Pacific Classic hopefuls drill at Del Mar

Three horses with Pacific Classic aspirations -- Hollywood Gold Cup winner Rail Trip, 2008 Gold Cup winner Mast Track and Song of Navarone -- all worked Sunday morning at Del Mar in preparation for the Grade 1 race on Sept. 6.

Rail Trip drilled six furlongs on Polytrack in 1:14.40, and trainer Ron Ellis was pleased with the work under exercise rider Jose Dominguez.

"He was just cruising out there," Ellis said. "He'll have two more works, probably seven furlongs or a mile next time."

Mast Track worked a half-mile in 50.20 seconds, prompting longtime Bobby Frankel assistant Humberto Ascanio to say, "He went really good. We wanted him to go easy in this first workout since he ran (second, beaten a nose in the San Diego Handicap) and that's what he did." Dominguez was also in the saddle for Mast Track's work.

Meanwhile, Song of Navarone drilled five furlongs in 1:00.80 for trainer Walther Solis under David Flores, subbing for regular rider Joel Rosario.

"He worked really good," Solis said. "He went nice and easy, just the way we wanted it. It was his first work back from his race (third in the San Diego)."

This will be the 19th running of the $1 million Pacific Classic, won in its inaugural year (1991) by the popular Cal-bred Best Pal. It's run at a mile and one quarter over the track's Polytrack surface.