15 nominated to Pacific Classic including defending champ Beholder
“At this point, I’d say we’re running,” Richard Mandella, Hall of Fame trainer of defending TVG Pacific Classic champion Beholder, said Friday morning. “Everything looks good and I’m anxious to do it.”
The pronouncement heightens anticipation for the dream matchup between Beholder and California Chrome in the 1 ¼-mile $1 million race on August 20. But with 13 others nominated before Thursday night’s deadline and several of them committed, the 26th running of signature event of the Del Mar season figures to be much more than a two-horse race.
In addition to Beholder and California Chrome the nominees, in alphabetical order, are: Arrogate (trainer Bob Baffert), Chris And Dave (Michael Pender), Dalmore (J. Keith Desormeaux), Dortmund (Baffert), Effinex (James Jerkens), El Huerfano (Peter Miller), Firing Line (Simon Callaghan), Hard Aces (John Sadler), Hoppertunity (Baffert), Imperative (Richard Baltas), Mubtaahij (Kieran McLaughlin), War Story (Dean Greenman) and Win The Space (George Papaprodromou).
A field of seven-to-nine is anticipated when entries close Tuesday morning. The apparently solid seven are: Beholder, California Chrome, Dalmore, Dortmund, Hoppertunity, Win The Space and War Story.
Imperative would be making a Pacific Classic start for the third year in a row. Baltas said Friday morning that on a scale of 1-to-10 it’s “about an eight” that the six-year-old son of Bernardini will be given the opportunity.
“It’s going to be a tough race, but I just don’t want to ship somewhere else,” Baltas said.
Imperative and Hard Aces, who has also been nominated for the 1 3/8 mile Del Mar Handicap earlier on the Pacific Classic Day card, will both work Saturday.
Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club