Seeking the Soul Heads 10-Horse Pacific Classic

Having raced at nine different tracks, Charles Fipke's homebred Seeking the Soul will add a 10th to the list Aug. 17 in the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at Del Mar.

The 6-year-old son of Perfect Soul  arrived in Southern California Aug. 13 from trainer Dallas Stewart's Churchill Downs base and enters off a rallying victory in the June 15 Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at his home track.

The Pacific Classic is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" challenge race for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), to be run Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park this year. Seeking the Soul already has a fees-paid automatic berth in the race following his most recent effort.

The bay horse has been working regularly since returning to the work tab in early July. He turned in a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Aug. 1 and last worked the same distance in 1:01 1/5 Aug. 9. 

"He's a good work horse. You can see that he worked every week and he worked strongly," Stewart said. "He's out here and he's settled in pretty good, galloped good today, and hopefully we continue on for Saturday for the big race.

The Pacific Classic's 1 1/4-mile distance is an extra eighth from the Stephen Foster, in which Seeking the Soul unleashed a furious drive from sixth to nab Quip by a neck at the wire.

"It pretty much shows that he's on top of his game," Stewart said of the Stephen Foster. "He's 6 years old now, but he's a young 6-year-old I can tell you that, a young-feeling 6-year-old."

The bay horse is no stranger to stiff competition either, giving strong runner-up performances to City of Light  in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at 10-1 in November and the Jan. 26 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park while 34-1. He also defeated grade 1 winners when he picked up a top-level score in the 2017 Clark Handicap (G1).

Saturday's program lists the consistent runner as the 3-1 morning-line favorite. John Velazquez will ride from post 5.

"It's a big race, it's a grade 1, a lot of focus on the race," Stewart said. "It's a mile and a quarter, so it's not going to be easy to any degree. We feel like we're ready, though. We're ready for the challenge."

Also shipping West and looking to go one better is WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing's Quip. The 4-year-old Distorted Humor  colt has been training at Saratoga Race Course with Rodolphe Brisset following his narrow defeat in the Stephen Foster.

Quip has been in the money in all three starts this year following a nine-month layoff, including a neck score on a sloppy track in the April 13 Oaklawn Handicap (G2), also 1 1/8 miles. Florent Geroux will ride Quip, the 9-2 third choice, from post 2.

Leading the local charge one post out as the 7-2 second choice is Reddam Racing's Pavel, who has run exclusively in graded or group stakes since winning on debut in July 2017. Pavel's top performance from his 17 lifetime starts came in the 2018 Stephen Foster, then a grade 1, when he won by 3 3/4 lengths.

The 5-year-old son of Creative Cause  was second to champion Accelerate  in the Pacific Classic a year ago, when the eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) victor won by a record 12 1/2 lengths. After five out-of-the money finishes, Pavel improved to third in the July 6 Suburban Handicap (G2). Trainer Doug O'Neill has retained jockey Mario Gutierrez.

The West Coast has another strong local contender in Woodford Racing's improving Campaign (6-1), and the Pacific Classic will be a cut back for him after three consecutive starts going 1 1/2 miles. The 4-year-old Curlin  colt won over this course last out in the July 24 Cougar II Handicap (G3) and took the April 14 Tokyo City Cup (G3) at Santa Anita two starts earlier. John Sadler, who saddled Accelerate to a win a year ago, also trains Campaign. Rafael Bejarano is named to ride from post 8.

Curlin has another contender in 4-year-old Tenfold (8-1), a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred who was impressive when he rallied from 12th to first in the May 17 Pimlico Special Stakes (G3). Tenfold failed to find that same kick in the Stephen Foster and only got up for ninth. The Steve Asmussen trainee will break from post 7 under Mike Smith.

Rounding out the field are War Story, who scored his first victory since March 2018 in the July 20 Monmouth Cup (G3); For the Top, a group 1 winner in Argentina and third in the Cougar II; Higher Power, runner-up in the July 21 Wickerr Stakes; Mongolian Groom, second in the July 20 San Diego Handicap (G2); and grade 3 winner Draft Pick, third in the San Diego in his second start off a 10-month layoff.

Entries: $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic S. (G1)

Del Mar, Saturday, August 17, 2019, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 6:43 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1War Story (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	124	Jorge Navarro	8/1
2	2Quip (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Rodolphe Brisset	9/2
3	3Pavel (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	124	Doug F. O'Neill	7/2
4	4For the Top (ARG)	Martin Garcia	124	Bob Baffert	12/1
5	5Seeking the Soul (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Dallas Stewart	3/1
6	6Higher Power (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	John W. Sadler	8/1
7	7Tenfold (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
8	8Campaign (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	124	John W. Sadler	6/1
9	9Mongolian Groom (KY)	Abel Cedillo	124	Enebish Ganbat	20/1
10	10Draft Pick (KY)	Joseph Talamo	124	Peter Eurton	20/1