Collected, Midnight Storm among prospects for Gold Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – With a purse of $500,000, the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on May 27 is the richest race of the track’s spring-summer meeting.

The race has drawn 20 nominations and is led by Collected, who won the Grade 2 Californian Stakes on April 22, and Midnight Storm, who was second in the Santa Anita Handicap in March. Midnight Storm was third in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 15.

Trainer John Sadler said on Wednesday that he could have two runners – Hard Aces, who won the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup at 1 1/2 miles on April 2, and Accelerate, who was second to Gold Cup nominee Danzing Candy in an optional claimer May 5.

On Wednesday, Accelerate worked a half-mile in 49.60 seconds. Sadler said the Gold Cup, run at 1 1/4 miles, and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap in Texas on May 28 are options for Accelerate.

Follow Me Crev, third in the Big Cap and second in the Californian, is another likely starter.