Finger will bypass a possible Japan Dirt Triple Crown sweep and instead be aimed at the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on August 22, putting the Japanese three-year-old on a direct Breeders’ Cup Classic path.
M’s Racing’s Gun Runner colt had been expected to continue towards October’s Japan Dirt Classic after winning the Haneda Hai and Tokyo Derby at Ohi, the first two legs of Japan’s dirt three-year-old sequence.
That plan has changed. Thoroughbred Daily News reported that Finger’s camp will now target Del Mar, where the Pacific Classic offers a Win and You’re In berth for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on October 31.
Del Mar move raises Breeders’ Cup stakes
The switch is a bold piece of placement. Finger has won four of his eight starts, finished second in the other four, and banked more than $1.3m while proving himself around Ohi and Funabashi.
His Tokyo Derby win on June 10 was especially persuasive, as he made the running and beat Silver Ratio, already a Group 3 winner in Japan Racing Association company. It also put him in position to chase a domestic crown that looked within reach.
Instead, Del Mar will test whether he belongs in an older-horse international Grade 1. A strong Pacific Classic run would immediately sharpen Japan’s hand for the Breeders’ Cup, with Forever Young also in the wider Classic conversation.
