From DMTC Publicity
DEL MAR, Calif. (Feb. 27, 2025) — For its 86th summer season by the blue Pacific, 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 piece de resistance – the 35th edition of the $1,000,000 Pacific Classic, a Grade I headliner that often lures top horses from across the nation for its mile and one quarter testing.
Exactly half – 19 – of the 38 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.
The Pacific Classic will be run on Saturday, August 30 as the centerpiece for a sparkling card offering five graded stakes and more than $2-million in purses, including a pair of Grade II features – the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap and the $300,000 Del Mar Mile – both contested on the track’s renown Jimmy Durante Turf Course.
The Summer of 2025 will get off and running on Friday, July 18 and go forward to Sunday, September 7. It will cover eight weeks and 31 racing days in all.
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 on Friday and Saturday, October 31 and November 1.
In addition to the track’s Grade I Pacific Classic, there will be five other Grade I opportunities available during the session. Further, there will be nine Grade II offerings on tap and six Grade III stakes on the agenda.
“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.”