Del Mar 2026 Summer Meet Looms: Diverse Wagering and a Deep Stakes Calendar Await

Del Mar 2026 Summer Meet Looms: Diverse Wagering and a Deep Stakes Calendar Await

The 2026 Del Mar summer racing meet is set to launch on Friday (July 17) and will run for 32 days through Monday, Sept. 7. Racing will be contested on a Thursday-Sunday schedule with the closing Monday added for the holiday.

First post time will be 2 p.m. PT except for big stakes days like Pacific Classic Day and some of the meet’s final days when the summer daylight grows shorter.

Rich Stakes Schedule

This year, 37 stakes races worth $7.775 million are on tap through the season, and key weekends include the first three days. The Oceanside Handicap, formerly a stakes race, is the traditional opening-day feature and is set for Friday.

Saturday will offer two co-features — the San Diego Handicap (G2) and San Clemente Handicap (G2). The San Diego traditionally serves as a prep for the meet’s marquee event, the Pacific Classic (G1), and this year it drew a standout field of Grade 1 winners, including fan favorite Journalism, and South American-breds Full Serrano and The Goat.

Bing Crosby weekend (July 24–26) brings sprint excitement, headlined by the Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) on Saturday alongside the Daisycutter and Osunitas Stakes.

Early August includes the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) on Aug. 1 and juvenile features like the Best Pal (G3) and Sorrento (G3) on Aug. 8 and 9.

Pacific Classic weekend, held Aug. 22–23, stands as the undisputed centerpiece of the 2026 Del Mar summer meet.

On Aug. 22, the $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1/4 miles serves as the track’s flagship event and has consistently drawn top older horses to the prestigious route test that often influences both the Breeders’ Cup Classic (as a “Win and You’re In” event) and also year-end championship honors.

The day also features a stacked supporting card including the $300,000 Del Mar Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-old fillies, the $300,000 Del Mar Mile (G2) set at 1 mile on turf for 3-year-olds and up, and the $200,000 Green Flash Handicap (G3) at 5 furlongs on turf.

August 23 showcases the $300,000 Del Mar Derby (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on turf for 3-year-olds, and rounds out a high-quality two-day program that typically sees large fields, strong international interest, and substantial wagering pools across exotics.

Closing weekend highlights juvenile talent and offers a strong finale to the star-studded meet every year.

Saturday, Sept. 5, is highlighted by the $300,000 Del Mar Debutante (G1) at 7 furlongs on the main track for 2-year-old fillies. The mainstay is a key stepping stone for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The Saturday card also offers the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf (G3) at a mile on turf for 2-year-olds, and the $100,000 Tranquility Lake Stakes also at one mile for fillies and mares.

Sunday, Sept. 6, features the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1), a 7-furlong meet-ending staple for 2-year-olds that often sends the best juvenile from the West Coast to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). The $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes and the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf add muscle to the day’s program.

The meet concludes Sept. 7 with the $250,000 John C. Mabee Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares, and the $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes at 6 furlongs for 2-year-old Cal-breds.

Breeders’ Cup “Win, and You’re In’’ Races

Six of the previously mentioned stakes events are Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win, and You’re In” races, the winners earning automatic, expenses-paid qualifying berths into corresponding championship divisions:

Pacific Classic Stakes (G1): Aug. 22; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)

Bing Crosby Stakes (G1): July 25; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)

Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1):  Aug. 1; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1)

Green Flash Handicap (G3): Aug. 22; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1)

Del Mar Handicap (G2): Aug. 29; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

Pat O’Brien Handicap (G2): Aug. 29; (winner earns berth in Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1)

Betting Menu For all Skill Levels

As usual, Del Mar offers a robust and fan-friendly wagering menu for the 2026 meet.

In addition to standard $2 win, place, and show betting on all races, bettors can enjoy a full slate of exotics betting options, including $2 quinellas, $1 exactas, 50-cent trifectas (on races with at least four interests), and 10-cent superfectas (on races with at least six interests).

Multi-race wagers are a major draw, with rolling doubles ($2), late doubles ($5), rolling pick 3s (50 cents), late pick 3s ($3), pick 4s (50 cents in early, middle, and late sequences), early and late pick 5s (50 cents), and the popular pick 6 ($2 on the last six races, featuring an 80/20 split and carryovers with mandatory payout).

New this season is the $3 All-Turf Pick 3 on the final three grass races of the day (at a 15% takeout).

Other options include the $1 Place Pick All, $1 3×3 on the last three races, 50-cent Super High Five on the finale, and $2 win-place-show parlays. Takeout rates vary by wager type, and specific rules govern scratches, surface changes, and payouts.

The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.

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