Del Mar to mark silver anniversary of Pacific Classic

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Del Mar, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - This summer's running of the $1 million Pacific Classic will mark the silver anniversary of the race.

The Pacific Classic was first presented at Del Mar in 1991 and will have its 25th edition, run at its classic distance of 1 1/4 miles, conducted on Saturday, Aug. 22. Last year's winner was Shared Belief, this year's top rated racehorse. The 4-year-old gelding will start in Saturday's $1.5 million Charles Town Classic in West Virginia.

The Pacific Classic will headline a stakes tripleheader that also will feature a pair of $250,000 Grade II presentations - the seven-furlong Pat O'Brien Stakes and the 1 3/8-mile Del Mar Handicap on grass.

After a seven-year period of racing on a synthetic surface called by the brand name Polytrack, Del Mar's main track has been returned to dirt over this past winter. The new surface is the well-regarded "El Segundo sand," the same material Santa Anita used in its remake of its main track.

"We've got a new main track and a wider and better turf course to present our product on and we believe we're going to have a terrific summer of high-class horse racing," said Del Mar's executive vice president for racing Tom Robbins.

Del Mar will present its 76th season of thoroughbred racing starting on Thursday, July 16 and running through Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7. Following its summer meet, Del Mar will return once again for a second consecutive "fall" racing season with 20 days planned between Thursday, Oct. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 29.