DEL MAR : Iroquois Park and Best Pal Duel in Balboa

Iroquois Park will tackle Best Pal in a race-within-a-race Wednesday at Del Mar as seven 2-year-olds line up for a seven-furlong chase in the 20th edition of the Balboa Stakes.

The Grade III race is traditionally the final major prep for this meet’s top event for juveniles, the estimated $350,000 Del Mar Futurity on closing day, Sept. 2.

Iroquois Park comes into the Balboa off a victory Aug. 8 in the De Anza Stakes in which he simply outran his field, going six furlongs in 1:09 1/5. The roan colt by Chief’s Crown was winning his second race in three starts that day and will once again be handled by Gary Stevens. The colt will carry top weight of 121 pounds.

Best Pal was a seven-length winner of the I’m Smokin’ Overnight Stakes at Del Mar on July 27, when he covered six furlongs in 1:09.

Here’s the field for the race from the rail out with riders and weights: Sunshine Machine, 117 pounds, Laffit Pincay Jr.; Xray, 117, Eddie Delahoussaye; Regal Maneuver, 115, Russell Baze; Best Pal, 119, Patrick Valenzeula; La Farouche, 115, Alex Solis; Iroquois Park, and Gold Crest Express, 117, Alfredo Guerrero.