Collected fires fresh as Dortmund falters in Santana Mile
ARCADIA, Calif.- Collected won his first start in more than 10 months in Saturday’s $83,295 Santana Mile at Santa Anita, easily beating a field that included 2015 Santa Anita Derby winner Dortmund.
Collected ($6.40) won the dirt race by 3 3/4 lengths, benefiting from a perfect trip under jockey Martin Garcia. Dortmund, the 3-5 favorite, fought for the lead for the first six furlongs after a poor start. Dortmund faded to finish fourth, beaten 9 3/4 lengths.
Collected was timed in 1:36.76. The Santana Mile was Collected’s first start since he finished 10th in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico last May. Owned by Speedway Stable and trained by Bob Baffert, Collected won three stakes for 3-year-olds in the first four months of 2016.
“He ran some good races last year,” Baffert said. “We thought this would be a good spot. There were some tough horses in there.”
Collected was fourth for the first half-mile, racing about three lengths behind Magic Mark and Dortmund who fought through early fractions of 22.70 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.10 for a half-mile. Garcia urged Collected into contention with a four-wide move on the turn and led by 2 1/2 lengths with a furlong to go.
Avanti Bello, a 5-1 shot who won the Tiznow Stakes for California-breds on Feb. 26, closed from fifth to finish second, followed by 34-1 Clever Royal, Dortmund, Magic Mark, and Mithqaal.
Dortmund was trained by Baffert until January when he was transferred to Art Sherman after Baffert and owner Kaleem Shah parted ways. Dortmund made his debut for Sherman in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 11, finishing sixth in his first start on turf.
Collected raced without blinkers for the first time in his career in the Santana Mile.
“He gets all wound up anyway,” Baffert said.
Baffert was left delighted by Garcia’s tactical approach to the race, particularly after a quick pace developed.
“I left it up to Martin,” he said. “When he saw the scramble to make the lead with those three horses, he sat there patient.”
By City Zip, Collected has won 5 of 8 starts and earned $480,500. In 2016, Collected won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, the Sunland Park Festival of Racing Stakes in New Mexico, and the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland before the loss on a sealed and sloppy track at Pimlico.