Accelerate leaves no doubt in Gold Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – As recently as a year ago, Accelerate was thought to be a middle-distance horse, specializing in races at a mile or 1 1/16 miles, but as he’s gotten older he’s also gotten stronger, faster, and better able to handle longer distances, and on Saturday at Santa Anita he won his second race at 1 1/4 miles this year with an emphatic victory in the Grade 1, $500,345 Gold Cup.

The course for the rest of the year is now set. Accelerate will be pointed to 10-furlong races like the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

“It’s been a maturation process,” John Sadler, the trainer of Accelerate, said in the winner’s circle following his latest win.

“He was a late foal,” Sadler said, referring to Accelerate being born in May of 2013, “and he’s gotten better as time has gone on.”

On Saturday, Accelerate left no doubt that he is the best older horse in training in California right now. He sat in an ideal spot behind pacesetting Dr. Dorr and favored City of Light for the first mile of the race, then was wheeled outside those rivals and blew past them in upper stretch. He powered clear in the final furlong and checked in 4 1/4 lengths best over Dr. Dorr, who held second by 1 1/4 lengths over City of Light.

Both Accelerate and Dr. Dorr are by Lookin At Lucky, giving that sire the exacta.

Pavel was fourth and was followed, in order, by Prince of Arabia and Full of Luck. Little Scotty was scratched earlier in the day.

Accelerate ($5.80) was the second choice behind City of Light, who beat Accelerate in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap last month. The distance made the difference Saturday. Accelerate, already a winner in a similar spot in the Santa Anita Handicap in March, handled it, while City of Light couldn’t stay the trip in his first try at 1 1/4 miles.

Accelerate was given a 111 Beyer Speed Figure.

Even more impressive is that Accelerate had to give weight to all his rivals. He carried 125 pounds, while everyone else got 121.

“He’s been such a good horse for us,” said Sadler, who trains Accelerate for brothers Kosta and Pete Hronis. “He looks beautiful, 5-years-old now, sound horse, happy horse.”

Victor Espinoza rode Accelerate, who covered 1 1/4 miles on the fast main track in 2:01.38. The win was the seventh in 19 starts for Accelerate, who has now won three times in his last four starts, all since being reunited with Espinoza. He earned $300,000 on Saturday and now has banked more than $1.7 million.

Accelerate became the third horse this decade to win, in the same year, both the Santa Anita Handicap and the Gold Cup, which has been run at Santa Anita since 2014. Melatonin won both races in 2016, and Game On Dude in 2013. Lava Man won both races in both 2006 and 2007.

Only Game On Dude, in 2013, and Lava Man, in 2006, have swept California’s signature races for older dirt runners – the Santa Anita Handicap, Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic – in the same year, a feat Accelerate will look to emulate this summer at Del Mar.