Saturday’s Grade One Pacific Classic 2023 runners will see 11 entries heading to post in search of the lucrative $1m purse – where all eyes will be on Haskell Stakes winner and slight favorite Geaux Rocket Ride to see if he can continue his rise up the ranks.

Pacific Classic Betting Offers

2023 Pacific Classic Runners: Geaux Rocket Ride Looks To Follow-up Haskell Win

This Saturday’s Pacific Classic at Del Mar racetrack sees a field of 11 runners entered for the Grade 1 that was first run in 1991.

The contest is for 3 year-olds or older and staged on the dirt track at the California course.

Last year horse racing fans witnessed the superstar Flightline win the Pacific Classic by an incredible 19 1/2 lengths (watch below) – so this year’s field have big shoes to fill.

The best US horse racing betting sites make this season’s Haskell Stakes hero Geaux Rocket Ride the morning line favorite (just) as the Richard E. Mandella barn hunt their fifth success in this top Grade 1 – with his most recent coming in 2015 with Beholder.

However, in more recent years trainer’s Bob Baffert and John W. Sadler (of Flightline fame) have dominated the race – winning the last six between them. Sadler has won the Pacific Classic a total of four times, while Baffert is the joint top handler with 6 successes – tied with the legendary Robert J. Frankel.

This year, John W. Sadler sends his 2021 Pacific Classic winner Tripoli back for more, while Bob Baffert has Arabian Knight and Defunded as the pair look to continue their stranglehold on the race.

When is the Pacific Classic 2023?

The Pacific Classic 2023 will be run on Saturday September 2 at Del Mar racetrack, California.

Date: Saturday September 2nd 2023
Racecourse: Del Mar, California, 1 1/4 mile, (10 furlongs) Dirt (3+ year-olds)
Purse: $1,00,000
Pacific Stakes Odds: Geaux Rocket Ride 2/1 | Arabian Knight 11/4 | Defunded 9/2 | Skinner 9/1

RELATED: Horse Racing Betting Guide – Best Sites, Odds & Tips

No Horse Has Ever Won The Haskell and Pacific Classic In Same Season

Geaux Rocket Ride landed the Haskell Stakes in great fashion at the end of July (watch below) at Monmouth Park – with Kentucky Derby winner Mage back in second and Arabian Knight, who he meets again this Saturday in the Pacific Classic, in third.

The 3 year-old has had 43 days to get over that effort and will head into Saturday’s big Grade 1 race looking to become the first horse to win both the Haskell Stakes and Pacific Classic in the same season.

Yes, Maximum Security won both races during his career – but these came in different season. The Jason Servis-trained horse won the Haskell in 2019 and the Pacific Classic a year later in 2020.

Jockey Mike E. Smith Has Four Pacific Classic Wins To His Name

If you are looking for a jockey to side with in the Pacific Classic this weekend, then your search should maybe stop at Mike E. Smith.

The veteran jockey has mopped up four wins in the Grade 1 over the years with the first coming in 2002 on Came Home, while his most recent was on Shared Belief in 2014.

Smith gets the leg-up on the Pacific Classic favorite Geaux Rocket Ride.

Bob Baffert Looking To Become Most Successful Pacific Classic Barn

Bob Baffert has won the Pacific Classic six times and is currently tied with Robert J. Frankel.

His first success came in 1992 with Missionary Ridge, while his last was in 2001 with the two-time winner Skimming.

Baffert, therefore, just needs one more win to become the most successful trainer in the history of the race – he’ll be trying to do just that on Saturday with Arabian Knight and Defunded.

4 and 5 Year-olds Have Won ALL Of The Last 8 Renewals

When looking at recent winners of the Pacific Classic what leaps off the page is that ALL of the last eight runnings were won by 4 or 5 year-olds – with the last four all being 4 year-olds, including last year’s classy winner Flightline.

The likely favorite Geaux Rocket Ride is a 3 year-old, so will have this age stat to overcome – the last 3 year-old to win the Pacific Classic was Shared Belief in 2014.

But it is worth noting the 3 year-olds in the race do get a handy weight allowance of 6lbs from the older runners.

This year’s 4 and 5 year-old horses are – Katonah (4), Stilleto Boy (5), who was last in the race 12 months ago, Defunded (5), Slow Down Andy (4), Senor Buscador (5) and Piroli (4).

Tripoli Looking To Win Back His Pacific Classic Crown

We’ve had three two-time winners of the Pacific Classic over the years – Tinners Way, Skimming and Richard’s Kid – but all these came in back-to-back seasons.

We are yet to have a winner of the Pacific that has won back his crown after losing it, but that could happen this year with the John W. Sadler-trained Tripoli.

He won the race in 2021 (watch below) as a 4 year-old and despite not running 12 months ago, is back for more as a 6 year-old this Saturday. He represents last year’s winning trainer – John W. Sadler, who has won the race four times – so can he create a bit of Pacific Classic history and become the first horse to win back his crown?

Pacific Classic 2023 Trifecta Pick

• 1st DEFUNDED
  
• 2nd GEAUX ROCKET RIDE
  
• 3rd SLOW DOWN ANDY
  

It’s hard to knock the form of Geaux Rocket Ride’s Haskell Stakes win, but it’s also difficult to ignore the record of 3 year-olds in the Pacific Classic – just one winner in the last 10 years.

With that in mind, a chance is taken on the Bob Baffert-trained DEFUNDED to get back to winning ways.

He was last seen as a beaten odds-on favorite in the San Diego Handicap at here at Del Mar, but the shorter trip that day probably didn’t suit him as well and so the step back to 1m 1/4 here will help.

It was also his first run back for 2 months so can be expected to have improved for it and we know the Baffert yard love to win this race.

Slow Down Andy can complete the Pacific Classic trifecta after running on well to take silver in the already mentioned San Diego Handicap (watch below) and the Doug O’Neill camp have winning form in the race when taking to pot in 2006 with Lava Man.

Senor Buscador was the winner of the San Diego Handicap and is also respected if you are looking for alternatives away from our picks, while the other big 3 year-old in the race, Arabian Knight, is lightly-raced and could easily start to improve further.

2023 Pacific Classic Runners: Can Geaux Rocket Ride Blast Away Again?

Note: Odds are subject to change

1. GEAUX ROCKET RIDE @ 2/1
J: Mike E. Smith
T: Richard E. Mandella

2. KATONAH @ 33/1
J: Antonio Fresu
T: Doug O’Neill

3. STILLETO BOY @ 14/1
J: Kent J Desormeaux
T: Ed Moger Jr

4. TRIPOLI @ 20/1
J: Tiago Josue Pereira
T: John W Sadler

5. DEFUNDED @ 9/2
J: Juan J Hernandez
T: Bob Baffert

6. ORDER AND LAW @ 40/1
J: Edwin A Maldonado
T: Robert B Hess Jr

7. SLOW DOWN ANDY @ 11/1
J: Mario Gutierrez
T: Doug O’Neill

8. SENOR BUSCADOR @ 14/1
J: Geovanni Franco
T: Todd W Fincher

9. ARABIAN KNIGHT @ 11/4
J: Flavien Prat
T: Bob Baffert

10. PIROLI @ 33/1
J: Umberto Rispoli
T: Michael McCarthy

11. SKINNER @ 9/1
J: Hector I Berrios
T: John Shirreffs

Note: Odds are subject to change

2023 Pacific Classic Betting Odds

• Geaux Rocket Ride 2/1
• Arabian Knight 11/4
• Defunded 9/2
• Skinner 9/1
• Slow Down Andy 11/1
• Stilleto Boy 14/1
• Senor Buscador 14/1
• Tripoli 20/1
• Katonah 33/1
• Piroli 33/1
• Order And Law 40/1

Note: Odds are subject to change

“WATCH: Relive Flightline Pacific Classic Demolition by Almost 20 Lengths from 2022”

Pacific Classic Recent Winners

• 2022 – Flightline (30/100 fav)
• 2021 – Tripoli (13/2)
• 2020 – Maximum Security (2/5 fav)
• 2019 – Higher Power (96/10)
• 2018 – Accelerate (2/5 fav)
• 2017 – Collected (3/1)

Horse Racing Related Content