Accelerate, City of Light drill for Pegasus World Cup
ARCADIA, Calif. – Accelerate, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic and four other Grade 1 races in 2018, worked seven furlongs in 1:27.20 on Friday at Santa Anita in preparation for the $9 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.
The exercise was moved forward a day because of expected inclement weather in Southern California this weekend and was a little longer than originally scheduled out of concern for wet conditions next week, trainer John Sadler said.
“We wanted the longer work because next week we could be looking at track closures,” Sadler said.
Ridden by exercise rider Juan Leyva, Accelerate worked alone at dawn and galloped out a mile in 1:40.40, Sadler said. The time of the workout left Sadler impressed.
“I think the track is slow,” he said.
Owned by Pete and Kosta Hronis, Accelerate has not raced since winning the BC Classic on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs. He was the leading older male in the United States in 2018 and is a finalist for the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.
Friday was a busy morning for workouts at Santa Anita. City of Light, who won the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 for the Pegasus, which is run at 1 1/8 miles. City of Light worked alone but was briefly joined by another horse on the backstretch, trainer Michael McCarthy said.
“He’s a very willing work horse and an amazing athlete,” McCarthy said.
McKinzie, who won the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on Dec. 26, worked a half-mile in 47.80 seconds, though trainer Bob Baffert timed the exercise in “a minute and change” for five furlongs.
The Pegasus World Cup and the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita on Feb. 2 are options for McKinzie.
“We could go there,” Baffert said of the Pegasus. “We’re not in any hurry” to make a decision.
In other works, multiple stakes winner Battle of Midway worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 for the San Pasqual, while Kanthaka worked five furlongs in 1:00 for the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on Jan. 19. Battle of Midway and Kanthaka are trained by Jerry Hollendorfer.
Catapult, trained by Sadler, worked six furlongs in 1:14.20 for the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf on Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park. Catapult was second in the BC Mile on Nov. 3.
Catapult worked in company with St. Joe Bay, who was timed in 1:14. St. Joe Bay is expected to run in the Palos Verdes, Sadler said.
