In the early years of the Pacific Classic, you could definitely say the standout horse in the race's budding history was Tinners Way, who became the event's first two-time winner when he captured the 1994 and 1995 editions.

But even more so then the son of Secretariat, one man stands as the race's most powerful force during that period.

His name was Bobby Frankel.

No stranger to the Southern California circuit, Frankel owned an abundance of local training titles and could lay claim to winning a Hollywood Gold Cup (he would later add a pair of Santa Anita Handicaps with Milwaukee Brew). But of the three major races for older horses in the Southland, Frankel was destined to have his greatest success in the Pacific Classic.

It began in 1992 with the race's second renewal. One year after Best Pal's highly popular triumph at his home track, a new winner was guaranteed for the sequel with the reigning champion not in the lineup. Seven horses took their place in the starting gate to stand alongside Best Pal in the record books, and two of them were trained by Frankel: Defensive Play and Missionary Ridge. At the start of the race, which saw Jolie's Halo unseat rider Edgar Prado, Missionary Ridge went to the front and saved ground on the inside. The British-bred horse never looked back, guiding the field around Del Mar before drawing clear in the stretch and opening up to lead stablemate Defensive play home while shocking the on-track crowd by winning as the longest shot in the field at over 24-1.

Given the fact the Pacific Classic offered a $1 million purse as well as being the meet's marquee event, there is no doubt Frankel was thrilled to capture a race of that stature. And getting a one-two finish to boot was certainly an added bonus for the veteran trainer.

But as big as the victory was, it would later reveal itself to be a warm-up for Frankel and his barn.

The 1993 Del Mar season saw Frankel back at the Pacific Classic (which saw the race achieve Grade I status after being a listed stakes for its first two years). Missionary Ridge came with him, seeking back-to-back wins in the Grade I. But Frankel was loaded, for he sent 1991 Hollywood Gold Cup champion Marquetry and Cal-bred champion Bertrando to the track. For Frankel to get another win, his horses had to go through none other than Best Pal, who returned to the race after missing the 1992 iteration.

After ten furlongs around Del Mar's main track, a Frankel horse took the honors, but not Missionary Ridge. It was Bertrando's turn, and the multiple stakes winner took charge early and never gave it up as he won comfortably ahead of Missionary Ridge. Marquetry came in fourth that day, giving Frankel three of the top four spots along with a second straight exacta in the race.

Now only two races old, the Pacific Classic had already become a showcase for the Frankel stable, and more trophies were on the way.

Just one horse represented Frankel for the 1994 iteration, but Tinners Way was ready to run. Staying towards the back of the field as Bertrando (who was now trained by John Shirreffs) set a blazing pace, Tinners Way and Eddie Delahoussaye rallied in the second half. After battling Best Pal and Chris McCarron in the stretch, Tinners Way and Delahoussaye found the wire in fast time, stopping the clock in 1:59.43 for what was then the quickest Pacific Classic on record (it stands as the second fastest today behind Game On Dude's 2013 victory). A tremendous triumph, the 1994 Pacific Classic instantly became the major highlight of Tinners Way's career. And only one race managed to eclipse that moment.

One year to the day of his first Pacific Classic win, Tinners Way returned to the seaside track to do what no horse had before him. He again stood as the lone Frankel horse in the field, and bettors saw him as one of the principals in the wagering. With Delahoussaye on board again, Tinners Way seized a perfect trip on the outside early. Never far from the front, he was right there with the leaders turning from home before unleashing a fantastic stretch run that saw him put away his rivals with ease as he became the first two-time winner of the Pacific Classic. Though his time was not quite as quick as the year before, Tinners Way still completed the ten furlongs in under two minutes. As of the summer of 2021, he is the only Pacific Classic champion to have this distinction.

While the performances of Missionary Ridge, Bertrando and Tinners Way are justifiably lauadable, Frankel also deserves credit for that incredible streak. Long a successful conditioner, Frankel always knew where to put his horses. You don't win training titles or get in the Hall of Fame without that knowledge, and good trainers know how to handicap. And Frankel could be called a strong handicapper.

It is hard to win a horse race, any horse race. But to engineer a streak like what Frankel achieved requires patience, skill, knowledge and a little bit of luck.

In other words, this is indeed something special.

The streak ended in 1996, when Dare and Go famously beat Cigar to the shock of tens of thousands in attendance, but Frankel was not finished with the Pacific Classic just yet. He added two more titles to his collection with Skimming, again taking back-to-back editions in 2000 and 2001 to give him a whopping six victories in the race's first ten eleven years. It would not be until 2020 that Bob Baffert equaled the record, but no one has been able to win three straight runnings of the Pacific Classic, much less four.

For that reason alone, Bobby Frankel remains the most dominant figure in more than three decades of the Pacific Classic.