Catapult, Collected breeze for Breeders' Cup races

ARCADIA, Calif. – Catapult and Collected worked minutes before dawn at Santa Anita on Sunday in advance of scheduled starts in Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday, although Collected is not certain of a berth in the BC Classic.

Catapult, bound for the BC Mile, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, the fastest of 71 works at the distance. Trainer John Sadler described the work as “sharp.”

Owned by Woodford Racing, Catapult won two Grade 2 turf races at Del Mar during the summer – the Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on July 22 and the Del Mar Mile on Aug. 19. In both races, Catapult closed from off the pace to take the lead in the final strides under jockey Drayden Van Dyke.

As of Sunday, Collected was not guaranteed a berth in the BC Classic, a race in which he finished second last year. The BC Classic drew 19 pre-entries but will be limited to 14 starters.

Collected was not part of the 14 horses selected to start by a committee of racing officials after pre-entries were announced last Wednesday. For Collected to start, a few of the horses ranked above him would need to be declared non-runners. Four of those horses are also pre-entered in the BC Dirt Mile, although one of them – Lone Sailor – is expected to start in the Classic. City of Light, pre-entered in the Classic and Dirt Mile, may run in the Dirt Mile.

On Sunday, Collected was the only horse to work seven furlongs, finishing in 1:25.20. Collected galloped out a mile in 1:40.60, according to Santa Anita clockers. Collected had split times of 25.20 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.80 for a half-mile. He finished the final three furlongs of the workout in 35.40.

Owned by Speedway Stable, Collected is winless in two starts this year – a seventh in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January and a fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby Championship at 1 1/16 miles at Parx Racing on Sept. 22.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he has no alternative race in mind for Collected if the 4-year-old colt does not draw into the field. Breeders’ Cup entries will be taken on Monday. “We’re all in,” Baffert wrote in a text message.

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