Del Mar racing highlights for Week 6

Del Mar set a single-day all-sources wagering record Saturday, with $36,024,030 bet on the Pacific Classic (G1) card that featured five graded stakes.

Players were also attracted to the jackpot Pick 6 mandatory payout, which had a pool that topped $10 million.

Let's take a look back at the high-stakes day and a look ahead to the weekend racing “where the turf meets the surf.”

Tripoli takes the Pacific Classic

Tripoli scored his third victory of the year, his first graded stakes win, and a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) when stalked and pounced to win the Pacific Classic.

The chestnut colt crossed the wire 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Tizamagician, while the rest of the field toiled behind, and gave owner Hronis Racing its third win in Del Mar’s signature race.

Tripoli was unraced as a two-year-old, competed on turf for his first 11 starts, and was switched to dirt in June.

The win gave jockey Tiago Pereira his first grade 1 win in the U.S., but it wasn't his most lucrative score. That came in the 2010 Dubai World Cup (G1), when the Brazilian guided Gloria de Campeao to victory in the $10 million race.

Owner Kosta Hronis named Tripoli to honor of his father’s hometown in Greece.

Astronaut blasts off in Del Mar Handicap

Astronaut vaulted to victory in the Del Mar H. (G2) to earn a place in the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). The longshot, ridden by Victor Espinoza, returned $50 for a $2 win wager. 

The four-year-old dark bay had one previous win, in a maiden special weight, and had recorded three second-place finishes since then for trainer John Shirreffs.

Going Global keeps rolling in Del Mar Oaks

The result of the Del Mar Oaks (G1) was less surprising, as Going Global secured her sixth win from her last seven starts. During this streak, she finished second, by a half-length, in her lone loss.

The bay filly was bred in Ireland and was transferred to Philip D’Amato’s barn when she came to the U.S. Del Mar’s leading rider, Flavien Prat, was in the irons.

Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' action continues

The “Win and You’re In” Breeders' Cup Challenge series continues Saturday at Del Mar, with the Pat O’Brien S. (G2), a race that grants an entry in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). The nominations include graded stakes winners Eight Rings, Flagstaff, and C Z Rocket.