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The 2016 TVG Pacific Classic Stakes is upon us and Beholder, California Chrome and Dortmund headline a talented field with $1 million and a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the line. Read up on all nine competitors for Del Mar’s biggest race of the summer.
This year marks the 26th running of Del Mar's signature race over the classic distance of 1¼ miles. The race is for horses age 3 and up and often serves as a steppingstone toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic. This year’s winner will receive an expense-paid entry into that race. Trainers Bob Baffert and Richard Mandella each have four wins in the Pacific Classic and could make it five on Saturday, trailing the late Bobby Frankel who had six.
1. California Chrome (8-5 odds)
Jockey: Victor Espinoza
Trainer: Art Sherman
Owner: California Chrome LLC
Career record: 22 starts - 13 wins - 3 seconds - 1 third
Career earnings: $12,652,650
Earnings per start: $575,120
Pedigree: Lucky Pulpit – Love the Chase, by Not For Love
Age: 5
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Stalker/pacesetter
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Fan favorite California Chrome won the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and finished a valiant third in that year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. He finished second in the 2015 Dubai World Cup during a tumultuous season but returned this year with four straight wins including the $10 million Dubai World Cup. He most recently defeated Dortmund after a lengthy stretch duel in the San Diego Handicap last month.
2. Hoppertunity (8-1)
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owner: Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Watson
Career record: 20 starts - 5 wins - 6 seconds - 4 thirds
Career earnings: $2,902,675
Earnings per start: $145,134
Pedigree: Any Given Saturday – Refugee, by Unaccounted For
Age: 5
Color: Bay
Running style: Closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hoppertunity doesn’t often win but has finished in the money in 75 percent of his 20 career starts, including six of his last seven. He won the Rebel Stakes on the 2014 Triple Crown trail but missed the Kentucky Derby with an injury and won the Grade 1 Clark Handicap later that year. This year he won the San Antonio in February before finishing third behind California Chrome in the Dubai World Cup. Hoppertunity is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
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3. War Story (30-1)
Jockey: Ricardo Mejias
Trainer: Anthony Rini
Owner: Loooch Racing Stables
Career record: 12 starts - 3 wins - 2 seconds - 2 thirds
Career earnings: $369,050
Earnings per start: $30,754
Pedigree: Northern Afleet – Belle Watling, by Pulpit
Age: 4
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Closer/stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: War Story placed in three graded stakes on last year’s Triple Crown trail before a 16th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. He was offered at auction in July 2015 but was bought back by his owner for $545,000. He then tallied a third-place finish in the West Virginia Derby and in his only start of 2016 won an allowance at Thistledown.
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4. Hard Aces (15-1)
Jockey: Santiago Gonzalez
Trainer: John Sadler
Owner: Hronis Racing
Career record: 33 starts - 7 wins - 5 seconds - 8 thirds
Career earnings: $999,645
Earnings per start: $30,292
Pedigree: Hard Spun – All in With Aces, by Quiet American
Age: 6
Color: Bay
Running style: Closer/stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hard Aces returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in 10 starts when he won last month’s Cougar II Handicap over three rivals. He tailed off after winning last year’s Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita but rounded back into form this year with two runner-up efforts and a third place finish from four starts prior to his Cougar II win. Trainer John Sadler has won the race twice before, including the 2013 edition with Kettle Corn.
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5. Win the Space (15-1)
Jockey: Joe Talamo
Trainer: George Papaprodromou
Owner: Kretz Racing
Career record: 12 starts - 3 wins - 1 second - 3 thirds
Career earnings: $256,227
Earnings per start: $21,352
Pedigree: Pulpit – Teamgeist, by Mutakddim
Age: 4
Color: Gray or roan
Running style: Stalker/closer
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Win the Space most recently finished a well-beaten third behind California Chrome and Dortmund in the San Diego Handicap. He was briefly on the 2015 Triple Crown trail before eventually breaking his maiden on the Del Mar turf. He didn’t perform well in two graded stakes tries on the surface, was given a break, and returned this year with an allowance win on the dirt and a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Gold Cup. Win the Space was a $360,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training.
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6. Imperative (20-1)
Jockey: Norberto Arroyo Jr.
Trainer: Richard Baltas
Owner: J K Racing
Career record: 32 starts - 3 wins - 8 seconds - 3 thirds
Career earnings: $1,951,620
Earnings per start: $60,988
Pedigree: Bernardini – Call Her, by Caller I.D.
Age: 6
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Imperative is winless this year but has two runner-up finishes. His lone graded stakes win to date came in the 2014 Charles Town Classic when he upset the field at odds of 26-1. He’s performed solely in graded stakes since February 2014.
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7. Beholder (3-1)
Jockey: Gary Stevens
Trainer: Richard Mandella
Owner: Spendthrift Farm
Career record: 23 starts - 17 wins - 4 seconds - 0 third
Career earnings: $4,796,600
Earnings per start: $208,548
Pedigree: Henny Hughes – Leslie’s Lady, by Tricky Creek
Age: 6
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker/pacesetter
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Beholder has been sensational her entire career and is a three-time Eclipse Award winner. She missed a showdown with American Pharoah in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic after spiking a fever, but returned in 2016 with a pair of wins before coming up just short in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes to champion Stellar Wind. Beholder became the first mare to win the Pacific Classic when she won the 2015 edition and she is ridden and trained by a pair of Hall of Famers in Gary Stevens and Richard Mandella.
8. Dortmund (5-2)
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Owner: Kaleem Shah
Career record: 11 starts - 8 wins - 1 second - 1 third
Career earnings: $1,752,480
Earnings per start: $159,316
Pedigree: Big Brown – Our Josephina, by Tale of the Cat
Age: 4
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Stalker/pacesetter
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Dortmund was undefeated heading into the 2015 Kentucky Derby, including two Grade 1 wins, but suffered his first loss at the hands of stablemate American Pharoah when he finished third. He took time off after the Preakness and bounced back with two wins in late 2015. In his only start of 2016 he finished second to California Chrome in the San Diego Handicap after a stirring stretch battle. After that loss, Baffert joked that Dortmund has only lost races that have Kentucky Derby winners in them. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has won this race four times and also has Hoppertunity running in this year’s edition.
9. Dalmore (20-1)
Jockey: Kent Desormeaux
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Owner: Big Chief Racing, Rocker O Ranch and Keith Desormeaux
Career record: 11 starts - 3 wins - 3 second - 0 third
Career earnings: $187,302
Earnings per start: $17,027
Pedigree: Colonel John – Silver Breeze, by Silver Deputy
Age: 3
Color: Bay
Running style: Stalker
Notable achievements and interesting facts: Dalmore is the only 3-year-old in the field and enters the race off a win in the Affirmed Stakes last month. Though he took seven tries to break his maiden, he’s had three wins from five starts since including two straight. Dalmore is trained and ridden by brothers Keith and Kent Desormeaux, respectively, who also train and ride 2016 Preakness and Haskell winner Exaggerator. Dalmore and Exaggerator also share some of the same owners.
