Del Mar's Summer Stakes Schedule Similar to 2024
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
For its 86th summer season by the blue Pacific Ocean, Del Mar is planning a $7,825,000 stakes program that provides 38 opportunities for a piece of its distinctive black type headed by the iconic track's pièce de résistance—the 35th edition of the $1 million Pacific Classic Stakes (G1), which often lures top horses from across the nation for its 1 1/4-mile test.
The total purses for the stakes schedule are just below those from last year when the track offered $7,875,000 in stakes purses over the summer. In the summer of 2023, the Southern California oval had 39 stakes worth $8,275,000.
The Pacific Classic will be run Aug. 30 as the centerpiece for a sparkling card offering five graded stakes and more than $2 million in purses, including a pair of grade 2 features: the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap (G2T) and the $300,000 Del Mar Mile (G2T)—both contested on the track's renown Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The Pacific Classic, won by Mixto in 2024, will again carry a purse of $1 million in 2025
The summer of 2025 will get off and running July 18 and go forward to Sept. 7. It will cover eight weeks and encompass 31 racing days.
For the fourth time—and second year in a row—the seaside oval will host the Breeders' Cup at the beginning of its fall season, a factor that figures to enhance its summer stakes program with horsemen and horsewomen looking for opportunities to give their charges a feel for the surroundings where the rich and prestigious championship events will unfold. This year's 42nd edition of the Breeders' Cup—with its $34 million in purses and awards—will take place Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
In addition to the Pacific Classic, five other grade 1 opportunities will be contested during the session. Further, there will be nine grade 2 offerings and six grade 3 stakes on the agenda.
Exactly half of the 38 stakes races, which include five overnight stakes, will be contested on the turf and eight of the stakes will be for California-breds, offering a total of $1 million in purses. Additionally, the five overnight stakes each will carry a purse of $100,000.
"Our stakes schedule is a very compelling program with something for everyone," noted Del Mar vice president and racing secretary David Jerkens. "The initial feedback from our owners and trainers has been very encouraging. We can't wait to get started."