Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Accelerate looking fit despite layoff

Accelerate outran his 42-1 odds when third behind Tamarkuz and Gun Runner in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He’ll be considered a prime player when the Grade 1, $1 million race is renewed Nov. 3 at Del Mar.

Daily Racing Form handicapper Brad Free has made Accelerate the early 7-2 favorite. Based at Santa Anita, Accelerate will enter off two of the best races of his career. Accelerate won the San Diego on July 22 at Del Mar with a Beyer Speed Figure of 109. One start later, he was third in the Pacific Classic on Aug. 19 at Del Mar with a career-high Beyer of 110. Trainer John Sadler decided to forgo a prep and train him up to the Dirt Mile.

“We had two races at Del Mar, hard races with good ratings,” Sadler said. “He got a very high Beyer in the Pacific Classic. The prep would have been the Awesome Again, but I felt the mile and an eighth might have been a little bit taxing. We were not going to ship out of state the race before, so we decided to train him into it.”

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Sadler said Accelerate has two more scheduled works for the Dirt Mile, the first on Saturday at Santa Anita. It will come under Victor Espinoza, who has the mount in the Breeders’ Cup. Accelerate’s final work is set for Oct. 28.

“Whether we work once at Del Mar is still up in the air,” Sadler said.

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As far as fitness, Sadler feels good about Accelerate heading into the Dirt Mile. Accelerate will be cutting back in distance off the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic.

“He shouldn’t have any problem,” Sadler said. “He’s a decent work horse. The Santa Anita track is heavy this year. He should be good and tight.”

Owned by Hronis Racing, Accelerate was 3 when he ran in last year’s Dirt Mile and has stepped up his game at 4. He’s put up four triple-digit Beyers in six starts and pulled arguably the biggest upset of the year when he won the San Diego over Arrogate, who finished fourth in his first start since capturing the Dubai World Cup.

“He acted real sharp that week,” Sadler said. “Two things had to happen. Arrogate needed to not run his best race, and we needed to run really well. It was exciting. Accelerate is the only horse that has beaten Arrogate twice. The other time was first out at Los Al. That’s an obscure stat only we can claim.”

Accelerate finished in front of Arrogate when the pair debuted in April 2016 at Los Alamitos. Accelerate was second in the maiden special weight sprint, and Arrogate was a neck behind him in third.

Both will be chief players when each goes for a Breeders’ Cup win next month at Del Mar.

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