Pat O'Brien, a classic character movie actor who often appeared in a James Cagney starring vehicle, loved the races.
The inaugural running of the event was on 25 September 1980, the twelfth and final day of the Del Mar Fair meeting.
The event was for two-year-olds, over a distance of 7+1⁄2 furlongs on the turf track and was won by Elmendorf Farm's Seafood in a time of 1:302⁄5.
In 1986 the administration of Del Mar renewed the event during their summer meeting as a sprint handicap over seven furlongs on the dirt.
The 1996 winner Alphabet Soup used the sprint event in his campaign which led to a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic.