Atitlan finished a fast-closing third by a neck in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 31, just missing a win and an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1. Atitlan has another chance to prove he belongs in the BC Turf in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Sept. 27. The $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship is run at 1 1/4 miles. The Del Mar Handicap was run at 1 3/8 miles. Those distances work for Atitlan, a 4-year-old colt who races for John O’Connor and trainer John Shirreffs. Earlier this year at Santa Anita, Atitlan won consecutive 1 1/2-mile turf starts in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes in March and the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes on May 3. The Del Mar Handicap was Atitlan’s only start of the summer, preceded by a fifth-place finish by 1 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf on May 26. Atitlan closed from last of nine in the Shoemaker Mile. On Friday at Santa Anita, Atitlan worked five furlongs in 1:03, his first major exercise since the Del Mar Handicap. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Shirreffs said a top-class effort in the John Henry Turf Championship is vital for Atitlan to be considered for a world-class race such as the BC Turf. “If he runs well enough, then yes the Breeders’ Cup would be the next start,” Shirreffs said. “We’ll have to wait and see.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.