DEL MAR, Calif. \u2013 He is a 3-year-old three-time stakes winner who often boldly sets the pace. He has never started in a graded stakes and never faced older horses, and he is attempting to become the first foreign-based runner to win Del Mar\u2019s richest annual race.<\/p>\n
The presence of the colt Finger in Saturday\u2019s Grade 1 Pacific Classic has added an element of intrigue to an already competitive race.<\/p>\n
Finger, a winner of 4 of 8 starts and $1,303,486 in Japan, is the only 3-year-old in the $1 million Pacific Classic at 1 1\/4 miles. He arrived at Del Mar via quarantine in Los Angeles on Sunday and had his first day of exercise on the racetrack Monday.<\/p>\n
In a field of 11 in the Pacific Classic, Finger will start from post 3, a draw that should give the colt a forward position in the opening furlongs. From there, the race will test Finger\u2019s ability against a field of accomplished rivals and measure whether his success in Japan transfers to a top-level American race.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur trainer wants him to go to the front,\u201d racing manager Mitsuoki Numamoto said in the Del Mar stables on Monday. \u201cThat is his strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
:: Play to Win at Del Mar! Get DRF Past Performances, Expert Picks and Clocker Reports<\/a><\/p>\n The ability to lead and finish well has given Finger wins in important races in his last two starts \u2013 the Haneda Hai at 1 1\/8 miles on April 29 and the Tokyo Derby at 1 1\/4 miles on June 10, both at Oi Racecourse. But a January win in the Bluebird Cup at 1 1\/8 miles at Funabashi Racecourse showed that Finger is not one-dimensional.<\/p>\n Ridden by Keita Tosaki, who has the mount in the Pacific Classic, Finger stalked the pace in the Bluebird Cup. He was three wide on the first turn and backstretch, and four wide on the turn before taking the lead in the final furlong. Finger won by 1 1\/2 lengths.<\/p>\n In the Tokyo Derby at 1 1\/4 miles, Finger started from post 12 in a field of 16. He disputed the early pace before taking a clear lead on the first turn. He led by at least a half-length on the backstretch, regained a clear lead in early stretch, and won by 1 1\/4 lengths.<\/p>\n \u201cWatching the race, I was thinking he was really strong,\u201d Numamoto said.<\/p>\n Oi and Funabashi are Tokyo-area tracks with dirt surfaces that are part of Japan\u2019s National Association of Racing (NAR) circuit, a level below the Japan Racing Association tracks. While JRA tracks such as Hanshin, Kyoto, Nakayama, and Tokyo host many of the nation\u2019s leading races, particularly on turf, the NAR tracks have been a proving ground for world-class runners such as Forever Young.<\/p>\n :: Del Mar Clocker Reports are available every race day. Go beyond the PPs with exclusive morning workout notes straight from the track.<\/a><\/p>\n Last fall, Forever Young won the Nippon TV Hai at Funabashi by 2 1\/2 lengths and followed with a win in the Breeders\u2019 Cup Classic at Del Mar. Forever Young was honored with an Eclipse Award as the outstanding older male of 2025 in the United States. Finger, who races for owner and breeder Masahiko Sugino and trainer Hiroyasu Tanaka, has raced only on dirt.<\/p>\n While he was bred in Japan, Finger has an American pedigree. Finger is by Gun Runner, who currently ranks third in the nation in progeny earnings with more than $14.3 million.<\/p>\n Finger is out of the Kentucky-bred Estilo Talentoso, by Maclean\u2019s Music. Estilo Talentoso won the Grade 3 Bed o\u2019 Roses Stakes at Aqueduct in 2021 and was second in the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland that year. She was purchased for $600,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale. Finger is her first foal.<\/p>\n Finger was second in three maiden races at a mile and 1 1\/8 miles at Nakayama and Tokyo last September and November. He won his first start this year in a maiden race at 1 1\/8 miles at Nakayama in January and followed two weeks later with his win in the Bluebird Cup.<\/p>\n Tanaka and jockey Tosaki have experience in California racing. Tosaki rode Songline to a fifth-place finish in the BC Mile at Santa Anita in 2023. A year later, the Tanaka-trained Rousham Park finished a fast-closing second in the BC Turf at Del Mar.<\/p>\n The Pacific Classic will determine Finger\u2019s fall campaign. The winner of the race receives a fees-paid berth to the BC Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31. Finger is scheduled to be flown back to Japan next week.<\/p>\n In the 35-year history of the Pacific Classic, there have been four runners who made their last starts outside of the United States, including the 3-year-old Toast of New York from Britain, who was second in 2014. There have been six 3-year-old winners, the most recent being Arabian Knight for Bob Baffert in 2023.<\/p>\n With a career-best race, Finger could be the first foreign-trained winner, which could propel the colt into even more important races in this country.<\/p>\n Numamoto has bold hopes, declaring, \u201cI can\u2019t say he\u2019s going to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF’s Handicapping 101<\/a> and Wagering 101<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DEL MAR, Calif. \u2013 He is a 3-year-old three-time stakes winner who often boldly sets the pace. 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