – 1 win – 2 seconds – 4 thirds
Profession earnings: $182,180
Earnings per begin: $14,014
Prime Equibase Pace Determine: 108
Pedigree: Good Magic – Musical Thriller, by Concerto
Age: 4
Colour: Chestnut
Working model: Stalker/press the tempo
Notable achievements and fascinating details: Mixto wanted seven begins to earn his first profession win and has not returned to the winner’s circle in six races since, however he has fared fairly properly in opposition to high competitors all through his profession. The Good Magic colt out of a full sister (identical dam [mother] and sire [father]) to Grade 1 winner and producer Rigoletta has completed within the high three in 4 stakes, three of them graded races, and enters off a runner-up end within the Pleasanton Mile Stakes July 7. He additionally completed third in each the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes in January and the Grade 3 Californian Stakes in April, each at Santa Anita Park, so it’s not out of the query that he will be aggressive at this stage. My largest concern is just not skill however distance, as Mixto has pale to fifth in each of his begins at 1 ¼ miles. He is an effective guess to outrun his odds for coach Doug O’Neill, who gained the Pacific Traditional in 2006 with future Corridor of Famer Lava Man, however filling out the trifecta might be his ceiling.
Wager Mixto within the Pacific Traditional Stakes
