Cupid auditions for BC Classic in Harry Brubaker

DEL MAR, Calif. – Cupid must be a slam-dunk pick-six single Wednesday at Del Mar, right? Because a $75,000 ungraded stakes should be easy pickings following Cupid’s decisive victory in a Grade 1 at Santa Anita.

“That doesn’t mean anything here at Del Mar; it means nothing,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “I got the greatest horse in the world beat twice here.”

Cupid, who won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita last out, is odds-on Wednesday in the Harry Brubaker at Del Mar. He will try to do something Baffert-trained Arrogate did not – win over the surface on which the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic will be run this fall.

“That’s why I ran the big horse here, because the Breeders’ Cup is here,” Baffert said, referring to Arrogate, who finished second to stablemate Collected on Saturday in the Pacific Classic.

The same reasoning applies to BC Classic candidate Cupid – start at Del Mar rather than ship next month to Saratoga for the Grade 1 Woodward. And, there is one other reason.

“Well, that other horse is going to be there, Gun Runner,” Baffert acknowledged.

Cupid is the class of the Brubaker. He is the 4-5 favorite by track linemaker Russ Hudak, and a key horse in the pick six. A $147,012 traditional carryover is up for grabs on races 3-8.

The one-mile Brubaker is race 7, and Cupid may or may not be a cinch.

“It’s a little short for him,” Baffert said,. “It will set him up. I run him here, and then I can run him in the Awesome Again.”

The Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Awesome Again, a prep for the BC Classic, is Sept. 30 at Santa Anita. Two others in the Brubaker could also run back in the Awesome Again: improving allowance horse Curlin Rules and Grade 1-placed comebacker Win the Space.

Seven were entered in the Brubaker, including Soi Phet, Dressed in Hermes, El Huerfano, and Forever Juanito.

Curlin Rules, the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, can upset if he reproduces his second-level allowance win of early this month. With 13 starts under his belt, the 4-year-old son of Curlin is finally coming around for trainer John Sadler.

Curlin Rules has been reluctant to switch leads, but he switched perfectly last out and is likely to get a good trip positioned second behind pacesetter El Huerfano. Curlin Rules’s last two starts came on dirt and were the best of his career. He improved after re-adding blinkers.

“He was looking around a lot,” Sadler said.

The small-cup blinkers “keep him focused more,” he added. “I always thought he could run more than he’s shown.”

The autumn campaign for Curlin Rules depends on his Brubaker performance, but Win the Space is almost certain to run back in the Awesome Again. He was given 60 days off after being eased in the 2016 BC Classic. His 2017 campaign was delayed by colic in late spring. He missed a month of training, and is not yet in peak form.

“I’m a little short,” trainer George Papaprodromou said. “I need another work or two, but there’s no other race for him coming up. I hate to go up against Cupid coming off a layoff and not being 100 percent ready, but we have no other choice.”

KEY CONTENDERS

Cupid, by Tapit
Last 3 Beyers: 108-84-95

◗ His sharp works at Del Mar suggest he handles the surface. “Irish Freedom and [he] have been working together, heads up,” Baffert said. After working in company with Cupid, Irish Freedom returned with a flashy first-level allowance victory.

◗ Cupid’s win in the Gold Cup on May 27 at Santa Anita was his only start this season. Last year, he won two Grade 2’s – the Indiana Derby and West Virginia Derby.

Curlin Rules, by Curlin
Last 3 Beyers: 94-92-87

◗ His allowance victory by more than five lengths Aug. 5 was the best dirt race of his career. Sadler said that since then “he seems to have done well, he looks good.”

Win the Space, by Pulpit
Last 3 Beyers: 102-98-107

◗ Papaprodromou said Win the Space “would be 100 percent ready” except for the colic interruption. Gary Stevens has been working him. He told Papaprodromou, “He’s still getting tired on me.”

◗ The comeback race Wednesday should set him up for an improved effort in the Awesome Again, possibly followed by the BC Classic.