Three Sophomores Take on Elders in Pacific Classic

Beware the 3-year-olds against older horses in the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. They are frequently dangerous, and this year's edition, slated for Sept. 2, has three of them: Geaux Rocket Ride , Arabian Knight , and Skinner , each with a legitimate chance of victory.

Beginning with Best Pal winning the inaugural Pacific Classic as a 3-year-old in 1991, five sophomores have triumphed in the 1 1/4-mile race. And do not be put off by the fact that the last one was Shared Belief  in 2014. That year the only two 3-year-olds in the field, Shared Belief and Toast of New York , finished 1-2. Since then only one 3-year-old has attempted the race, Dalmore , who ran fifth to 5-year-old California Chrome   in 2016.

The trio of 3-year-olds in this year's field for the Pacific Classic, which includes a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: "Win and You're In" berth to the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park, also hail from three of the best barns around. Hall of Famer Richard Mandella trains Geaux Rocket Ride. Hall of Famer Bob Baffert trains Arabian Knight. And John Shirreffs with Skinner? He did a masterful job with the great Zenyatta  and won the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1) with Giacomo  at 50-1.

Much was made—and rightly so—of Mandella winning the Haskell Stakes (G1) with Geaux Rocket Ride 23 years after the last and only time he shipped a horse to the Haskell, winning with Dixie Union . But Mandella's record in the Pacific Classic is also pretty amazing.

Mandella has won the Pacific Classic four times. The first time he did it, Dare and Go ended Cigar's incredible 16-race winning streak in 1996. Mandella became the first trainer not named Bobby Frankel to win back-to-back editions when Gentlemen won in 1997. Mandella took the race again with Pleasantly Perfect in 2004 after the horse captured the 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic and 2004 Dubai World Cup (G1). Then in 2015, Mandella saddled Beholder  to become the only distaffer ever to win the race, as she crushed her opposition with an 8 1/4-length winning margin.

Maybe the only thing left for Mandella to do is take the race with a 3-year-old. Geaux Rocket Ride brings just four starts into the Pacific Classic, but that also puts him in select company. Flightline   last year had only started four times, while Shared Belief and Candy Ride  , the sire of Geaux Rocket Ride, had each made five previous starts.

Mandella could have opted for a race against 3-year-olds, the Shared Belief Stakes, to be run Sept. 3 with a $125,000 purse.

"We're a little heavier on the million dollars," Mandella quipped.

With the Haskell also a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" contest, his trainee has already secured an automatic, paid berth into the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Prior to the Haskell, Geaux Rocket Ride broke his maiden in his debut, ran second in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) as his second start, and won the Affirmed Stakes. He is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Mike Smith, who rode Geaux Rocket Ride in the Haskell, returns for the Pacific Classic. They drew the rail, the same as in the Haskell.

Mandella said that Geaux Rocket Ride has been training well in the mornings, though "not a showoff," and that the colt is all business in the afternoon.

Baffert trains the next two shortest prices on the morning line—3-year-old Arabian Knight at 3-1 and 5-year-old Defunded  at 4-1. Flavien Prat for the first time will be aboard Arabian Knight (who drew post 9), while Del Mar leading rider Juan Hernandez remains on Defunded (post 5).

A son of Uncle Mo  , Arabian Knight is even more lightly raced than Geaux Rocket Ride, with only three starts. He daylighted the competition in his first two starts, a maiden race by 7 1/4 lengths and the Jan. 28 Southwest Stakes (G3) by 5 1/2 lengths. Sidelined with a physical setback thereafter, he resumed racing with a third in the Haskell behind Geaux Rocket Ride and Kentucky Derby winner Mage .

Baffert's assistant Jimmy Barnes noted after the Haskell, "It's quite possible that the long layoff caught up to him. We're just starting the second half of the schedule, and there are a lot of races left to run."

Baffert 3-year-olds frequently win Eclipse Awards with their prowess in Triple Crown events during the first half of the year. But the trainer also won the 3-year-old male title with two who did their best running in the latter half of their championship seasons, Arrogate  and West Coast  .

Defunded, a gelded son of Dialed In  , is certainly much better as a 5-year-old than he was when he was younger. His maturity has settled him down, and his two best races this year were victories in the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G1) and Californian Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. He was a disappointing fourth in the San Diego Handicap (G2) last out when prepping at Del Mar for the Pacific Classic.

"He's always been a bit of a head case," Baffert said after the Californian. "But he's maturing and filling out. He was a tough 2-year-old."

Baffert has won six Pacific Classics, the first with 3-year-old General Challenge in 1999.

Three-year-old Skinner, to be ridden by Hector Berrios from post 11 and 10-1 on the morning line, is looking for his first stakes victory. That does not really do his career justice, however, for the son of Curlin   has placed in the 2022 Del Mar Futurity (G1) and 2023 San Felipe Stakes, Santa Anita Derby (G1), and Los Alamitos Derby.

While Baffert has won the most editions of the race of trainers with 2023 entries, John Sadler is fast catching up. Sadler has won the race four out of the last five years, with Accelerate  , Higher Power  , Tripoli , and Flightline.

Tripoli, the 2021 winner, returns after a year's absence, Sadler acknowledging that with Flightline in the race last year, "We didn't need him."

A 6-year-old son of Kitten's Joy , Tripoli is coming off a fifth in the July 29 San Diego Handicap, a head behind Defunded.

Senor Buscador  and Slow Down Andy , 1-2 in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego, are other leading threats, as is Stilleto Boy , the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner.