Speedway Stable's Collected (City Zip), winner of Saturday's GI TVG Pacific Classic, and his stablemate and late-closing runner-up Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) were both doing fine Sunday, according to trainer Bob Baffert.
“They both came out of the race well, and that's important,” Baffert said. “I watched the race a few times and Collected still won.”
Baffert said he saw some positives in Arrogate's second-place finish as the gray champion was trying to rebound from a lackluster run in the GII San Diego H.
“Arrogate looked like he just ran in spurts the whole way around, but I was encouraged by the way he laid it down the last eighth of a mile and showed some willingness to win,” Baffert said. “He's not back to where he was, but he showed some class and heart.”
Baffert said both runners would now be pointed towards the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, but any starts before that Nov. 4 race remain up in the air.
“It's too bad they couldn't just stay here and train until the Breeders' Cup,” Baffert said. “That would be the perfect scenario. Collected really likes it down here, you can keep him in an [outdoor] pen and he flourishes out there. And it would give Arrogate a chance to get used to it down here.”
Trainer John Sadler reported Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) would likely cut back in distance after his third-place effort in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic.
“He ran a good race, we're happy with his effort,” Sadler said. “I don't think he's a true 1 1/4-mile horse. So he'll drop back to the mile distance for the Breeders' Cup.”
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