$1M bonus offered to horse sweeping 3 races in California

DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) A $1 million bonus is being offered to a horse that sweeps this year's Pacific Classic, Awesome Again Stakes and the Breeders' Cup Classic, a trio of Grade 1 Southern California races.

The Pacific Classic, worth $600,000 to the winner, will be run at Del Mar on Aug. 20; the Awesome Again, worth $180,000 for first, will be run at Santa Anita on Oct. 1; and the BC Classic, worth $2.75 million to the winner, will be at Santa Anita on Nov. 5. The two classic races are run at 1 1/4 miles; the Awesome Again is 1 1/8 miles.

A horse sweeping all three would earn $3.35 million, plus the $1 million bonus, within 11 weeks. No horse has swept all three in the same year. Several have won two of the three, including Game On Dude and Shared Belief.

The bonus, announced Thursday, is being offered by Del Mar and The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita and other tracks nationwide.