The 36th Pacific Classic will give Japan’s Finger a major international test at Del Mar on Saturday, August 22, as the three-year-old steps outside familiar surroundings for the first time and faces an accomplished field over a mile and a quarter. The move comes after a strong domestic campaign that has placed Finger among Japan’s leading dirt performers of his generation.
Pacific Classic 2026
The Grade I contest will carry a $1 million purse and will be run as Race 10 of Del Mar’s 11-race programme. The scheduled post time is approximately 6:45 p.m. Pacific Time, while the meeting itself will begin at 2 p.m.
For Finger’s connections, the decision to travel to California represents a deliberate change of direction. Rather than wait for the Japan Dirt Classic, the team chose to test the colt against international opposition and give the campaign a different dimension.
Finger has already established a significant record in Japan this season. The colt won the first two legs of the Japan Dirt Triple Crown, the Haneda Hai and Tokyo Derby, before his connections turned their attention overseas. The Tokyo Derby victory was particularly persuasive, with Finger able to secure a forward position early, take control and maintain his advantage through the closing stages.
The international assignment also carries a personal significance for trainer Hiroyuki Tanaka, who had visited Del Mar in 2023 with the ambition of eventually bringing one of his horses to the seaside track. That goal became closer to reality when Rousham Park finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf two years ago, but the Pacific Classic offers a different kind of challenge over dirt.
Finger’s preparation in Japan continued at the Miho Training Center under assistant trainer Toshihiko Hokari. His final serious work before leaving Japan came on August 13, when he covered six furlongs in 1:23.20 in company. The work suggested that the colt was travelling comfortably and maintaining the condition that had carried him to his Tokyo Derby success.
The Japanese camp also had reason to be encouraged by Finger’s attitude. Exercise rider Akiko Yamazaki reported that the colt was moving forward without needing heavy encouragement, an indication that the long journey had not unsettled his preparation. Finger departed Japan on August 14 and arrived at Del Mar ahead of the race, where he settled into his temporary surroundings and continued his routine.
The Pacific Classic will nevertheless demand something different from the young Japanese star. His connections have been working to refine the way he finishes his races, particularly after making a move from behind the pace. His stamina is considered one of his strongest attributes, and the plan is to make better use of that quality by keeping him closer to the leaders.
That approach could be important against a field containing several runners with proven American form. Eleven horses have been entered for the race, including Finger, Knightsbridge, Forged Steel, Navajo Warrior, Hit Show, Subsanador, Malarchuk, Original Sin, British Isles, Full Serrano and Om N Joy.
Knightsbridge will arrive from the East Coast after a dominant victory in the Grade III Monmouth Cup. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and partnered by Junior Alvarado, the five-year-old recorded a 10¼-length success in that nine-furlong contest and will now stretch out to the Pacific Classic distance.
Forged Steel brings another strong form line into the race. The four-year-old won the Grade II Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita over the same mile-and-a-quarter distance and will return to California after racing in the East. Navajo Warrior also adds speed to the field after making his mark in the Grade III Cornhusker.
Hit Show brings considerable experience, while Full Serrano arrives with a major international résumé that includes a Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile victory. British Isles, Subsanador and Malarchuk add further depth to a field that includes runners from several different racing backgrounds.
Om N Joy will provide another unusual element as the filly takes on the male runners. After finishing second in the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar earlier in August, the five-year-old has been confirmed for the Pacific Classic, giving the race an additional layer of interest.
For Finger, however, the central question will be whether Japanese dirt form can translate immediately to one of California’s most demanding international races. The colt has already shown that he possesses stamina and the ability to sustain a long run, but the Pacific Classic will place him in unfamiliar surroundings against older, seasoned opposition.
The race will also offer a direct route towards the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The Pacific Classic is one of the designated qualifying races, with the winner earning an automatic place in the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
The race will therefore mark more than Finger’s first appearance in the United States. It will be a measure of how far the Japanese three-year-old has progressed and whether his domestic success can be carried onto an international stage. For a colt who has already taken two major steps in Japan this season, Del Mar represents the biggest test yet.
As the field heads towards the mile-and-a-quarter journey, Finger will have the opportunity to turn an ambitious overseas venture into one of the defining chapters of his three-year-old campaign.
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