Del Mar Thoroughbred Club Best Bets for Pacific Classic Day, 8/22/2026

Key Takeaways:

• Pacific Classic Day is stacked, with four graded stakes and a pace profile across the card that promises real betting volatility.
• Warm, steady weather means firm turf and predictable footing, but scratch awareness remains the sharp player’s edge.
• Clouseau and Pure Madness both offer upside against a favorite with chronic second‑itis, each poised to fire fresh and get the right trip.
• Kensington Lane is the class of the Del Mar Oaks on firm ground, while Inbox lurks as the live late threat if the pace boils over.
• Detain and Almendares fit the Del Mar Mile’s revolving‑door chaos perfectly, each sitting on a forward move at square prices.

Saturday, August 22 is the flagship card of the summer meet at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, featuring the Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic, one of the premier prep races for the Breeders’ Cup Classic. However, that race isn’t the only big action on the card. The day features 11 races including four at the graded-stakes level: the Pacific Classic, the Green Flash (G2) for turf sprinters, the Del Mar Oaks (G1) for sophomore turf-route fillies, and the Del Mar Mile (G2) for turf sprinters.

The card gets underway at 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, with stakes action getting underway with the Green Flash, a Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint qualifier, at 4:10 p.m. You can be a part of the action by betting every race at FanDuel. And, be sure to watch FanDuel TV for on-site coverage and the latest news every day of the Del Mar meet.

Don’t forget to check the weather and the scratches before placing your bets. Weather is expected to be warm and humid, with just a minuscule chance of rain. Even if the weather stays dry, scratches can happen for any reason, and they can affect the pace and class balance of the race. An informed bettor is a smart bettor, and making sure you’re prepared for scratches can give you an advantage over players who don’t look twice!

Horse Racing: Del Mar Picks

These are three free picks, with handicapping analysis, for races on the Pacific Classic day card at Del Mar:

Race 8 - Allowance optional claiming, N1X, one mile on the dirt - Clouseau, Pure Madness

FanDuel odds: 5-1 and 5-1

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This is a particularly appealing betting race because 3-1 morning-line favorite Magnify has a major case of second-itis: in five starts this year, he has been either second or third, all at a flat mile and all at this level. Include him in exactas and trifectas with confidence, but it’s a good place to look elsewhere on top.

Clouseau (5-1) appeals from a condition-book perspective. He is a nine-time winner, but is still protected under the allowance condition because he keeps piling up those wins in California-bred, claiming, or starter company. But, he has been protected in his last eight starts, including a win two back in a $32,000 starter-optional mile at Santa Anita in May. He did that first off a freshening, meaning he has every chance to be sharp again despite being off since a second-place finish on June 12. The stretch back out to a mile helps his case, as does his range of tactical versatility – he won two back from a forward trip, but also has late-running wins at a mile.

Pure Madness (5-1) has never run a bad race, winning three times and finishing second three times in six starts. He was second last out behind Native Land, who returns in this spot, but stands to get a better trip than that foe this time around. After all, last out Native Land was able to dictate terms on the pace, and though he wasn’t uncontested, the pace wasn’t overly fast, and Native Land stands to get a bit more company up front this time around. That, plus the fact that Pure Madness should be tighter in his second start off a freshening, gives him the upside to break through at this level.

Race 9 - Del Mar Oaks (G1), 1 ⅛ miles on the turf course - Kensington Lane, Inbox

FanDuel odds: 3-1 and 10-1

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Kensington Lane (3-1) was surprisingly ignored at the windows last out in the Belmont Oaks (G1) – she proved her speed could cut it in American racing and won at the top level over this distance. She should appreciate getting firm ground once more, and her speed should play well in this spot. And, even though she stands to be the favorite, she does not stand to be a heavy one – Joseph O’Brien sends over Green Carrera, who stands to take a lot of money and could vie at the top of the market with her. Green Carrera won a handicap at Royal Ascot two back, but has yet to even try the graded-stakes level or try a distance longer than a mile. Especially since her trainer Joseph O’Brien has yet to make much of an impact with a shipper to the United States, her presence mostly means an increased likelihood for betting value on Kensington Lane.

There are a couple others who can show some speed in this race, and though Kensington Lane looks like the best of it, there is a chance of a hot pace. If that unfolds, the second-string Phil D’Amato trainee, Inbox (10-1), could be ready to mow them all down. She has come close in two straight races going the flat mile, but her maiden win came at 1 ⅛ miles and her pedigree is a router’s pedigree, not a miler’s pedigree. She was fourth in the Providencia at 1 ⅛ miles – but she was only beaten a length in that race, and she had a downright sluggish pace in front of her that day. If the likes of Tam Tam and Define try to take it to Kensington Lane early, then Inbox will get a much better run of things this time, and could pull the upset.

Race 11 - Del Mar Mile (G2), one mile on the turf course - Detain, Almendares

FanDuel odds: 10-1 and 6-1

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No horse is truly imposing in this edition of the Del Mar Mile – it’s a 12-horse field, and it looks likely to be yet another example of the revolving-door West Coast turf mile division. This means it’s a great place to look for prices. Detain (10-1) is an appealing new face. He began his career in Europe, facing bona fide big shots at ages two and three, and even finishing a narrow third behind Camille Pissarro in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) – the French Derby – last year. He was off between last September and this June, and only finished third in his allowance return in June, but took a step forward and got the job done second off the layoff. Trainer Michael McCarthy’s runners often hold their form off of wins and tend to keep moving forward third off the layoff, meaning he has upside. High-percentage rider Juan Hernandez keeps the call, and there’s enough speed drawn into the race that Detain should be able to get plenty of pace to kick into down the lane. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him emerge as a major player in this division – and he looks eminently bettable in this coming-out party.

Almendares (6-1), trained by Phil D’Amato, is another consistent performer in these one-mile stakes on the West Coast, and he should be able to make a nice late run into an honest pace. He flattened a little bit late last out, but that was over 1 ⅛ miles, a little long for his liking. That was also his first start off a two-month freshening. Now he comes second off the layoff and shortens up to his preferred one-mile distance, both reasons he can improve here.

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