(Knightsbridge / Photo by Zoe Metz & Courtesy of the Del Mar Turf Club)

From the Del Mar Turf Club / Jim Charvat:

PACIFIC CLASSIC DAY RECAP: KNIGHTSBRIDGE THE DAY AFTER

All report in good order from the barn area Sunday morning as we close the book on another exciting Pacific Classic Day.

Pacific Classic winner Knightsbridge went for a little walk around the shedrow Sunday morning then got tucked away in his stall for a deserved day off. He poked his head out and soaked in all the morning activity in the Richard Mandella barn where he has been housed since arriving a week ago Saturday. He looked a little tired but so would you if you had just run all out for 1 ¼ miles.

Knightsbridge is expected to ship out this week while trainer Bill Mott maps out a path to get the son of Nyquist to the Breeders’ Cup. The Pacific Classic was a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland this fall.

Del Mar is still buzzing over the performance of Knightsbridge. He certainly lived up to all of the hype. The good-looking bay or brown horse arrived at Del Mar off of a brilliant run in the G3 Monmouth Cup in which he posted the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year at 122. But questions still abound around the horse: Who did he run against at Monmouth Park ?; Could he get the mile and a quarter ?; Would he get cooked in a fast pace duel ?

Turns out he can get the 1 ¼ miles despite being on a hot pace and appeared to still have something left in the tank.

“In the gallop out I couldn’t even pull him up he was going so strong,” jockey Junior Alvarado said afterward. “He’s a horse that has a lot of talent.”

Knightsbridge took everything a game Full Serrano could dish out for about a mile. Then he dispatched of the Argentine-bred and the rest of the field and ran off to a 6 ¼ length victory.

“It was quite impressive,” Mott noted. “I thought maybe they were going a little too fast down the backside. They were going 45 and two or three, a pretty honest pace for a mile and a quarter race. They went quick but gosh he had something to finish with.”

Original Sin came from last place to grab second in the final strides, relegating Full Serrano to third. The filly Om N Joy also came from the back of the pack to salvage fourth place. Rounding out the order of finish were Hit Show, Malarchuk, Forged Steel, British Isles, Navajo Warrior, Subsanador and Finger.

It’s the second year in a row an east coast-based horse came out west and won the $1 million Pacific Classic. Last year it was Fierceness from the Todd Pletcher barn.

On the undercard, those in attendance may have witnessed horseracing’s newest star in Tam Tam, a 3-year old filly by Medaglia d’Oro who added a Grade I to her resume with a gutsy win in the Del Mar Oaks.

“We felt like we had some fillies the last few years with Grade 1 talent and we just couldn’t get it done,” trainer Phil Bauer states. “Glad we could get the tag next her name.”

The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro grabbed the lead midstretch and held on to beat 40-1 longshot Lookin at Diamond by a length and a quarter. Race favorite and pacesetter Kensington Lane faded to third followed by the other European invader Green Carrera.

Bauer says Tam Tam will ship back to Kentucky on Tuesday and most likely point to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland October 10.

Trainer Phil D’Amato scored in the other two graded stakes races on the card, with Sorrento Sky in the G2 Green Flash and King of Gosford in the G2 Del Mar Mile. D’Amato won the Green Flash for the fourth straight time. He had done it with Motorious the first three times but the 8-year-old English-bred had nothing but trouble in his bid for a fourth consecutive win in the turf sprint.

“He just took the worst at the gate,” D’Amato explains. “He was the first to load in the gate then the horse broke through and he sat in there forever. He was the last horse they took out and he got anxious a little bit. Then he was the first to go back in on the reload. I think he just kind of unraveled a little bit in that situation and that cost him a little bit of the energy he needed.”

But D’Amato’s not ready to give up on the cagey veteran.

“We’re going to give him one more chance to try to get in (to the Breeders’ Cup), D’Amato states. “There’s a couple more “Win and You’re In” options.”

Sorrento Sky went from last-to-first to win the Green Flash, getting up in the final strides. Now there are some decisions that need to be made moving forward.

“He’s not Breeders’ Cup nominated,” D’Amato says. “But we’re going to look at making him eligible. We’ll come up with a game plan in the next week or so.”

The Green Flash is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint so if they decide to supplement him, there will be a place in the gate saved for Sorrento Sky.

As for King of Gosford, he is Breeders’ Cup eligible but still may have something to prove before they make the plunge.

“We’ll try to run in the City of Hope,” D’Amato contends. “If he can win that race (at Santa Anita) that’s a “Win and You’re In.” I would say he’s on the cusp. He needs to keep improving which we’ve seen in the recent race.”

Pacific Classic Day 2026 went down as one of Del Mar’s biggest days based on handle: $29.14 million was bet on the 11 races, the second highest handle in Del Mar history, not counting the Breeders’ Cup. An argument could be made it’s the highest ever. In 2021, $36.02 million were wagered but they had a Pick Six carryover with a mandatory payout which more than makes up the difference in the two days’ handles.

Another good sign came at the turnstiles where 15,187 attended the races, 13 % over last year.

GOLD PHOENIX HIGHLIGHTS DEL MAR’S PENULTIMATE WEEK OF RACING

More graded stakes action awaits Del Mar patrons next week at the seaside oval. Three stakes are on the schedule, two of which are “Win and You’re In” races for the Breeders’ Cup in October. There’s also the possibility of a feat that’s only been accomplished twice in the history of horse racing.

That would be Gold Phoenix’ bid for a fifth consecutive win in the G2 Del Mar Handicap which is a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Should he win Saturday, Gold Phoenix would join the great Kelso and Manikato from Australia as the only horses to ever win the same stakes race five times.

