Pacific Classic tops Del Mar's 37-stakes summer schedule
The Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic headlines Del Mar's 2026 summer stakes schedule, topping a 37-race program that carries $7,775,000 in total purses across the track's 87th season.
The 35th edition of the Pacific Classic, the West's richest stakes race, anchors a Saturday, Aug. 22 card at the classic American distance of 1 1/4 miles. The day also features the Del Mar Oaks (G1) for 3-year-old fillies ($300,000), the Del Mar Mile (G2) for 3-year-olds and up ($300,000) and the Green Flash Handicap (G2), elevated this year from a Grade 3 event and boosted from $150,000 to $200,000.
Del Mar opens its summer season Friday, July 17, with 32 days of racing through Monday, Sept. 7, Labor Day.
The schedule features six Grade 1 stakes over eight weeks of racing. The $400,000 Bing Crosby leads off July 25 for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs, followed by the $400,000 Clement L. Hirsch on Aug. 1 for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.
After the Pacific Classic and Del Mar Oaks doubleheader on Aug. 22, the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante runs Sept. 5 and the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity closes the Grade 1 slate Sept. 6. Both seven-furlong races serve as championship events for 2-year-olds at the meet – the Debutante for fillies and the Futurity open to all.
The schedule also includes 10 Grade 2 stakes and five Grade 3 events. Eighteen of the added-money races take place on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, and eight stakes have been designated for California-bred runners.
Five overnight stakes carry $100,000 purses apiece. The Oceanside Handicap, the traditional opening day fixture, received a purse increase from $100,000 to $150,000 for its 81st presentation.
Four 2-year-old races gained distance this year. The CTBA Stakes (Aug. 2) and the Graduation Stakes (Aug. 7) stretched to 5 1/2 furlongs, and the Generous Portion Stakes (Sept. 4) and the I'm Smokin Stakes (Sept. 7) now go at six furlongs.
Six Del Mar stakes earned Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" designations: Bing Crosby (Sprint), Clement L. Hirsch (Distaff), Green Flash (Turf Sprint), Pacific Classic (Classic), Del Mar Handicap (Turf) and Pat O'Brien (Dirt Mile).
"This stakes schedule showcases the very best of Del Mar racing, highlighted by the $1 million Pacific Classic and six Grade 1 events, and offers a wide range of opportunities for our horsemen and horsewomen," said Del Mar president Josh Rubinstein.
"Del Mar's 2026 stakes schedule reflects a continued commitment to quality, competitiveness and opportunity," said Gary Fenton, chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners of California. "From the $1 million Pacific Classic to a deep supporting program, this is the kind of structure that benefits owners, horsemen and the long-term health of California racing."
First post daily at Del Mar will be 2 p.m. PDT, holding through the meet until closing weekend in September, when the Saturday, Sunday and Monday cards shift to 1:30 p.m. PDT.