2026 Green Flash Handicap Preview at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club

Key Takeaways:

• The Green Flash is a 5-furlong turf sprint where early speed should be plentiful, making the ability to stalk or close off a fast pace particularly valuable.
• The 10-horse field includes a mix of established stakes runners and improving allowance horses, with the tight distance leaving little room for a poor break or inefficient trip.
• Virat (10-1) is the value play, with proven form at Del Mar and five furlongs, a favorable stalking style for the projected pace, and upside second off the layoff.
• Sumter (4-1) has a strong setup after outfinishing Motorious over this course and distance last out, and his recent ability to settle off the pace should serve him well again.
• Motorious (5-2) remains difficult to dismiss despite his recent form, with three straight Green Flash wins, a likely favorable pace setup, and the potential to improve in his second start off a long layoff.

A $200,000 purse and an automatic bid to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint are at stake Saturday, August 22 at Del Mar in the Green Flash Handicap! Covering five furlongs on the grass, the race drew a field of 10 led by the eight-year-old wonder Motorious, who will go for an unprecedented fourth straight victory in the race.

To achieve that, he is going to have to turn the tables on Sumter, the horse who beat him by three-quarters of a length in an allowance prep last month. Sumter’s stablemate in the Richard Mandella barn, Mescalero, is also an up-and-coming horse to watch, and shippers including Wesley Ward-trained No Nay Hudson and Jose D’Angelo-trained Monster add intrigue as well.

Two horses have won the Green Flash en route to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint: California Flag swept the double in 2009, and then Stormy Liberal used it to prepare for his repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in 2008. Lieutenant Dan, who won the race in 2021 and 2022, was runner-up at the Breeders’ Cup in 2021, and Motorious also came home second in 2024.

Green Flash Handicap Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 22
• Track: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
• Post Time: 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
• Distance: five furlongs on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, Fox Sports 2
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Green Flash Handicap Draw and Odds

This is the field for the Green Flash Handicap, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for each runner.

Green Flash Handicap Prep Race Results

Four of the ten entrants come out of stakes races, with two coming out of graded races. Monster ships west after a close third-place finish, beaten just a neck, in the Quick Call (G3) at Saratoga on July 19. No Nay Hudson has freshened up since finishing seventh behind the classy My Boy Prince in the Shakertown (G2) in April at Keeneland. Saratoga Special was most recently sixth, but beaten less than two lengths in total, by fillies and mares in the Daisycutter Handicap on July 25. Man O Rose was third as the favorite in the Sensational Star, a Cal-bred turf sprint down the Santa Anita hill in March.

The rest come out of allowance races at Del Mar. Three horses come out of a top-shelf conditioned five-furlong dash on July 19: Sumter rallied to get up by half a length over Motorious, with Sorrento Sky just another neck back in third. Virat won a second-level allowance-optional claimer July 24, also at a flat five furlongs, a race in which Incanto ran on evenly for fifth. Mescalero steps up in class after winning a first-level allowance at Del Mar on July 26, also at five furlongs on the turf.

Green Flash Handicap Contenders

Here is a closer look at the 2026 Green Flash Handicap contenders, in order from the rail out.

1. Monster: Speed is the name of his game, and even though he comes off a 5 ½-furlong race, his Gulfstream form shows he has real five-furlong speed, too. He’ll have to get a good break from the rail – but even though there is other speed in the race, the other speed isn’t proven five-furlong speed like Monster, and even five-furlong and 5 ½-furlong speed are two very different things. A horse who can hold his own at Saratoga can usually more than hold his own in turf stakes out west, and he looks like the one they’ll have to catch in the lane.
2. Mescalero: This is a class test, as he comes up from a first-level allowance win and hasn’t ever tried open stakes company before. It’s a positive that he put it together last out when shortening up to five furlongs for the first time ever. He almost certainly isn’t as fast as Monster out of the gate … he could get a decent trip if he works a pressing spot, but that would also require a step forward. With only six starts underneath him, this four-year-old still has upside, especially coming third off the layoff, but demand a price.
3. Man O Rose: Most of his form has come against California-breds, but he did win an open stakes on the dirt two back. He does have four wins in six starts on grass, including a win going the flat five on turf – but he needs to be on or near the pace, and even though he wired that maiden win against Cal-breds, he is going to have to get close to the pace against much better company this time around, and do so first off the layoff, to boot. That is a tough ask.
4. Incanto: He ran a good second over this course and distance last August and again last November in second-level allowance-optional claimers. The more interesting of those performances is the one last August, where he rallied from a few lengths off the pace to get second. He probably isn’t fast enough to get a forward-enough spot to be a win candidate, but if Tyler Baze can give him a trip like he got in that race last August, perhaps he can grab a share underneath on his best day. But, that appears to be the upper limit.
5. Sumter: He was dismissed at 6-1 last out in an allowance, but managed to outkick Motorious to the wire – no mean feat! He should get a really nice setup here, too – though he can be forward going a bit longer, last out he showed he could settle and rally going the flat five furlongs. With so much speed drawn into the race, that’ll be just the right kind of trip to get in this. It would be nice to see Kazushi Kimura back, since he rode last out in the allowance, but Kimura rides stablemate Mescalero. However, he does get Mike Smith – Smith does have a long-standing relationship with Sumter, and if he can get the same late kick that Kimura got out of him last out, he has a good shot to beat Motorious again.
6. Motorious: It’s a concern, especially at a short price, that his nose hasn’t hit the wire first since June of last year – he won this race by disqualification last August, though he was only nosed out and legitimately troubled, meaning he likely would have hit the wire first had there not been the interference. He got a nice long break through the winter and spring, and was second on return July 19 in an allowance. He’ll have to turn the tables on Sumter from that race – but it was a solid enough return given the length of the layoff, and with so much speed entered in this race, it’s hard to count him and his reliable closing run out.
7. Virat: He got a sweet stalk-and-pounce trip under Hector Berrios to take a high-priced allowance-optional claimer last out (he was in for $100,000, but not claimed) and Berrios, his regular rider, hops right back in the irons for this. He’ll need a step up from that, but that’s possible second off the layoff, especially since trainer Dan Blacker excels with horses in that phase of their form cycle. Though he isn’t exclusively a five-furlong horse, he has a pair of wins at the distance, including the one last out, meaning he can effectively shorten up to this trip and he should be able to get an early run into a lively pace.
8. No Nay Hudson: He came up flat in his seasonal debut in the Shakertown (G2) back in April, and has freshened up to this spot. He can run a good race going the flat five – he won the Nearctic at Woodbine over that distance last year, when it was moved to the tight inner turf while the outer was under construction. He ran a good third in this race in 2024 – and reunites with high-percentage local jockey Juan Hernandez, who rides for the first time since that effort. No Nay Hudson is another horse who should be able to stay out of the battle up front and muster a good run from a few lengths off the pace.
9. Sorrento Sky: The second-stringer from the D’Amato barn, Sorrento Sky made a good late run to be third behind Sumter and Motorious last out. He hasn’t won a race in about a year and a half, but he often closes up ground to snag minor awards, in both allowance and stakes-level company. He has hit the board in six of seven starts over either five or 5 ½ furlongs, and the presence of all the speed in this race should set him up for a good shot at his customary underneath share again.
10. Saratoga Special: The only filly facing the boys in this spot, she makes her fifth start of the year. She hasn’t won since a stakes at Ayr in Scotland in June of last year, but to her credit she was beaten less than two lengths even though she was sixth last out. She needs a huge step up from that race, however – something that may well be in her at some kind of trip, as she ran huge to be second in her American debut in February, but that was at six furlongs at Santa Anita. She may just need more ground than this.

Green Flash Handicap: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Green Flash Handicap:

1. Virat (10-1)

Virat takes a rise in class after winning an optional claimer last out, but his form last year suggests there is more than enough room for him to step up second off the lay and be a serious contender in this spot. The kind of trip that he got, stalking in range of the pace and making his run in the lane, should be exactly the type of race that sets him up for success here, with a few horses who need to either be on the lead or pressing the pace hard.

This son of Bayern is proven at Del Mar and at the flat five furlongs, and is trained by Dan Blacker, who shines with both last-out winners and horses coming second off the lay. Jockey Hector Berrios is having a strong Del Mar meet, and he knows Virat well, having ridden him for every start since Virat moved to the Blacker barn eight starts back. In a competitive and well-matched race, Virat should be a square price and has plenty of upside to make him a good bet.

2. Sumter (4-1)

Sumter outfinished Motorious last out in a top-shelf conditioned allowance over the same course and distance, and if he can do the same thing without Lasix this time, he has a shot to do so again. And, the odds are good – though he was only eighth in this race last year, he has improved through the rest of his six-year-old year and into his seven-year-old year, and picked up a Grade 3 win and a couple of graded-stakes placings since, all without Lasix.

In terms of trip, the composition of the race should suit this Richard Mandella trainee well – he has come from a handful of lengths off the pace in each of his last two starts, and there’s enough pace drawn into this race to suggest that trip could work well for him again. And, though last-out rider Kazushi Kimura switches to the less experienced stablemate Mescalero, Mike Smith has a lot of experience riding Sumter and has ridden him from off the pace in some other stakes races going longer than this over the last year.

3. Motorious (5-2)

No matter how he races in this spot, it would be no surprise to see this race renamed for Motorious once he retired – after all, he has won it three years in a row, and he’s the kind of ageless wonder who makes being a horse racing fan fun. That said, this is about betting, and there’s a good chance Motorious might be a little underbet given his muddled recent form.

He won this race by disqualification last year, finished fifth against far better in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint next out, and has tables to turn on Sumter from his last two starts. But, two back was the end of his campaign, and last out was his first start in almost seven months. He often takes a step forward second off the layoff, and he’ll get an excellent pace setup with several speed horses drawn into this field. He gets a solid middle draw so he won’t lose too much ground, as well. All in all, with such a good chance some bettors could get shy about his muddled form, there’s room for Motorious to be the right price in this spot despite having won the race three years in a row.

Green Flash Handicap FAQ

Q: When is the Green Flash Handicap?

A: The Green Flash Handicap happens on Saturday, August 22, at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. It is the fifth on the 11-race card.

Q: Where is the Green Flash Handicap?

A: It takes place at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Green Flash Handicap?

A: Two trainers have won the Green Flash three times: Brian Koriner won in both 2009 and 2010 with California Flag and then again in 2019 with Mr Vargas, and Phil D’Amato won in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with Motorious. D’Amato can win his fourth in 2026 with either Motorious or Sorrento Sky.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Green Flash Handicap?

A: Motorious is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. He is likely to hold as the betting choice; though he was a narrow second in his final prep race, he has won the race three times in a row, and trainer Phil D’Amato is the well-known leader among Southern California turf trainers in recent years.

Q: Who is the best Green Flash Handicap jockey?

A: Jockey Joe Talamo leads all riders with three wins in the Green Flash, most recently in 2019 with Mr Vargas. Two jockeys have a chance to tie the record this year. Mike Smith won in 2005 with Courageous King and 2010 with California Flag, and can win his third with Sumter. Antonio Fresu won in 2024 and 2025 with Motorious and has the call on him again this year.

Q: Who won the Green Flash Handicap in 2025?

A: Motorious won the Green Flash in 2025 by disqualification over Reef Runner. Trainer Phil D’Amato and Antonio Fresu return with Motorious this year, as the 8-year-old son of Muhaarar goes for his fourth straight victory in the Green Flash.

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