Fourteen horses have been nominated to the Del Mar Handicap, which is one of the longest races of the meet at a mile and three eighths on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Trainer Graham Motion has nominated Test Score to the Del Mar ‘Cap. Motion has won both of the stakes races he’s shipped in horses for this summer. Test Score won the G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park earlier this year.

Also capable of spoiling the party are Mondego from the Michael McCarthy barn, winner of this year’s G2 Charles Whittingham at Santa Anita and Nitti, winner of the G3 San Juan Capistrano which is run at 1 ¾ miles.

The Del Mar Handicap is one of two graded stakes slated for Saturday. The other is the 41st running of the G2 Pat O’Brien a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Nineteen horses were nominated to the seven-furlong test on the main track.

Last year’s winner Dr. Venkman is looking to defend his crown, possibly against the likes of Nevada Beach or Privman from the Bob Baffert barn, Shea Brennan or Stronghold from Philip D’Amato’s potent stable, or Richard Mandella’s talented Cal-bred Big City Lights.

The final stakes race of the weekend falls on Sunday when Del Mar runs the G3 Torrey Pines Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Thirteen fillies were nominated to the race, including Mohaven from the John Sadler barn and Reddam Racing’s She’s No Quant, winner of the Fleet Treat Stakes earlier in the meet.

They’ll be going one mile on the main track in the Torrey Pines. Last year’s winner, Om N Joy, ran fourth in this year’s Pacific Classic.

Entries for the Del Mar Handicap and the Pat O’Brien will be drawn Sunday. The Torrey Pines will be drawn on Wednesday.

BRAVO HITS THE GROUND RUNNING IN RETURN TO CALIFORNIA

One of the new faces in the Del Mar jockey room this summer is actually a rider who tried California a few years ago before deciding to return to his east coast roots in Florida.

That was in 2023. Now Joe Bravo is back and, so far, he’s putting together a nice meet. Through Saturday’s racing Jersey Joe has six wins from 45 mounts. He also has four seconds, one of which came a week ago when he got rundown in the lane by a 50-1 shot.

“I’m loving it,” Bravo states. “With the limited mounts we have they’ve been running great. I’m really impressed with how my agent Riley Shapiro has started out. He’s a young kid who’s really hungry but really knows what he’s talking about. He’s impressed me for the short time we’ve been together.”

The two can be found most mornings walking the backside barn area, pitching trainers for mounts.

“We were figuring out what to do during the summer,” Bravo explains about his return. “I spend most of my time on the east coast but after spending a couple years being here in California it’s hard not to resist coming back to Del Mar. Not just because of the weather but it’s a great lead into the fall. We have Kentucky Downs and the Breeders’ Cup and a lot of those types of horses are sitting here at Del Mar more than at any of the other bases I’ve been in. Sort of a little pre-game for two great events.”

Bravo is quick to note that having been at Del Mar, like he was in 2021 and 2022, has helped make the adjustment in California go much smoother.

“Oh, a hundred percent a big difference,” Bravo contends. “First couple of times I came here I was like a lost pup not knowing the people you’re dealing with day in and day out. You know the Bob Baffert name or the Mark Glatt name or Phil D’Amato and now you can put a face to the names. Having been here in the past helps a lot. Being there for the morning workouts talking to people and knowing your clientele and knowing who they are is a big advantage.”

It’s not like Joe Bravo is not a recognizable name in horse racing. He’s won 5,758 races and 118 graded stakes. He ruled the New Jersey jockey colony in the 1990’s and 2000’s, winning 22 riding titles between Monmouth Park and the Meadowlands.

“On the day that I hang up my pants, I want to be recognized,” Bravo admits. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve been lucky enough to win the Mike Venezia Award and the George Woolf Award. The one award I would really love is the Hall of Fame and the only way you can do that is to put a staple in racing. Good horses can do that for you. I think it’s going to be a good story when I finally do decide to hang it up.”

If the 55-year-old jockey is giving any serious thought to retiring, he doesn’t mention it. He’s too busy trying to drum up new business on the backside.

“Success is easy,” Bravo points out. “It’s when you’re in the lulls and suffer the injuries that put you on the sidelines. It’s always fun coming back from them. It’s always easy to ride the best horse. Trying to get noticed on not the best is what makes it more fulfilling.”

Bravo has ridden some talented horses in his time. Big Blue Kitten; Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, Blue Prize; Sheer Drama and A.P. Indian. But ask him who his favorite is and he’s likely not going to tell you.

“The next horse I throw my leg over is my favorite,” Bravo states. “If I tell you about a couple, I’ll be disrespecting other good ones. Every horse has been amazing.”

He has equal respect for his fellow jockeys, especially the ones he rides with at Del Mar these days.

“My next door neighbor is Juan Hernandez,” Bravo says. “I love to see the new generation coming up. Living in Florida you see these young new faces coming up through the gateway. South American riders that come into America. Here you have a lot of European riders that you don’t have at other tracks.”

Bravo says it’s nice to be riding with more experienced riders, riders who have been around a while. But not many have been able to pull off the kind of feat that Bravo accomplished one June weekend in 2016. He won three different stakes races at three different tracks in three different states.

“I didn’t want to lose any of those horses,” Bravo recalls, “and I knew I had to be there for all of them. Another person I have to thank in this horse racing game that makes stuff like that happen is a fellow named ‘Stretch,’ from Walter J.J. Travel. He put me in places. I don’t know how I got in and out of a racetrack so quickly.”

That’s one of the things he likes most about riding in California. You don’t have to do all the traveling jockeys on the east coast have to do to make a good living.

“I remember I had one agent named Cory Moran,” Bravo adds. “Between him and Stretch I won 13 graded stakes races 13 weekends in a row. You can only do that with good people around you.”